Canopy making

[happychopper]

I would love to make my own canopy, i have tried a few attempts already but is there a definitive guide on how to do it??

Help most welcome

[lex7919]

ive soom very good stuff relating ti this, but ill need to dig it out, if i dont post back by tomorrow dropme a pm if you like to remind me and ill do it

[chugga-bug]

How far do want to go! Have a look at this thread about scratch building a couple of scale fuselages... Scratch building 1/4 scale Bell 206B, 206L and 407 fuselages - HeliFreak

[debrooker]

How far do want to go! Have a look at this thread about scratch building a couple of scale fuselages... Scratch building 1/4 scale Bell 206B, 206L and 407 fuselages - HeliFreak

amazing.

[Adrian]

I was looking at this thread on helifreak yesterday,thats one cool heli.

[Kwickkwack]

Doesn't it make you sick that people are that bloody clever, what a great bit of kit.

[happychopper]

How far do want to go! Have a look at this thread about scratch building a couple of scale fuselages... Scratch building 1/4 scale Bell 206B, 206L and 407 fuselages - HeliFreak

That was awesome - but far too much for what i wanted, but it did highlight some basics! I've watched a few "how to" vids on youtube. I just want to make a plug of my canopy and churn out a few moulds to experiment with.

Lex, i'll PM you later today but if the info is worth sharing - feel free to post it to all

[Dedcalm]

Wow, but imagine if/when you deck it ouch

[Rctintin]

Stunning build! How do people get the time to do that sort of thing?

[happychopper]

Wow, but imagine if/when you deck it ouch

Thats why i want to make more than 1

£40 quid a pop just increases the crash bill

[Brian Gifford]

Sorry to go slightly off-topic, but I've just read that build thread - My God! the man's a genius!

[Rctintin]

Having seen the way the guy in America builds his, it looks easy to do a canopy!!

Just make up a former to fit at the centre line of canopy, loads of glass cloth to form one half plug. Same for second side. Wet sand and polish inside of plug. Bolt together, release agent inside, glass cloth (or carbon if you want to be flash) remove bolts, pull molds apart, hey presto, one canopy made.

Told you it was easy!!

[happychopper]

hey presto, one canopy made.

Told you it was easy!!

mmm i've got that far pmsl

Just the detail i'm after lol

I was thinking of a male plug - not a female one....

[trillian]

For something big like a fuselage grp is probably the best material but I think canopies could be vacuum formed using a better material than the typical plastics.

If a canopy was vac formed using acrylic you would have a smooth paintable surface and the option to leave an area clear, such as the windscreen etc.

It is more brittle than other plastics but then so is grp.

You'd still need a plug to form it over and it would have to be done in two halves and CA'd together and sanded at the joint (but with some canopies the two halves could be split top and bottom rather than side to side, which would make the top naturally smooth.