I got another hair brained idea

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

While making an aluminum deck lid for a 29 roadster I got the hair brained idea to make a louver press to put louvers in it. It shouldn't be to hard w/ a couple pieces of metal and a few tools. The biggest problem I see is keeping things aligned. They punch them in real parts one at a time and that's what I'll have to do. This should be an interesting project. Wish me luck

Edited August 20, 2009 by Gramps-xrds

[pstreet]

A scale louver press will make for one heck of a tool.

You could measure out and run tape lines down the deck lid. And use the edges of them as a guide, for each pass of louvers you do, to keep them on the straight.

[LDO]

Not so hare-brained. Gerald Wingrove built one and shows details of it in one of his books. He even made an attachment for cutting arc-shaped louvers like on the hood of Greta Garbo's Duesenberg.

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Not so hare-brained. Gerald Wingrove built one and shows details of it in one of his books. He even made an attachment for cutting arc-shaped louvers like on the hood of Greta Garbo's Duesenberg.

That's interesting. At least I'm not the only one w/ a hair brained idea. It would be interesting to see how Gerald did it. Maybe after I get done baby sitting the grand-sons I'll get to the garage and see what I can come up with.

[Foxer]

a neat idea and project. some kind of scale along whatever edge to slide against for spacing maybe.

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Well I got the dye and cutter made but the prob is the aluminum is too thick (.015) and then there's the prob of making something that'll keep the dye aligned to the cutter. Even if I could do that the thickness prob would still exist so for right now I think I'll put this thing on hold till I think of a solution.

[LDO]

Gerald Wingrove's looked somewhat like an arbor press. It had an X/Y table to move the part in precise increments. I'm not sure his machine could handle your '29 trunk lid. He did flat or mostly flat panels.

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Gerald Wingrove's looked somewhat like an arbor press. It had an X/Y table to move the part in precise increments. I'm not sure his machine could handle your '29 trunk lid. He did flat or mostly flat panels.

I did a search and found a site that showed some of what he did and another guy made louvers for the sides of scale trains. I'm afraid I don't have anything that elaborate to work with. Eventually I'll come up with something but the thickness is still going to be a prob. What I made worked ok but the scale thickness will always be wrong.

Still something to ponder

[randx0]

perhaps the old aluminum foil with epoxie spread on it for strength would work or I think that you can get sheets in .005 thickness but that may still be to thick . I don't know you are way better at this stuff than me but perhaps this will help change your perspective enough to come up with a solution.

[Jon Cole]

There is a guy in our club who can make louvers... but he uses plastic hoods. Ironic that you went and made a nice metal deck.

What he does is draw out the louver pattern on the hood. It is all measured out to look good. The trick is to use a chisel tip in your X-Acto knife. I think he just pushes it in slightly, and pivot the knife handle upward a bit to lift the plastic. I don't recall if he thins the plastic on the backside or not. Whatever it is, it works for him.

As for metal stamping, it does have a place in our hobby. I used two blocks of wood, and the male-female patterns were made from thick plastic. I didn't make them fit tight, as I knew the aluminum sheet was either too strong, or too thick to expect a crisp bend...

I also had two holes so I could line everything up. Then the moment of truth... I gave it a good wack with a rubber mallet!

Looked OK I thought. So I cut it down to the shape of the firewall, and polished it up with metal polish...

Making a firewall is one thing... but a louver punch? That I want to see!

[GOTH KUSTOMS]

Maybe you could use aluminum can, put the louvers on the can then epoxy the aluminum over the plastic trunk

[envious8420]

it may be easier to pop the louvers before shaping the deck lid?

[Ddms]

it may be easier to pop the louvers before shaping the deck lid?

My huge local model RR store has lots of cast brass stairways in HO and N scale. Some look a lot like louvers; they could be curved and inset into the decklid. But you'd need to spend a lot of time searching the Whistle Stop to find the right ones.

Edited August 22, 2009 by Ddms