News:



  • May 09, 2024, 06:15:42 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Author Topic: How do these guys do this?  (Read 897 times)

Offline wwwarbird

  • 2016 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 7983
  • Welcome to the Stunt Hanger.
How do these guys do this?
« on: February 28, 2010, 05:35:09 PM »
 This one has always stumped me. I'll try to explain best I can.

 When you're doing a clear canopy that is a wrap around sheet plastic type, in this case on an "Electra", how do you fill around it so that the "glass" ends up flush and on the same level as the outside surface of the fuse, but yet have the filler material not so thin that it wants to crack soon after the first flights? Also on the Electra, the canopy design incorporates a "roof" that will have to be considered too, meaning that the "glass" will need to also be flush with the outside perimiter of that area as well.

 Things that make you go "Hmmm"... ???  
Narrowly averting disaster since 1964! 

Wayne Willey
Albert Lea, MN U.S.A. IC C/L Aircraft Modeler, Ex AMA member

Online Matt Colan

  • N-756355
  • AMA Member
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 3455
Re: How do these guys do this?
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2010, 05:57:02 PM »
This one has always stumped me. I'll try to explain best I can.

 When you're doing a clear canopy that is a wrap around sheet plastic type, in this case on an "Electra", how do you fill around it so that the "glass" ends up flush and on the same level as the outside surface of the fuse, but yet have the filler material not so thin that it wants to crack soon after the first flights? Also on the Electra, the canopy design incorporates a "roof" that will have to be considered too, meaning that the "glass" will need to also be flush with the outside perimiter of that area as well.

 Things that make you go "Hmmm"... ???  

it sounds like you are wondering how you do that wrap around canopy.  Here is a little explanation on how I did it on my Smoothie.

The Brodak kit (in this case ARC) comes with a full canopy, not a wrap around.  What I did was mount the canopy in the normal manner (epoxy, then epoxylite over that).  when it came time to paint it, I did some careful masking and made the wrap around canopy with the masking of the tape.  I don't have a good picture to show you, but that is basically how I did it.  If I were to redo it, I would sand down the canopy with 1000 or 1200 so that the paint can stick because it is now starting to come off after 2 seasons of frequent flying.

Hope that makes sense and answers your question somewhat H^^
Matt Colan

Offline wwwarbird

  • 2016 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 7983
  • Welcome to the Stunt Hanger.
Re: How do these guys do this?
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2010, 06:58:55 PM »
 Thanks Matt, and yes you make sense in your case. I've done the same on some bubble type canopy models. On this design though, the models' cockpit structure creates the primary canopy outline and roof. Then, the glass is made from an actual flat sheet of plastic literally wrapped around the cockpit opening from one side, around the front, to the other side. I'm also familiar with "cheating" the masking line of the color a bit too to get the desired final outline, but my issue here is getting the glass to end up on the same level as the fuse exterior with out the filler wanting to crack. A million builders have done this, just not me.  ;D
« Last Edit: March 01, 2010, 02:34:56 AM by wwwarbird »
Narrowly averting disaster since 1964! 

Wayne Willey
Albert Lea, MN U.S.A. IC C/L Aircraft Modeler, Ex AMA member

Offline Wynn Robins

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • ******
  • Posts: 1684
Re: How do these guys do this?
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2010, 08:30:38 PM »
make a carboard template and bend around the desired shape - cut and trim where necessary to get a good close fit , transfer the shape of the template to the plastic and cut exactly the same.  Now when you wrap t e plastic around it fits perfectly, (this is just to get the shape right obviously.)

now paint a 1/8" or so wide strip on the INSIDE of the canopy at the bottom to hide your glue joint from the inside

lightly sand the bottom edge othe exterior of the canopy the same 1/8"

put fine line masking tape as close to the top of the painted line as you can on  the outside

put the canopy in place and glue with epoxy, as the epoxy hardens a little - use some denatured alcohol to smooth the joint up to where the tape is to feather it

remove the tape and do any additional smoothing out as necessay

this is the way I do it anyway, I find the epoxy is tough enough that is does not crack and gives a nice surface par paint to adhere to .....

I have pictures somewhere........



In the battle of airplane versus ground, the ground is yet to lose


Advertise Here
Tags:
 


Advertise Here