Lou Melancon

I am now at the step of attaching the windscreen to the cockpit of my enlarged Ziroli Swoose. The windshield is thin plastic sheet from Midwest. It will wrap around as shown below. Any advice on attaching it would be greatly appreciated?

Here is a plan view of the windscreen so you can see how it wraps around the fuslage shape:

evan-RCU

Nice! My prefered way is with clear monokote around the edges for thin windscreens and pacer Z540 or whatever it is for full canopies...

ukengineman

Here in the UK I always use R/C Modellers glue for canopies and wind shields:-
http://www.deluxematerials.com/products_emulsion.html
Alan

ggeezer

Lou,
I build a lot of scale free flight models where I use thin plastic sheet for window and windshield glazing. Many of the applications are similar to your application. I have tried all of the traditional methods and have always been frustrated with the results. Most of the suitable thin plastic these days is Mylar which doesn't like to be glued so adhesion is a problem. Glue smears and blobs along with trying to keep the curved sheets in place while the glue dries is another problem.
I worked out a method that works for me.
1. Carefully cut the sheet to fit the window opening allowing 1/16" to 1/8" overlap.
2. Get a small tube of solvent type contact cement (not water based). Try to find the lightest colored type possible, a light amber color is the best that you can get (Pliobond is a dark amber color). I like to use Elmer's contact cement.
3. Using a small artist's brush, paint a narrow but thick line of cement around the perimeter of the window opening. Allow to dry thoroughly (I sometimes go over it again to make sure I have a nice thick line of glue).
4. After the glue is dry, fit the glazing in place. The cement always has a little tack so it gently holds the glazing in place but it is easily lifted to reposition if needed. Work on this until you are pleased with the positioning. If there isn't enough tack, don't worry about it, use small pieces of masking tape to help hold, or just go to step 5.
5. Using the tip of a Mono-cote sealing iron set on about 4 on the dial (Medium low) and starting at the center of the windshield, spot weld the glazing to the frame at the top and bottom using two small dots on the glue line. Use another spot weld dot at the ends of the windshield. Inspect the positioning to make sure that all is ok. If not, a hobby knife can be used to pry the glazing from the frame, breaking the spot welds.
6. If you are happy with the positioning, add more spot welds, placing them in a random order around the perimeter of the glazing. DO NOT try to seal the edge down in a continuous manner as the plastic will expand and want to pucker up. After you have many randomly placed spot welds, you can then randomly seal the spaces between the spot welds. Use heat only around the edge as it will distort the plastic if applied to the windshield area.
7. The bond is very strong but heat will debond the glazing if it needs to be replaced. Cover the bonded area with flashing of your choice to blend the glazing with the rest of the finish.
8. It would be nice if the contact cement were clear then the glue line wouldn't show. You can tint the cement with paint store pigments, but I usually apply a flashing or paint that part of the glazing.
9. I have used this technique to attach canopies but it works best for windshields and windows.

Orv.

Lou Melancon

Orv,
What a great idea! I hadn't thought about contact cement but it would work great. I will add a final step and that is to mask the canopy then create a fillet with Aero Fil. I can smooth it out well enough with my finger and to not have to sand it out.

Again thanks for this great idea!

Jim Thomerson

I use RC 560 (I think) canopy glue. It dries clear. It is about like titebond to apply.

8178

My Feedback: (17)

Do you plan to glassing the airframe and paint it?

Lou Melancon

Mike,
The fuse is glassed with .5 ounce cloth, the wings, stab and rudder are covered with antique coverite. The hinging is all done under the covering by top hinging with coverite. The fuse and leading edges of flying surfaces will be painted with Klasskote epoxy.

I cleaned out my Dad's shop last year and found a stash of Hobby Poxy products. After glassing the fuse I brushed on Hobby Poxy Fastfill which is an air dry material that fills fg weave very well and is easy to sand. I spent about two hours tonight removing most of the filler with 120, then 220, 320 then 400 to get it ready for the second coat of primer. I also made a template for the windshield and will use Orv's process. By the way Midwest clear sheets are labeled as PVC.

The next step on the fuse is to use glazing putting to fill in the low spots and dings. Once the paint is applied the entire plane will be shot with clear klasskote to seal it. I figure from today till its finished will be about 4 months. Finishing always takes about 35% of my total build time.

Lou Melancon

Orv,
Your technique worked great. I made a pattern. Fitted it to the fuselage, then cut out the plastic sheet. Next I marked a pencil line on the fuse around the windscreen. Instead of using a brush I filled a syringe with contact cement and applied the glue to both the fuselage and the windscreen.



The glue was allowed to set for thirty minutes before placing the windscreen onto the fuselage. Using a trim iron set to 250 degrees the "weldspots" were burned in. After the entire periphery was bonded the windscreen was masked and Super Fil was used to fair it into the fuselage. Here it sits waiting for final fill and sand.

ggeezer

Lou,
I'm glad it all worked out for you.
The only thing I do different is I only apply the cement to the frame and not to the glazing. If you apply it to both surfaces, the contact nature of the cement might cause it to bond too firmly and not allow you to reposition if needed. Being able to reposition is the unique feature of this method because fitting complex windshields with a number of curves in the right position the first time is, for me, a challenge so you don't want the cement to grab too firmly before heat is applied.
You results look great and I really like the airplane. I hope you post photos when it is complete.

Orv.

Tango Juliet

Your Swoose looks great, and the results of fitting your windscreen are equally as good. One thing I would consider in the future for something with a similar cockpit/windscreen... Since you penciled the pattern onto the fuse, why not sand a recess into the wood for the windscreen to fit into, kind of like a frame, then the filler wouldn't be (as) necessary? It's just a thought and observation, I haven't actually tried it myself.

Lou Melancon

TJR1,
Thank you very much, glad you like the Swoose. I really like the fantasy airplanes of the Bill Barnes area so the lines of the Swoose were a natural for a nostalgia project. I had considered making a recessed area to match the windscreen. Also considered making a frame from lithoplate to go over the windscreen, or finding very small screws to screw it in place. After hearing about Orv's method I decided to try it as it looked to be both simpler and faster than any other way I was considering.

Here are a couple of progress photos. The stab, rudder and dorsal have been added, the fuse is glassed and filled. The fillets have been applied and the next step is spot filling then sanding out for primer. Oops, getting a little ahead of myself the tail wheel assembly needs to be installed and the 12" wheel pants from Fiberglass specialties should be here soon.

Lou Melancon

A little more progress:

f16man

That is one great looking airplane and you are an artist sir, excellent!!!!!!

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

I agree with F16man, that's a fine looking specimen!

Some folks won't see, because the topic is about windshields. Your fine Swoose would be a great construction thread!

Nice work,
Dave Olson

Lou Melancon

Hi Dave,
I am doing a build along but it is on my club's web site. It is more about how to build and what techniques to use than it is about the plane. I am hoping that by showing to others those things shown to me along the way more folks will enjoy the design and building side of our great hobby.

Anyway, here is the address to our club web site and the build along: http://z11.invisionfree.com/GMARC/in...topic=193&st=0

wb4snu

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. I sure wish my brain would work on color schemes. Mine just turn out PLANEJANE. I sure do envy someone that can paint that good.
Richard

Lou Melancon

Richard,
Thank you but it is not that good. There is still a lot of clean up to do once the paint is on. Something always goes wrong: leak under the masking line, overspray where you least expect it, didn't mask an area that you should have, etc.

Two things I've learned recently are that 3M fine line blue tape sold in NAPA stores is the greatest thing for masking in existence. You put your lines down with the 1/8" wide size then mask using blue painters tape up to it. The tape is so flexible it will go around anything and more important it can be lifted and repositioned several times and still hold a paint line. The second thing is to use an HVLP gun from Harbor Freight. They are about $50 and work great. I sprayed on the Klasskote with 43lbs of pressure to the gun, opened the air supply to the gun to maximum (do it by sound), opened the spray pattern knob two turns, opened the paint supply at the rear of the gun two turns, and set the spray control at the front to achieve a vertical pattern. Then tested it by holding gun 8 inches for a carboard box and holding trigger for one second. What I wanted was a 4-6" tall pattern that was wider in the middle than the top and bottom. I got this information on the gun by doing a google search for HVLP techniques. I was amazed at how easy it was and how well it worked. Here is the gun I use:

wb4snu

Thanks for the info. I'll get me one. My airbrush system needs a total turnaround. I will try to download my Super Kaos when I get to the painting part and maybe someone can draw me a paint scheme.
Richard

old git

Thanks for the advice, my last canopy was secured (covered in) Superglue, cyano'. What a horrid job, made me totally ashamed to have done it.

I assumed that the site you offered would be USA based. The link came up offering payment in UK Pounds Stirling. BRILLIANT.

I too am resident in UK.


old git - - - - aka John L.

ukengineman

I was able to buy the R/C modellers glue in a local UK model shop. It is a fairly thick white emulsion when you apply it but goes clear as it dries. Any excess can be removed with a wet cloth while in the white state.