ArVeeNiner
Well Known Member
I've been avoiding working with my windshield because I just don't get it. This avoidance has really slowed down the project but I once again need to "grow a pair" and do this. There isn't much in the instructions as to how to go about this so I'm hoping I can get some hints and tips here so that I can proceed.
Here is where I am:
-I have the canopy Sikaflexed and all is good.
-The windshield height looks very good when taped in place along with spacers.
-I didn't trim the height of the windshield yet. It's full height with the bottom mold lines (whatever you call them) still in place.
-I trimmed most of the forward slope off that extended over the top of the fuselage. The windshield still makes a very small slope forward where it meets the fuselage.
How short do you cut the sides of the windshield? It looks like the drawing shows that the sides of the windshield are even with the top edge of the fuselage skin that wraps around that area. A another post states that Van's suggests cutting it to this length, or better yet, making it extend below this skin.
For the front of the windshield, did you completely cut off the slope that extends forward over the fuselage skin? The drawing shows that the windshield goes straight down into the skin with no slope remaining.
There seems to be an infinite amount of places you can put the windshield. This is probably the most mind blowing thing of the whole process. How do you know where the correct position is and when is good enough, good enough? What exactly are you looking for when positioning this?
Now some fiberglass questions. I'm trying to get my head around the fiberglass that goes around the perimeter of the windshield.
I hear that first you mask around the area with several layers of vinyl tape in different colors. Let's just say that they are green, yellow, and red, with the red layer sticking directly to the Plexi. Then, you lay down wet fiberglass onto the Plexi and over the vinyl tape you just put down. How many layers of glass is good here?
After curing, you sand the fiberglass down to, but not beyond, the red tape.
How do you get nice clean, crisp lines at the intersection between the glass and the vinyl tape?
It would seem to me that in order to remove the final layer of tape, you need to sand the fiberglass down so that it butts up against the edge of the tape. You need to hit his dead on otherwise you'll have a wavey edge to your fiberglass. Any less than perfect and the you're not able to remove the tape. Any more and your glass edge is not straight. I hope I'm explaining this clear enough.
I plan on doing some practice layups on some of my scrap Plexi.
Any hints would be appreciated.
Here is where I am:
-I have the canopy Sikaflexed and all is good.
-The windshield height looks very good when taped in place along with spacers.
-I didn't trim the height of the windshield yet. It's full height with the bottom mold lines (whatever you call them) still in place.
-I trimmed most of the forward slope off that extended over the top of the fuselage. The windshield still makes a very small slope forward where it meets the fuselage.
How short do you cut the sides of the windshield? It looks like the drawing shows that the sides of the windshield are even with the top edge of the fuselage skin that wraps around that area. A another post states that Van's suggests cutting it to this length, or better yet, making it extend below this skin.
For the front of the windshield, did you completely cut off the slope that extends forward over the fuselage skin? The drawing shows that the windshield goes straight down into the skin with no slope remaining.
There seems to be an infinite amount of places you can put the windshield. This is probably the most mind blowing thing of the whole process. How do you know where the correct position is and when is good enough, good enough? What exactly are you looking for when positioning this?
Now some fiberglass questions. I'm trying to get my head around the fiberglass that goes around the perimeter of the windshield.
I hear that first you mask around the area with several layers of vinyl tape in different colors. Let's just say that they are green, yellow, and red, with the red layer sticking directly to the Plexi. Then, you lay down wet fiberglass onto the Plexi and over the vinyl tape you just put down. How many layers of glass is good here?
After curing, you sand the fiberglass down to, but not beyond, the red tape.
How do you get nice clean, crisp lines at the intersection between the glass and the vinyl tape?
It would seem to me that in order to remove the final layer of tape, you need to sand the fiberglass down so that it butts up against the edge of the tape. You need to hit his dead on otherwise you'll have a wavey edge to your fiberglass. Any less than perfect and the you're not able to remove the tape. Any more and your glass edge is not straight. I hope I'm explaining this clear enough.
I plan on doing some practice layups on some of my scrap Plexi.
Any hints would be appreciated.
