Derek B Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Nice work Peter Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 evening all... ..a bit more done... ..I made up more formers for the canopy mould and blacked all the edges with a sharpie to see where to sand to... ..then it dawned on me that as I was making a mould for a vacform I could just try roughing the shape with plasticine - it should hold it's shape in the latex - well that was the plan anyway... ...cast a resin piece from the mould - good enough to work with... ..after sanding and shaping it I had something like what I wanted - I also built the front screen ..now all I need to do is build a vacform machine and find some clear plastic in enough quantity to pull a few copies & see what it looks like - I still may reshape this a bit more... ...also carried on detailing the lower fuselage - started scribing panels and stuck on the louvres I made a while back... ...added rivets and fittings... ...getting there slowly but surely - I want to have it on it's wheels in time to put it on the 32 SIG stand at Telford.. TTFNPeter Landrotten Highlander, red baron, Out2gtcha and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Refined work, Peter. Great problem-solving. Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Good work on the canopy Peter! Love learning from your every post. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Breathtaking work Keep 'em coming :popcorn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 evening ladies... ..dropping in again with a little postette.. ..the saga continues with finishing up the wing radiators... ..had to make a panel to cover the lower wing intake which is curved at it's nose so laminated some brass to plastic card and tried to impart a subtle bit of curvature carefully using a bending press.. ...riveted and added the nosecap fairing... ..made the cooling flap from brass & plastic again and added an actuator from our airscale PE detail set... ...I airbrushed the inner parts silver and painted the radiator element, then fitted the parts - bet it's not long before I knock the flap off... ...and now for something completely different.... having made the parts for the canopy moulds, I needed a vacform machine. I went to the local hardware store and got some bits. I thought the aluminium mesh used to fix & fill car bodies would do as the plate so would build it to those dimensions... ..only took about an hour - found some sealant to make it airtight and gave it a go... ..bad news - the vacuum was so strong it sucked the moulds clean through the mesh - back to the drawing board.. I ended up drilling a bit of hardboard instead... ..I am on about my 6th attempt and so far no joy... ..in the first few the moulds moved (like right through the mesh..), and in others the parts just do not conform to the moulds - the tops are fine, but then the plastic just radiuses out and doesn't pull close to the mould. I tried heating the plastic for longer to make it more pliable, but it just went white & cloudy - sorry, no gory pics - I don't want to re-live the frustration ..will keep at it, but might move on to something else while I do a bit more research - any old hands out there know what I am doing wrong? TTFN Peter Landrotten Highlander 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Hi Peter, I really like the way that the brass gives that "oil-canning" look. Very realistic. Re: your vac-forming woes......have you raised your parts off the hardboard base? To get a cleaner undercut you might consider affixing a block to the underside of your master to allow the plastic to conform to the sides better. (Nice vac box btw) Hope you work it out and keep up the great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 IT WORKED!!!! I took your advice Gedubelyer and also modified the whole vacform box - I think the problem was the moulds were too deep into the box so the plastic had to work harder to get all the way down and around the moulds... fist I raised the forming plate to the same level as the plastic sheet when it gets dropped on the mould... ..put the parts on lego plinths and pulled a copy - this one was 'baked' too long and the plastic went cloudy again, but at least it proved the changes worked & the plastic followed the mould better... ..at last a successful copy - down to my last sheet of clear too.. ..carefully cut the parts out while still in the mould... ..and they seem to fit... the rear canopy hasn't taken all the lower contours completely, but I can live with that I think... Will try cleaning and 'futuring' a test copy to see what the clarity finishes up like... ...I am so relieved and happy it worked... Peter Landrotten Highlander, Derek B and Out2gtcha 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cees Broere Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 You're not human. Thanks for the tutorial, always had plans to build a vacorm set up myself. Cheers Cees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 ok, back again.. I was so pleased to have mastered the vacform machine and got a workable canopy, I got on a little roll and got it detailed... ..I use really thin sheet brass - the best way to use it is to make paper or card templates to get the final shape and for this very thin stuff tape it down to work it. you can also burnish the edges under the tape where it getss disfigured from cutting... ..this is the cap at the rear being worked.. ..riveting & detailing.. ..I dipped the canopy in future so I could CA all the parts - I made the front frame from thicker brass bent into a sort of 'U' section and filed & filled the kinks at the corners... ..and dry fitted on the airframe - I managed to lose the windshield so this is a duff one as a mock-up... ..until next time.. TTFNPeter Landrotten Highlander and shepard 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 GEEEZZZZ ! Don't know what to say. Its beautiful........Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Wish I could work vac like that! Wonderful stuff Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Peter I'm just in total amazement of what you have accomplished. Just simply stellar work Keep 'em coming :popcorn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Skilful beyond words! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 D.B. Andrus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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