how o open acces/panels

[Jens]

how can I open accesspanels nicest'?

HELP!!

[stusbke]

how can I open accesspanels nicest'?

HELP!!

 

Ok this is how I do it Its probably not the way but hey its a start

 

Also I rebuild the panel withg alu sheet afterwards so this is a kinda destructive way of opening it up but its easier because you dont have to be so caring on the panel and focus more on the surrounding panel lines

 

first I dril holes on the inside of the panel depending on the size of it you dril a lot or just a few. Remember that the bigger the holes you dril the more you need to clean up (read sand)afterwards. but much depends on the size of the panel you wanna remove

 

 

When this is done you can now take a knife or your saw and cut trough all the holes you just made, I usualy use a knife because its easier but thet choise is yours of course this is how I do it

 

when thats done you get something like this

 

 

now here you can see why I said earlier that you need to choose the right size of dril to make thet holes or else the edge is going to be realy rough on the edge and it makes it way harder to smooth it out especialy if the panel isnt big.

 

Now all that you need to to is start sanding the edge towards the panel line. I have bought this great set of files in all shapes (triangular, rectangular and round ones even with bended tips) these are verry usefull for doing this type of work because they can sand the corners well because sometimes these are rounded.

 

 

and these are the files i talked about try to find them and buy them they are worth it believe me I use them frequently I realy like them

 

 

Voila I hope I answerd your Q a little bit if not the next time I open up a panel I will try to make some pics of it

 

greetz STB

Frederick Jacobs

[LSP_Ray]

I also did an article for Great Models on this subject, you can find the article here: http://www.greatmodels.com/main/051210.htm .

[AngoMango]

I'm also very interested in the technique people use for this, and it seems most do the drilling method, then file back.

 

Now, up until now, I've never had to remove an access panel, but why couldn't you just repeatedly score along the access panel line with a sharp hobby knife until you've gone far enough through the plastic that you can knock the panel out? I know this wouldn't work when the plastic quite thick, but it would mean less filing to clean up the edges?

 

Just a thought

 

Cheers

Ango

[Haggis]

Don't foget to thin the plastic from the inside first. Aeroplanes aren't built out of inch thick steel!

[stusbke]

Don't foget to thin the plastic from the inside first. Aeroplanes aren't built out of inch thick steel!

yeah forgot about that one

 

sorry about the scribing, well yes it could work but the end result would be that you still need to file around the edge anyway to get it straight again and like I said earlier im prefering to keep the hole then the door if you know what I mean.

 

to be honest i havent realy tried the scribing method at all but since i have bought myself a dremel well drilling is definatly the way to go

 

greetz STB

Frederick Jacobs

[Jens]

many thanks gentlemen! just what i needed to know

 

Cheers Jens

[Sabre F-86]

Heres a decent trick if you want to keep the hatch as well. Before you do anything to the hatch, wipe some vaseline on the hatch and the surrounding area. Take some regular Autobody putty, mix it up and apply it to the hatch and surrounding area. Let it harden, then flick the finished mold off with a finger nail. Once you have made the opening, you can take the mold and lay a thin layer of epoxy into it. Once that hardens you can add interior stringers and frames, latch mechanisms, etc. then very gently pop it off the mold. Theres your replacement hatch.

 

Sabre