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painless

Well Known Member
Any suggestions for what to use on the aft edge of the glareshield? I want to pad it in some way so it isn't a meatcutter if I bang my head on it.

What have you used here? Pictures?

Thanks!

Regards,
 
Balsawood!

We made a rim of balsawood, shaped it, and covered it with leather. Glue some layers together until you have the desired thickness. The direction of the grain should be in the flying direction, so you can bend it easily in shape. After drying of the glue, shape the edge and glue it to the underside of the glareshield. Looks great! For details, see: http://websites.expercraft.com/PHVII/index.php?q=log_entry&log_id=6188 and http://websites.expercraft.com/PHVII/index.php?q=log_entry&log_id=6262
 
Hey Jeff,

I used some off the shelf trim stuff (Push-On Vinyl Edge Trim with Metal Core as Dan calls it below) from the hardware store - just pressed it on and cut to length (helps hold the carpet on the top in place also). I probably have $2 invested in it :)

Best,
 
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I have not yet done mine, but I read on one of the lists a trick that I think is pretty good. Someone cut a slit down some aluminum tubing, and pressed that onto the edge. That can also be covered with something a bit softer. You might also get clever by covering the aluminum with some kind of larger plastic tubing, and then something softer like foam or leather.

I have a feeling that there are a lot of ways to skin this cat!
 
Canopy77.jpg

I got this edging from Cleaveland Tools.
 
If you are only worried about cosmetics, then a piece of rubber or vinyl or balsa wood will do the job. But if there is an accident, and your head hits the edge with any force, there is a good chance the aluminum edge of the glareshield will cut its way through the edging, and your head will be sliced open.

If you want to protect the head, you need to put something hard and rounded over the edge of the glareshield. I have seen postings on various e-mail lists from people who cut a slit in the edge of a piece of aluminum fuel line, and put that over the edge of the glareshield. Then you put something over the fuel line to improve the cosmetics.

The following is from my personal archive of useful RV-List messages, and was originally posted by RV-6 builder Mark Nielsen:

==============================
For my glareshield, I mounted a piece of 3/8" soft aluminum tubing (same as
fuel line) along the aft edge of the glareshield. I cut a lengthwise slot
in the tubing, pushed it on the aft edge of the glareshield, and held it in
place with fillets of epoxy along the top and bottom. I was pleased with
the results. It gives the glareshield a nice "beaded" edge that looks right
in place next to the tubular frame that supports it (tip-up canopy). The
tube also stiffens the glareshield considerably and eliminates the "sharp"
aft edge.

To cut the slot in the tubing, I used a 3" cutting disk mounted in a drill
press. I drilled a 3/8" hole near the edge of a 2x4 and cut a slot between
the center of the hole and the edge. This was clamped vertically on the
drill press
so the cutting disc protrudes through the slot into the center of the hole.
The tube was pushed through the hole to cut the slot. (I drew a guide line
along the length of the tube so I could cut the slot straight.)

I used Power Poxy (Walmart) for the fillets. It has the consistency of very
soft modeling clay, is easy to use, sets up in about 30 minutes, and sands
easily. The application tool was my finger moistened with rubbing alcohol.
 
Hi Kevin:

Yeah, I saw that post by Dave. The material that Dan and Doug suggested is sort of a one step version of what Dave did. It has a metal inside that will clamp onto the glareshield edge and then a rubbery outer shell. Tends to simplify installation.


Regards,
 
A way to cheat!

I tried hard to slit a piece of aluminum tubing, but am craftsman-challenged, did a horrible job, and threw the mess away....

I then was wandering through Boat US (another terrible vice - I have since put the boat in storage!), and came across some shroud-line protector tubing that they sell for sailboats. It is round plastic tubing in various sizes that is already slit lengthwise for you! I bought a length of 3/8" and put it on "until I could think of something better" - and it's still there...The only bad part is that it only comes in white, and it is that slippery sort of plastic which is almost impossible to paint. I bought a can of black "paint for plastics", and shot it with that. It works, but you can still scratch it off. One of these days, I'll replace it with the stuff from McMasters, but it does work - you can see it in the panel pictures Doug posted a few weeks ago.

Paul
 
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