[Kias]

Yes, I'm going to give it a shot. (Make a taller windshield myself.) But first I'm going to try it on some smaller pieces. 12x12x5/64 to be exact. It's only 5 bucks for a couple of pieces to test with. If that's a go, then it's only 23 bucks for a 24x48x5/64 sheet. Which should be plenty of material. I've never drape formed a piece this big, and I've been re-aquiring some lost knowledge. However, I'm getting conflicting reports on how to do this properly.

One book says to pre-dry the pc, bring to forming temp, then drape. Another book says no pre-drying necessary for drape forming, and yet another says to pre-dry only if the pc is .118 inch thick or more. Any thoughts on this?

I'm thinking I should be able to drape form it just fine, as it's just simple contours. However, should I fall flat on my face on this project, I'm only out 23ish bucks, and can then move on to try vacuum forming.

Just thought I'd ask about the pre-drying before the test pieces arrive, in case anyone had any thoughts on this.

Time to work on the mold in the mean time.

 

[skootertrash]

forming

cover your form with felt. what are you going to use as a heat source?an oven would be optimal,but i suppose one could do it with a hair dryer.get it hot,ought to drape itself,let it cool.

 

[Kias]

I'm going to use the oven in the hangar that we use to cook the pre-preg kevlar. It's big enough and accurate enough to hold the temp steady. Felt is already on my shopping list, along with clean gloves. Actually, my wife probably has a roll layin' around here somewhere... So, you think I shouldn't worry about pre-drying?