dmthamade Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Okay, I've been doing aircraft for decades. Canopies on the scale I worked with (1/32) were thin enough that they looked "right" for the most part. Aftermarket ones are also available for some as well. Car kits I find the clears seem to be really thick especially on older kits where they are joined with a web. Are there thinner alternatives available? Is there a way they can be thinned?(long shot)Or are the clears just the way they are? Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 There is always the option of "vacuu-forming" your own. Or in cases of cars with glass without any compound curves you can replace the glass with thin sheet plastic. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmthamade Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 Vacu-forming would be last resort, though it would give thin clears. I can see thin clear plastic working for side or vent/wing glass. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 1 hour ago, dmthamade said: Vacu-forming would be last resort, though it would give thin clears. I can see thin clear plastic working for side or vent/wing glass. Don It works for windshields and back glass as well. This '67 Bonneville has .007 clear sheet for front and rear glass. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Most hobby shops that carry Plastruct products will also offer sheets of thin clear plastic that you could cut to size. Next time you go shopping look closely at the packaging used. The clear plastic on these packages are often thin enough to be used with a little heating and bending. My personal favorite is the thin plastic that is used around the neck of men's dress shirts. This stuff bends easily and doesn't kink and get the line in the plastic where it's bent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 10 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said: There is always the option of "vacuu-forming" your own. Or in cases of cars with glass without any compound curves you can replace the glass with thin sheet plastic. Steve This pretty much nails it. I've learned to just live with the thick glass, except sometimes I'll cut off the vent window panes and replace them with thinner clear stock of some kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Most windshields are not compound curves, so flat clear stock is much easier to use than you might think. I make a template from masking tape laid over the opening, marked a little oversize. Transfer that to a piece of card-stock. Install strips of plastic on the backside of the pillars. Trim your card-stock template until it just snaps into place between the retainer strips. The tension on the curve should be just enough to hold it tight against the curve of the opening. When you have the fit perfect on the card mockup, transfer it exactly to a piece of clear stock. Snap it into place and secure it with white (PVA) glue. OR... The clear material drink bottles are made of is often very good for forming replacement "glass" as well. Here's how you do it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmthamade Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 Some great ideas, here!! The idea of retainer strips on the inside sounds like a plan, Bill!! Soda bottle plastics sounds good, too!! I like that 1967 Bonneville!! Up here in Canada we got chevy powertrains in our Ponchos, they were chevys under Pontiac bodies. We also got Beaumonts/Chevelles, Acadian/Novas, Astre/Vega, Ventura/Nova...probably a few more I missed. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Just now, dmthamade said: Some great ideas, here!! The idea of retainer strips on the inside sounds like a plan, Bill!! Soda bottle plastics sounds good, too!! I like that 1967 Bonneville!! Up here in Canada we got chevy powertrains in our Ponchos, they were chevys under Pontiac bodies. We also got Beaumonts/Chevelles, Acadian/Novas, Astre/Vega, Ventura/Nova...probably a few more I missed. Don The plastic used in the Bonneville above is "Grafix" .007 "clear lay film" that I bought at a hobby lobby some years ago. I just cut a piece to fit, tacked it into place with a few drops of Laser Bond glue and then glued it permanently with 2 part epoxy. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmthamade Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 I'll have a lookaround for the film or something similar. Don't have Hobby Lobby up here, see if Sprue Bros. has in stock. Meantime, i'll grab a pop bottle and practice. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 (edited) 31 minutes ago, dmthamade said: ...Soda bottle plastics sounds good, too!! It also works well for custom or race-car windscreens. Mockup, below. The retainer at the bottom (under the tonneau, not visible) was copied from an early Monogram Indy car that used a similar material supplied in the kit. Actual part made from green plastic from a ginger-ale bottle. Edited September 19, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 The soda bottle/heat gun trick worked for me, after I made a resin casting of the back window I needed to replace. It took four tries but I finally got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.