DIY cowl?

[Fbords]

Hey guys, long story short I have an AT-6 Texan that had a slight spill which broke the prop and cowling. The cowl was pretty much irreparable, and I only see one site Online that carries them. The part is only about $1.60, but shipping is almost 15 bucks. The plane only cost me $99 on sale for the brushless/lipo version, so I rather just come up with a DIY method if it looks good. Here is a link to the plane, you guys have any suggestions? I've been looking for lightweight bottles and containers that I can just cut and paint, but nothing is really fitting the bill so far. What do you guys think?

http://www.lanyuhobby.com/viewProduct_en.asp?flowNo=310

 

[Tritium]

At a glance either a plastic bowl or lid of a container would possibly be an acceptable substitute. If you are in the USA go to a dollar store and look around. What is the base diameter?

Thurmond

 

[colorex]

Hey, that cowl reminds me of a spray can cap... if it's the right size...

 

[Fbords]

Diameter = 4". Even 4.25" could work.

 

[colorex]

look around for a bowl...

can you make one out of depron maybe? You should be able to sand it smooth to the right shape...

 

[CrashRecovery]

Could you make a slug that you could put fleese and then coat it with resin? Make your own Fiberglass part. And when it beaks again you can build another

 

[earthsciteach]

One of the easiest methods is to make a plug, place a water or soda bottle over it and heat it up with a heat gun. The plastic will shrink to the shape of the plug.

 

[Fbords]

This is one of the most simple solutions ive found and if i had an extra cowl to use to make a plug, I'd certainly do this. For now, I've found a container of Popcorn kernels in my pantry that I can cut and use. I'll keep you posted on the progress. It's not an exact match, but it'll do

 

[CrashRecovery]

One of the easiest methods is to make a plug, place a water or soda bottle over it and heat it up with a heat gun. The plastic will shrink to the shape of the plug.

That has to be the best use of old soda bottles! I might even try to rebuild the front of my sky hunter with that idea!!!!
oh and that 10 times cheaper then my idea

 

[Fbords]

That has to be the best use of old soda bottles! I might even try to rebuild the front of my sky hunter with that idea!!!!
oh and that 10 times cheaper then my idea

Agreed. I had no idea that something so simple was this effective.

 

[p-air-o]

thanks earthsciteach for this great video!
love it and cant wait to test it!

 

[robschonk]

2L soda bottles are 4"dia. They used to come with plastic collars on the bottom that might work.



You could even take the bottom of a fluted bottle and paint cylinder heads on it....

Ya know you're gonna break it again, anyway.

Mu Super Cub cowl is mostly packing tape now.

 

[earthsciteach]

You can make your own plug quite easily from scrap wood. I sanded this one using a small, hand held belt sander. It was used for my first scratch-built. The wing loading was too high and it was too small for all of the electronics and battery. I'll make a larger version one of these days. Its roughly based on the Globe-Temco Swift.

I had to use wood filler to smooth it out because one of my labrador retrievers decided it looked like a nice chew toy.