wonwinglo

Here are my earlier notes regarding moulding cockpit canopies for models,once mastered the technique is easy,regarding the mould simply make the plug undersized allowing for the thickness of the clear material.
First we have-
Cockpit canopies from throw away bottles-

Have you ever been faced with making a large canopy ? well if you dont know how to go about it stick around a minute for a method that costs you no more than your favourite soft drink,the material that large bottles of soft drinks come in is ideal for or task but first we need to make a mould,dont worry it is a simple task,just grab a block of balsa the size of your canopy and mark out first the side view,cut this out with a band saw or if you dont have such a luxury a keyhole saw will suffice,next mark the plan ( top ) view and cut away the surplus wood,finally use a surform or similar to shape the block,smooth the edges with glasspaper.
Next take the large drinks bottle and cut off the top portion at the neck,place the carved block of wood into the bottle and ram in some rag of similar to blank off the open end,now take your heat gun ( you can use an hair drier with care ) and play the heat evenly onto the plastic,what will happen now is the plastic bottle will shrink itself up tightly against the wood former,just be patient and do not get too close otherwise you will burn the plastic,leave to cool off and with your Stanley knife run a line at the base of the canopy and trim up with a pair of scissors,result one new canopy for your pride and joy.
____________________________________

Method two is even easier,as before this requires a simple plug,this can be made from balsawood or even plaster of paris if you are making an undersized mould from a kit canopy ( you simply scrape or sand the plaster to reduce it overall ) the photographs are self explanatory,the method makes better canopies than supplied in kits-



This is the time established way of making small cockpit canopies,simply carve a plug from balsa wood,make a female mould from a piece of ply slightly oversized to allow for the deep draw of the plastic sheet,pin or staple the sheet to the female and heat over a gas or electric ring until the material becomes floppy,then plunge the plug into the mould,wait for a few seconds to cool and withdraw the plug,you will probably need a bit of practise and a bit of wasted material in the process but practise makes perfect and that is the secret.

Never throw away those plastic packing inserts from cosmetic boxes etc hoard them,this makes excellent material from which to make your canopies.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/