Shaping canopy bows

[Freemasm]

The newer kits provide the canopy frame in pieces. What methods of persuasion did you guys utilize to get the bows into final shape. Arm force over a mounted pipe/conduit bender is getting me laughed at.

Heat? hydraulics? please let me know. Thx.

 

[Ironflight]

“Bending boards” and a piece of steel bar that fits inside the tubing to give you some leverage. Prepare to keep modifying your bending boards as you gently the shape - the need for springback allowance is real!

The bending board for the rear bow when I began - carefully measured and laid out from the rear bulkhead….


The bending board when I was finished - hacked up, modified….anything to “get it done!

 

[terrye]

Small hydraulic "porta power" jack and reservoir pump with a homemade hardwood bending shoe. Ease the bend bit by bit and compare to the shape laid out on MDF board.

 

[Jjackh10]

Bending boards would probably be the way to go if your using aluminum.

I just did mine last weekend. But I used chromoly and the boards just split. Even if they hadn't the spring back was too extreme. I ended up using a tubing bender and doing multi shot bends. Most of it was just using the shoe, gripping the tubing, and feeling for the give. A conduit bender would probably be fine this way too, with steel or aluminum tube.

 

[vlittle]

Here’s my adventure with my HR2: https://www.vx-aviation.com/sprocket/canopy.htm