Windows Weekend
Over the weekend I fitted the Perspex (acrylic) windows to the openings in canopy. There are 5 windows total – 2 on the doors, 2 for the back seat, and the windscreen. The process was pretty straightforward, though a bit slow since I was trying to be very careful not to crack the plastic, scratch it, or cut away too much material.
I started with the doors, which turned out to be the most complicated. Here is the process I followed:
- Fit the window to the opening and trace a rough cut line, leaving about 1” all around.
- Rough cut the window to the opening, using a carbide cutting wheel (produces larger chips, less dust).
- Fit the window to the door, trace new refined cut lines on the glass
- Also for the doors, mark cutouts for the hinge protrusions
- Cut to the refined trace lines using abrasive cutting wheel (has a thinner kerf than the carbide wheel, but produces fine dust)
- Initial fit check of window in door. Mark where additional material needs to be removed either using abrasive cutting wheel or a dremel with sanding drum. Repeat as needed.
- Sand sharp edges with 120 grit sandpaper once fit is good
The first door window took me 4-5 hrs to complete, since I was being very careful. I finished the second door in about half the time. The rear seat windows went even faster, taking a little over an hour each.
The windows for the doors come way oversized, so as part of the first step I made sure to find the best fit, considering the compound curves of both the door frame and the acrylic.
Then next few photos show the rear windows, which were a little more difficult to trace the cut lines since I needed to tape the blank to the fuselage, but easier due to work with simply because they were smaller and somewhat already rough cut.
I need to finish fitting and cutting the windshield, then I’ll be able to glue the windows all at once sometime this week.