Trim indicator glass

[hais]

Ours is pretty worn out. Tips on how to renew? 

[carusoam]

These plastic lenses’ quality were terrible from the day they were introduced…

Something happened to their availability…

Then miraculously they were available again…

Contact your favorite MSC to check the status on them…

expect the price to be uncomfortable for such a simple bit…

The ones in the pic above look like they completely delaminated…

you might be able to temporarily rebuild it with a nicer piece of plastic…

Best regards,

-a-

[Hank]

It would be fairly simple to remove those and use them as a pattern to cut new acrylic  or lexan pieces. Many stores carry small pieces of clear plastic, one square foot or less; I'd use something less than 1/16" thick. 

[Marc_B]

As a temporizing maneuver I carefully peeled off the delaminating layer then sprayed a clear matte layer to protect the surface. Looks WAY better. The peeling layer was surprisingly easy to remove and came off clean. My multifunction lens wasn’t made for many aircraft (encore) vs you’ll probably have a better chance for picking up a new one. 

[Marc_B]

On 5/4/2023 at 6:09 AM, Hank said:

It would be fairly simple to remove those and use them as a pattern to cut new acrylic  or lexan pieces.

What I ran into with trying to have one fabricated is that the trim indicators need to be in very specific places to be accurate. So most plastic manufacturers want a drawing with exact dimensions. Also the piece is layered differently with colors that aren’t the same way the plastic manufacturers do it that I found. Your mileage may vary. 

[Marc_B]

This link shows pics of the before and after with mine. Not sure if your indicators were made similarly. 

[Hank]

2 hours ago, Marc_B said:

What I ran into with trying to have one fabricated is that the trim indicators need to be in very specific places to be accurate. So most plastic manufacturers want a drawing with exact dimensions. Also the piece is layered differently with colors that aren’t the same way the plastic manufacturers do it that I found. Your mileage may vary. 

"Have one fabricated"??? Buy a square foot of thin clear plastic; lay yourself on top and trace around it with a sharpie, cut it out and sand to fit. Hold it in place.and mark screw holes, remove and drill them out then install. Should take.an hour if you are only a little handy.

I wouldn't worry.about the different layers, just get something close tonthe same thickness.

[PT20J]

Simple solution: see if Mooney has them in stock as @carusoam suggested.

More complicated solution: remove the existing lenses and figure out how to fabricate a duplicate. 

[hais]

Followed @Marc_B suggestion, removed the laminate and cleaned it. Looks better now. Will try to add a film and see how it looks like when installed back. 

 

[carusoam]

15 minutes ago, hais said:

Followed @Marc_B suggestion, removed the laminate and cleaned it. Looks better now. Will try to add a film and see how it looks like when installed back. 

 

Great pic Hais!

-a-

[Marc_B]

@hais I wasn’t sure how well a film would adhere. So I put a coat of matte clear paint. My lens was pretty warped but otherwise in great shape. Now 100% usable in light and dark. 

[hais]

On 5/8/2023 at 6:39 PM, Marc_B said:

@hais I wasn’t sure how well a film would adhere. So I put a coat of matte clear paint. My lens was pretty warped but otherwise in great shape. Now 100% usable in light and dark. 

The coating helped, thanks! The elevator trim isn't perfect still, but the other two look like new.