Creating windows

[RotaryOne]

Having just bought the Longranger I find it is without some windows, as in footwell ones particularly. So would like to create these. Am new to scale work, so how would one go about creating the shape necessary and what materials would be used please?

Nigel

[Al M]

I have seen and made very good scale windows from plastic lemonade / 7 up / coke bottles. The plastic used in them is ideal, easy to work with and you can get different colours - depending on the juice you buy!

[RotaryOne]

Thanks, Al. But how do you go about shaping the material please?

Nigel

[Al M]

The bottles have lots of different curves on them, and often you can get a curve that is approximate to the window you need, or by the time you cut the plastic cylinder it gives you a good flat piece of plastic to shape to your needs.

[Boggy]

make a wooden plug the shape of the window. slip it inside the tightest bottle you can find then heat up the bottle with a paint stripping heat gun(gently!) it will shrink and mould its self around the plug.then simply cut out your new window.

the larger two litre bottles are best(plenty of material to shrink) just use wood to pack out your plug till its tight against the side

[RotaryOne]

Many thanks Ron. Always helpful.

Regards

Nigel

[dogbiscuit]

hi nigel. you can buy quite small sheets of vac forming plastic in whatever colour/thickness you want. this can then be slumped over a plug also with careful heat aplication as above. a friend of mine has a vac machine. i will ask him where he gets the sheets from. plaster of paris (ideally something like fine casting plaster) can also be used to make your plugs. using serated edges, you carve it to a rough shape and finish with ever finer grades of wet and dry. the finish can be perfect if you need it to be. vac forming over this then leaves no texture on the sheet (or your window). plaster is really easy to carve in the early stages after casting, so you get the basic shape at this stage. then work to the axact shape as it hardens. simple plaster of paris can be bought in boots in small amounts. southwest industrial plasters have all the specialist plasters you will ever need. talk to me next time at the field for more info. i have 15 years experience in carving and mouldmaking with plaster. all the best. Harvey

[glen_j]

if you can make a wooden plug/form of the windows you need i have access to a vacuum forming machine and have some clear plastic, i'll quite happily form them for you

[RotaryOne]

Many thanks Harvey. Very much appreciated.

I had an idea of finding some sort of material which is like a firm putty. You could press this against an aperture and get the window contour imprinted. That would allow a lip to be created in the vac process so that the end product would locate from behind and the window be flush with the outside of the fuselage. The issues with this I can see is that the material must not stick to the fuselage and neither must it flop out of shape when removed.

Comments please

Regards

Nigel

[RotaryOne]

if you can make a wooden plug/form of the windows you need i have access to a vacuum forming machine and have some clear plastic, i'll quite happily form them for you

Very many thanks, Glen. Your kind offer greatly appreciated. As you can see Harvey is on my doorstep and may be able to help in a similar way.

I have to say what fantastic help and input one gets from members of RcHeliaddits.

Regards

Nigel