BritJet Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 That section in front of the tail is very unusual! Anti-spin strakes, also on Tiger Moths. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritJet Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 (edited) Apologies for the lack of photos but Google have changed the way photos are shared and it's not working with Britmodeller for some reason, the links are to my GoogleDrive so hopefully they'll work. EDIT: I've just setup a Photobucket account and linked the photos from there. I cut the canopy down the middle and removed a couple of mm, glued it back together and polished the surface. Added a new centreline frame from masking tape and plastic strip. Next step was adding a plinth for it to sit on as this gives a bit of extra plastic to allow for trimming. Due to the depth of this compared with the width it will probably be difficult to remove from the female mould so I given it a rub over with some wax from a candle (or furniture polish). I made a simple plastic sheet box around the master. Next step is to brush on a thinned coat of PVA as another aid to easy release and then a spray with release agent! And then slowly and carefully fill the box with Isopon. I do this from one corner to try and exclude any air bubbles near to the canopy surface. Leave to cure for a while and see If it will come apart...... Steve Edited September 5, 2017 by BritJet Re-link photos - thanks PhotoMuppet 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwaterous Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 How annoying of google to do that. You're making good progress, I love the way you just casually say"and cut he the canopy in half..." I would NEVER do that, but good on you. As for getting the mould out again, would you not be able to pop the sides off of it, the pry it out? Unless I'm confuse and you nee the canopy mould for something else. Cheers, K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 A nice bit of scratch casting, am really interested in seeing how this turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritJet Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 (edited) On 31/05/2015 at 17:25, kwaterous said: How annoying of google to do that. You're making good progress, I love the way you just casually say"and cut he the canopy in half..." I would NEVER do that, but good on you. As for getting the mould out again, would you not be able to pop the sides off of it, the pry it out? Unless I'm confuse and you nee the canopy mould for something else. Cheers, K The problem I had with Google was that you can't get a link directly to the JPG anymore so Britmodeller doesn't recognise it as a photo. The canopy isn't usable anyway but I cut my new master in half to correct the size issues - if I messed it up it would have been easy enough to make a new one. Hopefully this photo shows what I wanted to achieve, the female mould at the bottom is the part I'm going to use and it was not getting this to separate from the (male) master that would have been annoying. Luckily the combination of wax, PVA and release agent meant that they came apart really easily. There's a couple of little bubbles just on the edge of the canopy framing which I'll fill, the canopy would probably be ok but it won't take long. It'll need a good wash in soapy water to remove my mixture of non-stick stuff! I'm going to let the Isopon harden off overnight and then drill some small holes at the lowest points so the air can be sucked out and pull the plastic sheet in - technically the plastic sheet is pushed in by the higher air pressure all around us! Steve Edited September 5, 2017 by BritJet Re-link photos - thanks PhotoMuppet 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 very nicely done, you're making it look easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwaterous Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Ah thanks for the clarification. It's a great tutorial for when I may end up doing this, some time, waaaaay, waaaaaaaaaayy in the future when my skills improve. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Ah thanks for the clarification. It's a great tutorial for when I may end up doing this, some time, waaaaay, waaaaaaaaaayy in the future when my skills improve. K jumping into the deep end is an excellent way to improve your skills!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritJet Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 0.4mm holes drilled at the lowest points, plus a couple for good measure. Deliberately drilled on the frame lines so if any plastic gets sucked into the hole it can be sanded away, shouldn't happen with such a small hole though. Quite a few years ago I made up this open top wooden box, with a mesh top and some 15mm copper pipe through the end, this needs adapting to fit your household vacuum cleaner. Everything is glued together with 5-minute epoxy which also seals the joints nicely. The masking tape is only there to limit the suction to the area under the canopy mould, saves having to have a seal all around. I've also got a larger version of this that can vacform up to the size of a 1/72 jet fighter fuselage. To hold the plastic sheet I cut these frames out of hardboard, the sheet is held between the frames by the spring clip and Mole Grips. This is then heated under the grill in the kitchen (usually while the better half is out....) It is important to have the heat source above the plastic as otherwise the heat can build up too much and burn the plastic. I got some welders gloves to protect my valuable hands from the heat. When the plastic starts to smoke, wrinkle and then sag it is hot enough to use. As I don't need a fantastic seal around the box I simply pull the plastic down over the mould and then switch on the vacuum cleaner attached to the copper pipe. Leave the vacuum cleaner on for about 30 seconds whilst the plastic cools, best not to burn out the vacuum cleaner motor as you'll only have to go shopping for a new one after getting lots of grief. After switching off you'll be able to remove the plastic from the mould. Be careful though as everything can be hotter than you'd think. If the mould sides are vertical as they are here then this might be difficult but you can cut the waste plastic away to get to the useful bit. Don't expect to get it right first time, like most things it takes practice but it's not difficult and opens up all sorts of possibilities for parts you can't get anywhere else. My first attempt at the Prentice canopy was ok but not as good as it could be so I did two more. After the first attempt I warmed the mould under the grill for about 20 seconds as the cold mould can suddenly stop the hot plastic from forming the shape you want. The next step is to cut the canopy from the waste plastic, this can't be done in the same way as the other parts in a vacform kit as the clear plastic won't crack along a scored line and you can't sand it down. The best method I've found is a circular saw blade in my mini-drill as you can easily follow the frame line at the bottom. A reminder why I've done all of this....... The kit canopy - too wide, not clear and a lump in the moulding. My third attempt moulding just before I cut the waste off; The frame lines don't show up here, but they are there, honest! Once the canopy was cut away from the waste I tried it against the fuselage and found this little problem; I checked lots of photos and the Aviation News drawings and it looks like the fuselage isn't deep enough where the canopy sits. It's only 1,5mm at the forward end so not a huge problem. Some plastic strip glued along the top edge and a bit of filler later; Going to leave that to harden off overnight and sort it out tomorrow. Steve 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestar12chris Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Very nicely done Steve, must say its something ive never tried but fancied doing. All the best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Loving this build it looks mighty fine. Many thanks for the tutorial on vac forming not something that I would fancy doing but then again neither was building a resin battleship! I do need to expand my skills abit more! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcclure Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I've just read through this and it's a fascinating read. Great WIP and I'm picking up loads from your step-by-step approach. Following with great interest! Cheers, Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Some very nice work there!! An the lesson/tutorial on VacForming the canopy is excellent!!! It's really nice to see things like this as it is a great incentive for others to give it a try for themselves, thank you for going into such detail!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritJet Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 (edited) Not had much time for modelling over the last couple of weeks due to work and family stuff, but here's an update on the Prentice. A bit more cockpit detail added and filler sanded down; A bit more work to do but getting there; Part of the canopy needs to be tinted yellow and I used Humbrol 1322 sprayed on in very light coats. Need to be careful with this paint as it's cellulose based and attacks polystyrene, my canopy is PETg and went a bit softer under the paint but otherwise ok. Looks darker here than it actually is; Canopy glued on and blended in, silver resprayed, a bit of work to do on the frames but not too bad; I've since given it a couple of clear coats all over and I'm hoping to get it finished over the weekend..... Steve Edited September 5, 2017 by BritJet Re-link photos - thanks PhotoMuppet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 WOW she looks awesome, I've got to keep reminding wisely that she 1/72nd scale, some really nice work there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritJet Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) Cheers. Got less modelling time today than I'd hoped but I've managed to get some decals on and the canopy framing tidied up. I'm hoping to get this finished tomorrow, there are a few aerials and things to add but they should be easy enough. I realised earlier that I hadn't printed any underwing serials or roundels so I'm going to get those done now so they can dry out overnight. Steve Edited September 5, 2017 by BritJet Re-link photos - thanks PhotoMuppet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Great work with the canopy Steve Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray S Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Hello Steve, this is going great! I must say a HUGE thank you for showing how you overcame the canopy issue. I have heard about this method before, but the pictures show what was meant. I am going to need to do something along these lines for my Singapore, as it looks like the canopy is too wide too. As an aside, you mentioned about the car body filler - did you use Isopon 38 (which I have got), a two part filler or was it another sort? I know you mentioned Isopon when you filled in the plastic box with your master in it, but I am not sure if there are two or more types of Isopon. Also, where do you get the release agent stuff please? Many thanks, you have done a great job on the kit, and thanks for the advice. All the best, Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritJet Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Thanks for the encouragement. Ray - I use Isopon P38, there is also P40 but that has strands of fibreglass mixed into it and isn't what you need for this job. The release agent I use is Freekote 1711 but this contains silicone which can cause problems with painting afterwards. I tend to use it for the filler masters/moulds as they won't be painted. A silicon free release agent is Ambersil DP100/2 and this would be better for resin casting. Any supplier of resin or silicon rubber will stock these or similar release agents. Make sure you use them in a very well ventilated area as there are some nasty chemicals which will get on your chest or in your eyes! Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray S Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Hi Steve, thanks for that info. I hope you don't mind but I added a link in my own build to this one, as the tutorial for the canopy is brilliant. Regards, Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritJet Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Not at all - I did spot it! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritJet Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 (edited) Spent a couple of hours on this today and got it finished. Overall I'm pleased with it and have enjoyed the build - thanks to everyone for their encouragement and questions. And with some friends; More photos in the group build Gallery Steve Edited September 5, 2017 by BritJet Re-link photos - thanks PhotoMuppet 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Well done Steve, she looks amazing, you did a really lovely build!!! The finish is excellent, a build to be extremely proud of. Hope you enjoyed the build . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts