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TECHNICAL MOTOBRICK WRENCHING In Remembrance of Inge K. => The Motobrick Workshop => Topic started by: Motorhobo on August 31, 2015, 05:55:36 AM
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I have 2 bikes each with a Parabellum Scout fairing. One of the Parabellum wiindscreens is too short, the other is tall, but is cracked but functional. I also have a sidecar for which the stock windscreen isn't useable. I cut a piece of Lexan for the hack windscreen and fabbed a retainer piece for it out of fiberglass. But now I need a taller windscreen that wraps around the passenger area, so I will have to bend the Lexan. Parabellum wants close to $200 per windscreen, not unreasonable but still costly. For the sidecar windscreen, I will have to go to a place that fabricates polycarbonate, has an oven, can build the jig for the drape mold, and will charge I'm sure several hundred dollars.
I've done a lot of googling but haven't found any reliable way to home-brew the bending of lexan. I have read that some people have some success building a box or retaining jig to keep it in the desired bend and then using a heat gun to uniformly apply heat -- without the heat it won't retain the shape but will just jump back to straight once it's off the jig.
Anyone have any success bending Lexan or know someone who can do it at a reasonable cost? Thanks for any tips.
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Youcan definately do sharp bends fairly easily. They make benders that is effectively a long straight heat element that you lay on it and put it at the edge of the table etc
As far as long radii go, i think that a jig to hold it and then heating the whole thing with a heat gun will work as long as uniform heat is applied.
I have designed a few safety shields that ive had fabricated for some equipment but idk how they did it. They just came out how my drawing specified.
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Once upon a time I needed to make a windscreen.... so I simply shaped a 1/32nd sheet of galvanized sheeting to the bend of the broken screen bending a lip and screwing the ends onto a piece of 1/4 plywood. I then took my ebay bought poly and put them both in my oven at 200 degrees with the poly on top of the sheeting. Watching and moving when necessary to allow it to conform to the shape of the original. Cooled, cut to shape and drilled holes. Then and only then, did I remove the protective film from both sides of the poly. A little hand sanding to round off the edges and for about $25 I have a new windscreen :clap:. I am now going to need to do this to my 1985 K-100 because I have an aftermarket faring with a broken windscreen :falldown:. I may keep you updated... :popcorm.
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Post a picture of the crack. I had a corner cracked right through on the screw hole, I ended up gluing the piece back on sanding and covering the crack with anti slip deck tape. I've seen a plastic molder clean up the cut edge using a oxy or propane torch carefully running the flame along the edge. Suggest you try out on an offcut first.
Regards Martin.
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Your post is of little help as there are several hundred glues and also consider my issues is not a small crack but a broken off in half. Thank you for the info on edge cleaning maybe I will try.