Clear plastic repair

Svt40

So I was going through one of my kits last night taking inventory of what else I need to procure when I found out the clear windscreen has a crack right in the middle of it.  Of course it did not happen on the part that will be painted but right dead center of the windscreen.

Is there anyway to repair it and still be invisible?  I'd like to avoid dropping $40 for a sprue on ebay for a single windscreen. 

I know of no way to repair a crack like that, in a clear piece.  A scratch could be sanded and polished, and then covered with a clear medium.  But a crack all the way through, I don't think can be repaired successfully.

You don't have to go the eBay route, though.  Ask here in the forum, and in other forums, for the piece you want.  I'm sure eventually someone will be able to help.

Even on eBay, you might see one now for forty bucks, but if you can wait, you can probably find one eventually for a price you're more comfortable paying.  It all depends on how long you can wait.

Scratching a replacement is another possibility.  You said windscreen-is this on an aircraft?  Or is it a windshield on a car?  Depending on the type or style, like the small windscreen on a biplane, for example, scratching it would be relatively simple.

Another possibilty is to make a replacement, either vacuforming or by the smash-mold technique.  Of course, I understand, if you've never vacuformed a piece, then yes, it's effort to get the rig and practice. 

Smash-molding is quicker and a little simpler, even if you've never done it.  You can use the original to make a blank.  Take some 2-part epoxy putty, press the original into it to fix the shape, then remove it and let that piece cure.  When it's cured, take some more putty, and press the first piece into it, to transfer that shape.  Now you have the male and female halves of a mold.  Take a piece of clear plastic, heat it over a candle till it's soft, then press it between the two halves of your mold.  When it cools, remove it and trim and clean up as necessary.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the ideas.  I was toying with the idea of some vacuum molding for a piece that is missing from the kit.

The kit is a Kitty Hawk helo.  The main windscreen which is the pretty much the entire front top of the cockpit.  Since KH is no longer I can only see parts getting more expensive and it's not something that someone is not going to use when building their kit.

As for the vacuum forming I also saw someone say you can just push mold simple shapes which is another thing I thing I thought about for the piece that is missing.  But looking for super thin clear plastic keeps leading me to non styrene examples.

Guess this is my payback for badmouthing this model kit LOL.

Okay Svt40;

           Which Chopper kit is it? You don't say. Some are a bear, but you can do it. Is the original Canopy Bubble repairable for use as a mold? If so, fill it with Pla-Doh don't let it get stretched. Fill it to the edges. Now go to your L.H.S. or Evergreen.com and check out their Clear sheets. You can get .010, .020. in Styrene or Acetate. Either one will work. Now here's the hard part. While holding the whole sheet over the canopy, While it is stuck to a glass jar for a stand.

         Make sure there won't be short spots on the side. Get your Heat Gun( A good Hair Dryer) will work here. Patiently apply heat till it pretty much covers the mold) Make sure the sides are tight but NOT undercut! Do NOT let the open end of the dryer contact that sheet, no matter what you do! Once it starts to sag you can let go of it and let it sag! Steadily applying heat press the sides in to the mold gently. Hold while cooling!

         Let it cool naturally. There you go, One new canopy. Oh, don't worry about messing up. You can take the Messed up sheet, and laying it on Glass-The stovetop? Apply heat and flatten it out and use it for something else. You can do that!

Oh sorry,  It's for the SH60B kit in 1/35.  It's the front three windscreens one top bubble and the center upper fuselage section all as one piece with molded detail on the inside and outside.

I've already picked up the ReKits fold hinge and main rotor head, as well as braided and lead wire in various sizes and white metal landing gear struts (kit was missing an oleo) and a photo etch kit.  What's another $40 for all the clear bits LOL.

I will have to make the interior sonobouy launcher cover no matter what from clear plastic and you all are giving me great ideas that at a minimum will work for that piece.  The windscreen may be more than I am willing to bite off.

Well;

     It may be more than you want to try. so, Just experiment with it when you can. You would be surprised what you can do with this technique!

Svt40

...As for the vacuum forming I also saw someone say you can just push mold simple shapes which is another thing I thing I thought about for the piece that is missing.  But looking for super thin clear plastic keeps leading me to non styrene examples...

Yeah, that sounds pretty much like smash-molding.

As far as plastic stock goes, Evergreen and Plastruct both sell clear sheet stock.  I have also used clear plastic from grocery packaging; some of it is clear enough for our use.  I also save the clear plastic pieces from my dress shirts.  There's usually a long band of clear stock used to shape the collar in the package, and it's nice and clear. 

If it's a crack that is hasn't deformed the piece you could try wicking a little future acrylic floor wax in.  I've had some success with hiding blemishes this way. 

This is the piece I will have to make.  The clear cover over the sonobouy launcher.  It's actually a safety device in case the sonobouy batteries begin to leak.

Okay Baron!

     Now you've done it. You blasted into my "Olde Timey Secrets Box!" When you mentioned Collar strips You took me back to the early years when Revell had fairly neat( If you were careful) multipiecs bodies on their model cars,and You could get a 57 Chevrolet (Friction ,No interior) Taxi, Fire Chief's car or a Police car.(1/25 scale too. The Revell cars were 1/32.

     Now here's where that plastic strip from the collar came in. The Revell cars when assembled, had a tiny groove around the windshield. And I mean tiny.But, with careful cutting of a paper pattern you could then cut the plastic.Form the corners in Warm Water and then snap them into the little groove Voila' Windshield and back Glass! Side glass too. You had to use ambroid though because some of those strips were acetate which didn't work well with "Revell Type S Cement!" But, also use the same strips and make the windows for the friction cars and they looked way better.

OOh Boy!

      I don't know about that. You could use large Clear sprue to represent the Containers in the rack, are they light grey or clear? 

Tanker-Builder

OOh Boy!

      I don't know about that. You could use large Clear sprue to represent the Containers in the rack, are they light grey or clear? 

 

Oh no, I am talking the large clear plastic cover that you can barely see that is over the entire thing.  It covers the entire backside with a hole to access the motor and another one over the cargo hook door.

Hey!

     I'll bet you can find some kind of Clear Blister package that will be able to be used for that. That's a conundrum for sure!