Svenson Fiseler Storch - cockpit canopy

[Azimut]

Hi folks, here's a tricky question: I recently laid my hand on one of the very few Svenson Fieseler Storch kits around in the market. To keep it simple it is a 7.27ft wingspan scale bird, laid out for a 15cc engine. The bird is almost completely rebuilt with the exception of the cockpit windows, which need to be refitted, and the top cockpit canopy which is missing. Here's the question:

Does anyone have a clue as to how to form/mold plexi or other transparent plastics without the material going opaque or cracking, the idea being to take a mold of an existing canopy and to use it as negative form for the manufacture of the new one....

On the other hand, if someone where to have such acanopy for sale, I'm interested!

Thx for your help & suggestions!

JayPee

[RappyMan]

I tried to form some plastic with a heat gun for a "Patriot" jet. It didn't go so well - so I carved a balsa block & covered it with chrome monokote. Guess this doesn't help much, but I would be interested in how to do it also. Seems like it takes a oven of some sort for even heating & then a frame around the plastic to pull it down over the block.

[casor]

A couple of points and some answers. First, the Storch glasing is most flat panels and a vacuum formed piece is not necessary. The upper glasing is also comprised of flat curved panels that can be made from a flat piece of clear plastic and affixed to a removable scale framework. The only part that needs to be vacu formed is the gun bubble. The way to do this is to make an accurate shape out of hard balsa - use 1/2 inch sheet with a dowel in the center and mount in drill and sand against a sanding machine. Then, vacuform a piece of white .030 polystyrene over the balsa form. Sand and polish the inside of the polystyrene forming and apply wax. Mix up some Durham's Water Putty and pour it into the polystyrene forming. When dry, remove, sand and polish the water putty forming (called a "plug") and form your clear piece over this with .030 PETG - what they make soda bottles out of.

Alternatively, I have a plug for this and made most of the parts for my model
Rob Caso

[Azimut]

Hi Rob,

Thx for the tip, I noted already that the front panels [triangular, trapezoidal, etc.] were reasonably easy to get into shape. Your description of how to make the bubble part sounds a little Chinese to me, but maybe I have to read it several times and it'll sink through to the working part of my brain. Would you have any close-up pics you culd send me from the top canopy and bubble or do you have a clue where to find those on the net?

A.

[Azimut]

Hi Rob,

OK, I got the procedure - blooming Henry, that'll take some time to realise. Now another one: once you have the putty form, how do you manage to get the .030 PETG to adopt the shape of the form? I trust through heating, no, as PETG comes in clear flat sheet?

A

[casor]

Az - Re the top rear canopy, here is a decent shot of what I did. The entire top glasing is removable, both the gun canopy area and the piece fwd of that over the door area. The clear parts are attd to a scale frame and this att's to the fuselage via dowels in the rear and screws in the fr.

Making the plug is really not that hard (article attd) but you do need a heat source and a vacu form table. I made mine from a used vac motor and have a toaster oven (!) to heat the plastic. I built all this specifically for the Storch and use it all the time for other projects. It is a useful tool. The plastic I use is readily available on the net, easy to work with and cheap. Have the mfgr cut it for you to fit your toaster oven!!

[casor]

Az - see my article in my prev post which tells all. Also, I wrote a more formal article with pics for the Jan 2006 issue of Fly RC magazine. My elec SBD is in there also. Email or call Thayer Syme the editor who is a good friend of mine and get a back issue.

[Azimut]

Thank you so much, Rob, all that really helps. Now i will need to wait until I have the bird to see in which shape it is [looked fine on the seller's pics...] and then decide further. Meanwhile I will try to lay my hand on some scale docu [the Piekakiewicz books, etc.].

A

[casor]

Az - the Deutches Mus in Munich and their satellite site at Oberschleissheim (a prev Luftwaffe base) had a supply (more than one) of the Piekalkiewicz book last time I was there a couple yrs ago and also try the Frankfurt airport which has a very good aviation book store.....I have also seen it elsewhere in Eur so probably easier to get over there. Attd is a list of ref's that I have. My friend Oscar has a REAL Storch and he has every piece of paper, kit, book whatever with the word "Storch" on it. If you cannot find the book I will ask him where to get it.....HE'S THE MAN!!
Rob

[Azimut]

The Bird has arrived and, man, it is gorgeous. While there still is a lot to do, before it's "Monty's Storch" it already looks great like that! I'll post a few pics tomorrow!

A.

[plaster93]

Hey Rob,
How is your Storch? I had met you at NE Phila RCC, when Billy Jameson had maidened your Storch, beautiful plane. Nice to see you on here!

Steve

[casor]

Steve - amazingly, the Storch is still alive, even with me now behind the controls....http://www.eventphotonow.com/WOD/pages/LC0G0540.htm

I have video (were you the guy taking it?) of the first 3 flts and I am still amazed that Billy got it back when the prop said goodbye on the first....HE DA MAN! Actually the model is flying absolutely great. Although a little more complex in operation and in scale detail than a Cub, it's a great first large scale project and more exciting to fly. Plus there is so many different paint schemes from silver, yellow to the many miltary German, Swiss, Finnish, Spanish and Medivac schemes. There is even a couple with US and Brit mkgs. I am working on designing one from scratch (the one you saw is a highly mod Svenson kit) with a number of goals in mind, the main one being that I feel I can make it lighter.....
Going to Qtown Sat this wknd
Regards
Rob