Steve Balaam Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Hi I have a 72" YT Spitfire which I'm considering converting to electric. I would like to make the top half of the cowl above the exhaust stubs removable to get access to batteries etc. Anybody got any hot tips or sources on how to neatly separate a cowl and how to make it removable without blowing off in flight. Many thanks Steve B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo565 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Steve You have not mentioned what the cowl is made from,is it F/.glass or the dreaded ABS. If its F/glass the best way is a fine cutting disc in a Dremel,mask off and use the tape as a guide. PS wear a protective mask as dust from F/glass is awful You could do the same if its ABS but care will be the order of the day as the ABS could melt. Edited By Jim Carss on 31/03/2014 09:49:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Jimbo....the clue is in the thread title LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levanter Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Dremel is one way but use the finest wheel you can get. It will be fragile and the risk is digging in or catching and you are likely to have quiet a wide cut. Tape is a good idea but I would put the tape along the area to be cut and mark the line on the tape. This way you are less likely to break out any gelcoat which is very brittle. My first choice (which is scaled down from full size workshop practice where we use am air tool (Sengar) with a reciprocating hacksaw blade) would be to knock the pin out of a good quality junior hacksaw blade and make a handle with more tape. With practice you can cut a very straight line or even curve. You can even start the cut in the middle of a workpiece by working the point back and forward until the groove breaks through. To make the join neat I would then glue a strip of ABS or thin plywood on the inside lip of one piece so it works like a biscuit tin in reverse and maybe with local blocks you could use small pan-head self tappers to secure. At 72" span I probably would not use magnets. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo565 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Tim OOOOPS Specsavers here I come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Balaam Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 many thanks to everyone that responded Makes me appreciate the workmanship I see in some airplanes. Must admit I'm not looking forward to doing this part of the construction Steve B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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