scale access door and retract doors, hot to make them?
10-04-2008, 09:15 AM
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scale access door and retract doors, hot to make them?
I am building a 1/5 scale P-40 and will be glassing it soon. I want to cut out the door on the left side of the fuselage behind the cockpit, just as the full size aircraft had. I am not sure if I should cut it before or after glassing.
I have a very fine saw and had great luck cutting out my gear doors from the ABS plastic and was able to use all the pieces. I first drew out the door edges, and the location of the piano hinge. I drilled a very small hole the diameter of the width of the piano hinge pertion that would have to be cut out and widened for the hinge. Then I carefully cut out the lines for the doors. It worked great and the width of the cut was small and looked great. I think if I can cut out a door and use it, it will already have the correct radius and match the surrounding fuselage but am not sure if I should cut before or after glassing, I am thinking after glassing then finishing the edges of the panel. I was thinking if I cut it before glassing that i woudl have to sand and trim the edges to fit causing additional work. Any suggestions? How have you done it for a glassed plane?
Also, can ABS parts be glassed over after installation? I was thinking it would be easier to blend the ABS parts to the surrounding area if they were glass coated.
Thanks, Denny
I have a very fine saw and had great luck cutting out my gear doors from the ABS plastic and was able to use all the pieces. I first drew out the door edges, and the location of the piano hinge. I drilled a very small hole the diameter of the width of the piano hinge pertion that would have to be cut out and widened for the hinge. Then I carefully cut out the lines for the doors. It worked great and the width of the cut was small and looked great. I think if I can cut out a door and use it, it will already have the correct radius and match the surrounding fuselage but am not sure if I should cut before or after glassing, I am thinking after glassing then finishing the edges of the panel. I was thinking if I cut it before glassing that i woudl have to sand and trim the edges to fit causing additional work. Any suggestions? How have you done it for a glassed plane?
Also, can ABS parts be glassed over after installation? I was thinking it would be easier to blend the ABS parts to the surrounding area if they were glass coated.
Thanks, Denny
10-04-2008, 09:42 AM
#2
RE: scale access door and retract doors, hot to make them?
A common method of making well fitting hatches and doors is as follows.
Sheet and glass the area as normal. Do not cut out the hatch opening yet. Once the glassing is cured and smooth, cover the area of the hatch, with at least an extra two inches all around with Monocote. Now cut about 4 layers of 3 oz fiberglass to cover the hatch with an extra inch all around. I like to rotate the orientation of the weave by 45 degrees each layer for extra stiffness. Once the glass is cured, it can be peeled off the Monocote, and the Monocote removed from the plane. You now have a stiff piece of fiberglass that matches the contour of the plane perfectly. You can now cut the hatch door out of the fiberglass. Lay the fiberglass door in position and trace it's outline on the plane and cut out the opening. This should leave you with a very close to perfect fit.
Scott
Sheet and glass the area as normal. Do not cut out the hatch opening yet. Once the glassing is cured and smooth, cover the area of the hatch, with at least an extra two inches all around with Monocote. Now cut about 4 layers of 3 oz fiberglass to cover the hatch with an extra inch all around. I like to rotate the orientation of the weave by 45 degrees each layer for extra stiffness. Once the glass is cured, it can be peeled off the Monocote, and the Monocote removed from the plane. You now have a stiff piece of fiberglass that matches the contour of the plane perfectly. You can now cut the hatch door out of the fiberglass. Lay the fiberglass door in position and trace it's outline on the plane and cut out the opening. This should leave you with a very close to perfect fit.
Scott
