Turtledeck question

[birddog486]

I'm in the process of building a model c Avid and want to find a lexan turtledeck for it. Were the early Kitfox turtledecks the same or am I limited to finding one for the Avid only?

[jamesmil]

you could make your own lexan turtledeck from flat lexan sheet. if you have the turtledeck from the avid you can use it as a pattern or make your own pattern using card board.
once you have the pattern you can put the flat sheet in a metal brake to form it. if you don,t have a brake large enough do as i do and take it to a local sheet metal shop. you can find lexan at glass repair shops. hope this he;lps

[P Morel]

once you have the pattern you can put the flat sheet in a metal brake to form it. if you don,t have a brake large enough do as i do and take it to a local sheet metal shop. you can find lexan at glass repair shops. hope this he;lps

I've never tried to bend lexan to a 90 degree. Will is actually stay 90 or should a little heat be applied?

[HighWing]

Be careful with too much heat. Lexan absorbs a relative high percentage of water. Heat too much over boiling and the internal water will do just that and give a cloudy appearance where heated.

Since I just finished a Lexan project and am in the middle of skinning my doors, I took a piece and ran it through my brake. The bend was to about 110° or so. I found that to be a little more than needed to maintain 90°. there were no cracks or craze lines. Photo attached.
Lowell

[rogerh12]

Hey HighWing;

How do you heat such a large piece of Lexan even enough to bend it?

Roger

[DesertFox4]

I bent mine cold.
8 years and no cracks yet.

[HighWing]

Hey HighWing;

How do you heat such a large piece of Lexan even enough to bend it?

Roger

Good question, Roger. That is exactly the point no heat necessary. I forgot to mention that. I have heated Lexan for vacuum forming, though and to answer your question, my capacity is only about a square foot or so - I use my wife's oven when she is out of town - safer that way. You have to bake at 250° for a couple of hours to dry, then take up to forming temp and presto. Check my Avitar I formed the lenses for the internal wing tip lights using her oven. Got them on my new project too.
Lowell

[darrellpralle]

i am in the process of installing the turtle deck on my ss. i have the all lexan t/deck. do the sides and rear just lap over, or do you have to trim it to fit the fuselage?

[WISDAN]

I've bent a lot of lexan for safety guards on industrial equipment and never had a problem bending cold in a brake.

WISDAN