[peterel]

Ok I'm at the point where I have to build a front and rear windshield for my 1/5 scale scratch build. Trying not to have to order material from on line shop ( hate to paid mail charges that are more than what I'm ordering) . Did a lot of looking on line --2 liter pop bottle--face shield from welding shop--looking on line what thickness? Have seen .010--.015--.020--.030. Grabbed a pop bottle out of the recycling seems thin. Replacement face shields come in many materials from very hard to very soft. Need some ideas about what you are using?

[chuck_zc]

Blister packaging is fairly stiff

[Arceenut]

Look for industrial plastic shops that make blister packs and do vacuum forming in you area. you may be lucky to get some scraps and left over ends for a good price.

[peterel]

Ha Ha Ha thanks, but not where I live. Town about 750 people.

[Phlier]

Do you know what shape and size. I was looking around GH website and found sig makes a bunch of generic teardrop style windshields. If your looking for flat lexan, might check with the glass shops.

[peterel]

I was looking at GH and the Sig stuff ( still don't know what size to use yet ) But don't want to pay shipping for 1 piece. I found that lexan is hard to work with, seems just a little too stiff.
Stuck at home no one wants to go flying today so I will have to wait to try the glass shops.

[stegl]

Can you post a picture of the fuse so we know what you are building.
Not enough information given; like just flat windows or ?

[michaely]

As Len said more information on your project would be useful.

Here is an old thread from this forum on the subject touches a lot aspects of the subject:
https://www.rccanada.ca/rccforum/sho...canopy+forming

I micro metered a 1/5 and 1/4 scale canopies I happen to have around.... the finished thickness (if vacuum formed, the plastic thins out as it is drawn) for the 1/5 was a bit over .020" and for the 1/4 a bit under .030".

Flat blister pack plastic - mixed salad containers from the grocery store - have relatively large areas of clear plastic - than can make simple flat/non-compound curved windshields. Look around enough and you will probably find some items packaged in blister pack shapes that would work for a (non scale) scratch built 1/5 scale model, such as the compound curved bubble front windshield for a Cub type model.

The thread linked to has a brief description of using 2 liter pop bottles/a form on a stick and head gun to make pieces of compound curves shapes...... I've seen detailed how to threads on this over at rcgroups.com Quite innovative and low investment in time/effort .... and the materials are in peoples' recycling bins.

Vacuum forming full canopies typically requires making a vacuum (forming) box that you can hook up to a shopvac but the size of canopy is limited to the size of you heating box (eg. stove oven). A major effort. Lots of threads on this around.

Google/YouTube search "vacuum forming canopies", etc.

[cassat]

Sounds like you have to go to the bakery at Coop tomorrow Peter for a Deli tray

[peterel]

To get to the deli I have to get past the bakery department first ( the hard part) I looked what we had around the house and all the deli stuff seams really hard type plastic and does not want to bend. So I grabbed a 2 liter pop bottle taped my windshield pattern to it and cut it out. The nature curve of the bottle worked out just great, I clamped it to the plane for a test fit and it was almost a perfect fit. Looks great, take it off polished it up and remounted it and it looks great. But wait whats this? Do you know that the print a " batch number" right on the bottle? Yup right in the middle of my windshield. I will have to find another pop bottle to cut another one from. Dig out my calipers and the bottle is .010 thick. The windshield is 9 inches wide and 5 inches tall and when all clamped down seams to be quite rigid. Don't know if it's worth ordering 0.015 plastic or just go with this.