jetflyer

My Feedback: (5)

Looking to see if someone can vacuum form a canopy for me? I have the plug done and ready, just need to find someone I can send it to. If you can vacuum form a part that is about 15" long, by 3" wide please PM me so we can talk.

thanks,

JR Gautreaux

dbarrym

My Feedback: (47)

JR -Assuming you haven't solved this yet, look in the yellow pages under plastics - either vacuum forming or plastics/fabricators. If you have no luck then ask the local plastics supply houses for leads.

I used to mfr a number of composite kits and found many vac forming houses/suppliers this way. FWIW show them the plug and get opinions on cost and plug finish/quality.

barry

jetflyer

My Feedback: (5)

Barry,

Thanks, I might try that route. For now I am going to just vacuum bag some fiber glass over my plug and paint it. We'll see how that goes. I'll still be able to go the other route if I want to later.

JR Gautreaux

dbarrym

My Feedback: (47)

Use some thin, flexible plastic sheeting for your vac bag's top surface and you might be able to make a pretty smooth surface. Big problem is avoiding wrinkles in the bag over a sharply curved male mold - requiring lots of finish sanding - and not wrecking your plug from resin that seeps underneath it.

If the canopy is not too big, you may want to try the old "heat and plunge" method of drop-forming a canopy using heated PET bottle plastic that is pulled over your plug - a neat way of making one-off canopies without a vac molder. PM or Email me if you want details.

I've done both processes for one-offs before and the PET bottle process is easier, faster, and cheaper (use a scrap 2 liter soda bottle and 1x2" scrap pinewood frame).

Barry

Toomanyplanes

Tap plastics has a book on vacuum forming in your oven with a vacuum cleaner. PETG type plastic is very easy to form in this manner. I've made several canopies this way. My molds are made from aluminum filled epoxy but I usually make several of the same canopy at once. As always, the set up is the most time consuming part and any commercial dealer is going to charge you an arm and a leg. Try the method above and you should be able to get satisfactory results.

Thermals, Tooomanyplanes

dionysusbacchus

My Feedback: (25)

Yellow pages, or pop bottle...

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

Some years ago, I wanted a cowl and wheel pants duplicated. Went to one of the pick up truck door signmakers. They can usually handle up to 18" by 24" plastics. They are not noted in your telephone book under vacuum forming, but have the machines anyway.

Perhaps one more local place for you to investigate.

Wm.