I’m fascinated by this project and your skills. I discovered the channel a week ago and have watched all the Jaguar episodes. I’m happy you’re still working on it. Keep it up, I want to see this to the end.
Polycarbonate can be formed without the bubbles, but it is a PITA. The bubbles are formed from water that has been absorbed from the air, so it's necessary to preheat it at a lower temp to dry it out. Even then, the temperature range between under and over cooking is pretty narrow, which I found really difficult to deal with working with a cheap old kitchen oven and I can't imagine the frustration (and expense in failed attempts) of trying to work with a piece too large for an oven. I worked with it once on a set of headlight covers that were a close set of compound curves (though nothing like a D-Type) and that was the last time I've used it for anything not flat! I like your solution to the problem. I lack your metal skills, so I would have used a covered foam mold and a vacuum former for the headlight covers.
Absolutely superb job Danie, I managed to catch up to the current episode. I am blown away by your creative abilities. For the headlight lenses I would recommend a heat gun then clamping it between the plates and fabric but either way it turned out beautiful. Thank you for sharing your journey, I eagerly await the next part 🙂
The polycarbonate if you were not aware comes different ratings and also in tinted sheets as well as the clear, there is opaques and blacks we used when building safety guards for bottle filler plants in case a glass bottle exploded on the line.
Nice new tune at the 2 minute mark, I dig it. It fit the stump shaping really well. Also, a MAPP torch works great for flame polishing edges of plastics. I couldn't see if you had done it but it sounded rough when you ran your finger along the windshield so I assume not yet. Practise on offcuts till you get confident.
Your way of forming the lenses was certainly with loving craftsmanship although it’s extremely time consuming. I’m wondering if it could have been done more easily using a vacuum form. You would only need one positive mold (possibly even building it from sculpted clay inserted into the headlight voids) and then laying the molten polycarbonate on top of the mold while sucking it tight using vacuum pressure. I’ve seen lots of clear domed skylights made this way.
If you have all the set up to make the lenses, you should make 2 sets, maybe even 3 sets, so that one day when one chips or cracks you have a spare and don't have to redo the whole process. Its looking very very awesome now.
Great channel and build, please keep sharing the nice work!! Just as an improvement, I’d rather use motorbike screen rubber nuts for the headlight covers than standard rivet nuts. It would absorb vibration and avoid a premature crack, maybe rubber washers would do the part as well.
Great job on both of the clear bits. A simpler way to make the headlamp covers is by only making one mold/buck... Put your plastic in an oversized "frame" to heat it up in the oven. Then pull it out while it's hot and push the mold into the center of the hot plastic. This will stretch the center and keep the edges from wrinkling since they are being held by the frame around the perimiter. You need to heat the plastic a lot hotter so that it starts to deform and droop in the middle. THere is a fine line with acrylic between the right forming temperature and creating bubbles but it will be over 300* F.
Try the "stretch T-shirt" method. Clamp half the cloth around one side, and then pull the cloth tightly over the plastic, and clamp as you go. I used to make motorcycle helmet visors this way.
I thought you might well have a problem moulding those lenses but you took your time, thought it out very carefully re-heating several times did the trick. Like someone else as said, you need to make at least one spare set.
I'm glad to hear if reheating is normal, I actually didn't know what else to do. Will definitely be making more lenses. Ps. I'm a huge fan of your work!
Fun fact: polycarbonate absorbs water, so when you heat it it bubbles out forming the bubbles. If you bake it just below 100C you can drive the moisture out then cook it to shaping temperature, it can even be welded!
Wicked cool. Stumbled on your channel and I'm blown away. This is coach building straight up. I wonder if a vacuum bag would work for he headlight forming. I used those clothing and bedding vacuum bags for forming kydex holsters and it worked well.
Thank you very much! Vacuum bagging is definitely an option but with limited resources and a normal household oven this method seemed best (for my application of course).
Mooi man.... I was a bit worried to see the ripples on the sides, but watching them dissappear when you flipped them was awesome... Can't wait to see this next week. It's going to CiTP right?
Polycarbonate is hydroscopic...that's where the bubbles come from. To heat form the stuff, you have to bake it at a low temperature in a dry environment for up to a day. This will cause the absorbed water to evaporate away without making the bubbles. THEN, you can have at it with higher heat. Beware though, heat tend to make the stuff release phosgene gas which can irritate your airway to the point where it will bleed and you will drown in your own blood. Phosgene was one of the popular gasses used as weapons during WWI... And since.
@@BroughBuilt I would...if the oven was far away from where I slept! I learned that stuff the hard way back in the land before internet. I was tasked with building guards for production machines in the late '80s. I got a nasty scratchy throat almost immediately when I applied heat like I would've with acrylic. The MSDS sheet was shipped with the product and I looked it over before calling the vendor for some forming tips...YIKES!
I did some similar thigs with heating and molding the acrylic, I managed to get hold of an old vacuum former which makes it easier , but the perspex is so brittle i'm going to try some polycarb next ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wlztLTb5QuU.html this is on a kids d type and 2mm acrylic
