What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Trimming Windshield

JackinMichigan

JackinMichigan

Well Known Member
I am now trimming my windshield for installation.

Reading the Van's instructions, it says "Never" use a saw for rough trim, use a fiber disc. Ok.. doing that.

Then it says to finish the windshield edge to the exact dimensions and make a smooth and rounded edge, scrape the windshield to size????

Scrape?

I have this really neat hand held belt sander which I would like to use, but always cautious about not following instruction.

Thanks Guys...
 
JackinMichigan said:
I am now trimming my windshield for installation.

Reading the Van's instructions, it says "Never" use a saw for rough trim, use a fiber disc. Ok.. doing that.

Then it says to finish the windshield edge to the exact dimensions and make a smooth and rounded edge, scrape the windshield to size????

Scrape?

I have this really neat hand held belt sander which I would like to use, but always cautious about not following instruction.

Thanks Guys...
Click to expand...

I used a multi-function tool like Fein. Actually mine was the cheap harbor freight version. I went through more blades, but it would take quick a few to make up the price difference with the Fein. I also used a harbor freight 1" hand belt sander.
 
A belt sander works well. You just don't want to use anything reciprocating or anything with coarse teeth that will dig into the plexi and try to rip out chunks. You want to grind or scrape the material. Same with drilling. No standard bits except for very small holes like #40. The rake needs to be ground off, get plexi drill bits or use a step drill/Unibit that won't dig in.
 
I used a 6" Dewalt orbital sander with 40 grit paper. Not too large a sander and I could easily control it. Sand the edges, check the fit, marked with a black felt pen and sanded to remove the felt marking. Looks great. LIttle bit at a time.
 
The Rake?

I am not clear as to what you mean by the rake?

The plans call for the windshield to be trimmed with a square edge. I looked at that where the windshield meets the fuselage cover and wondered if it would be better to trim it on an angle to meet the fuselage cover flat instead of filling the gap with epoxy?

Am I getting close?

Jack
 
JackinMichigan said:
I am not clear as to what you mean by the rake?

The plans call for the windshield to be trimmed with a square edge. I looked at that where the windshield meets the fuselage cover and wondered if it would be better to trim it on an angle to meet the fuselage cover flat instead of filling the gap with epoxy?

Am I getting close?

Jack
Click to expand...

Yes, you are getting close. The gap won't likely be perfect so you will want to put that flox/epoxy mixture at the bottom anyway. So, I would not worry about angling the bottom to match the rake, ahh, err, angle. I thought about this and decided a sharp edge was probably not good for crack avoidance.

I think you should call the tech line at West Systems and talk about the 105 adhesion to plexiglas and their recommendations. You might (will) be surprised.
 
Cutting wheel to get in the ball park. Belt sander to get the fit just right. 2" scotch brite wheel in a air grinder to smooth the edge and to do the slight edge rounding to reduce stress areas.

After install, fill any remaining gaps with mico then sand flush. On top of that put two bids or so of glass over the joint using peal ply. Once set, do a final skim coat of micro then sand. Prep for paint when ready.

Don't forget to aggressively rough up the glue surfaces.

Carl
 
Rake refers to modifying a standard drill bit for plexiglass. Do a search for plexi bits....before you drill.
 
Don't forget about the edges

Make sure after all the cutting and fitting is done you sand the edges of the windshield with progressively finer sandpaper to reduce to chance of a crack starting.
 
Drilling Holes?

I have read and been warned about how to drill thru plexiglass.

However; I see no instructions for the front windshield that requires any holes to be drilled. Note, I have not started studying installing any of the side plexiglass, so there might be some drilling required for those.

Am I missing something?

Jack
 
JackinMichigan said:
I have read and been warned about how to drill thru plexiglass.

However; I see no instructions for the front windshield that requires any holes to be drilled. Note, I have not started studying installing any of the side plexiglass, so there might be some drilling required for those.

Am I missing something?

Jack
Click to expand...

I didn't notice that this is an RV-10. Your windows are glued in so ignore all about drilling.
 
Follow Up on Trimming Edge

Just thought I would let everyone know, and those who might read this post at later times, that the hand held belt sander (Harbor Freight) worked like a gem. No chattering, easy to control. Finished up with an orbital sander with fine grit.

I sanded right to the black line drawn on the windshield that Van's put there. However, it is not a perfect fit. I've worked around these issues before and it looks like I have to sand some more to get a good fit. Have to study it in detail cuz it is a little harder to put material back on after you've sanded it off.

Jack
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top