da Rock

I know of a couple of replacement parts suppliers. What I'm looking for is a happy customer or two.

I want to find a decently strong cowl for my KYOSHO CAP 232. It's the 46size one. The cowl that KYOSHO supplies is beautiful, but that's only skin deep. Actually, it isn't even skin deep. The skin keeps splitting. This is from just flying around. I've been epoxying strips of glass inside the splits but the sucker keeps splitting elsewhere when one place is reinforced. I should clean the entire inside out and glass it all, but would rather start over.

I know we've got some decent replacement part mfg's in the US who have a clue how light to make this stuff (and how strong/light as well). But I'd like to have a recommendation or two...........

Anybody like the replacement parts they've ordered recently? from US mfg's that is.

I figure to put a decent cowl on my little 46size Ultimate too. And I've got an ARF P40 with a beautiful outsides that bends like rubber. It hasn't hit anything yet, but all it'll take would be the airplane going 60mph and run through a cloud of gnats. They shoulda put more than one layer of glass in the layup, but what'd they know.

Anybody got a recommendation?

manks7477

try fiberglass specialities (www.fiberglassspecialities.com) I would bet they have the cowl you are looking for.

The other option is to buy some fiberglass and resin at Walmart or your local automotive retailer, and then line your current cowl with fiberglass, it would built up the strength with out much cost of work.

da Rock

Thanks manks,
I've already started putting a 2nd layer into newly purchased ARFs' cowls. It works a whole lot better to do it right away. I clean the inside out with denatured alcohol and acetone and have used 2oz cloth and epoxy on the 46size I'm partial to.

BTW, polyester resin won't always bond to epoxy. Truth is, I doubt the ARF mfg's are laying up epoxy since polyester is usually cheaper. And it's usually measurably stronger to layup all the layers at one time. So I figure my reinforcing could be better done by the worker making the part. Just personal preference.... I'm sure my reinforcing is adding enough strength, it's just that it's also excess weight for that strength.

And it'd also be nice if this issue got loud enough that word somehow got back to the Chinese that their glasswork is hurting their sales and they'd improve it.

Timthetoolman1

My Feedback: (6)

http://www.stansfibertech.com/ if he has it. I used his Ultimate Biplane cowl and it came out great. I have another one from (I think) Motor City or something like that and it is no where near the detail.

jrcaster

I would go to Tower Hobbies and get the light fiberglass matt instead of the heavy stuff you get at Walmart, it is .6 ounce per square yard instead of 2 ounces. You also need to scuff the inside of your cowl to get the glass to stick better. Or if it does release from your cowl, scuff and clean the outside of the fiberglass cowl and put another layer on the outside. Set your original cowl asside as a mold.

XE521

Hi,

in your position instead of repairing the original I would be tempted to use the original as a form and reproduce the cowl. If the reproduction gets damaged then you can still produce another one. Rgds, Karl.

lilhachet

My Feedback: (2)

That site you gave is for fiberglass truck parts.