M100S

[RobbieB]

Started giving some thought to the canopy plug - being rather complicated by the rise at the front of the opening. Not quite as straight forward as a conventional cockpit.

It will be out of high density blue foam so I thought I would produce a plug to exactly fit the opening then add the front, rear and bottom extensions to enable the pull, gradually flattening out the rise to a straight base - unless someone can think of a better way.

[VinceC]

Stop what you are doing. There is a full size available free and not far away from you Rob

[RobbieB]

Thanks for that Vince but I don't think the canopy is going to fit

However, I do have a couple of flying buddies in Frodsham, hmmm.................................

[RobbieB]

......anyway, too late now, already started my most favourite job (I think not).

There won't be a sanding block goes near that lot in the workshop! My wife's best kitchen knife, that's ok - well, with me anyway

[Barry_Cole]

Can't wait to see that canopy..!!!!!!!!!!



BC

[RobbieB]

Yep, a bit scary Barry but still struggling to escape from my 'Cubist' era.

[RobbieB]

Looking a bit more like a canopy plug now - lots to do yet though.

[RobbieB]

Making good use of all that space up the front.

[RobbieB]

Although having done two custom canopy plugs before very successfully they were a lot more conventional in shape. This M100 canopy even made Barry at Sarik draw breath.

The problem, for my stage of the proceedings is the accepted method of isolating the blue foam from the polyester resin in the fibreglass reinforcing using parcel tape - hence my enquiry a little while ago re the use of epoxy resin (took good advice on that one).

The problem is, covering a shape like this one in parcel tape is not good - wrinkles everywhere there is a compound curve and on this plug there are a few acute ones.

Not at all happy with the result so stripped it all of (together with the odd spot of foam).

I got to thinking, polyester resin should be fine with PVA so I coated a test piece of foam with three coats of undiluted PVA (cheapo stuff) and laid some cloth on it. Absolutely fine; no reaction with the resin at all and when I tried to pull it off it just destroyed the foam but didn't break the bond.


By-by parcel tape...................

[RobbieB]

Cliff, thanks for the very kind offer but I feel I would need to glass anyway with the plug being blue foam - at least two layers.

I will look at the Vac-cast stuff for the next one and think about using fibre board next time. Bad stuff though.......even outside.

Which particular resin do you use?