Landing Light Lens

[1524J]

15 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Acrylic or styrene???

clear plastics aren't all the same...and that site listed three different plastics...

Best regards,

-a-

What I ordered was described as Styrene Plexiglass. Appears to be identical to what was installed previously although mine wasn't molded at all. Just a flat piece of plexiglass cut in an oval shape.

It appears to be PETG or Polyethylene Terephthalate.

[Hank]

8 hours ago, carusoam said:

Acrylic or styrene???

clear plastics aren't all the same...and that site listed three different plastics...

Best regards,

-a-

There ya go, getting all technical on us! I wonder what my wingtip Nav light covers are made from? Didn't think about it when I had to replace one from LASAR, I was just shocked at the price of a piece of thin vacuum formed plexiglas. Now I can't help but wonder if PC would be a good choice, or if it's too crack-prone.

[carusoam]

Acrylic is our usual window materials, great clarity, poor UV resistance (hazing), prone to cracking.

Polycarbonate is used most often where impact resistance is desired.  Most expensive and hardest to work with.  Scratch resistance is a limitation.

Styrene has great clarity. It is typically used for low cost easy to mold items like packaging parts.  It usually has no impact resistance unless molecular orientation/stretching is part of it's processing history.  Styrene foam is made from a brittle resin, but the foaming process orients the molecular chains enough to make them impact resistant.  High impact PS (HIPS) is chemically modified, but has no clarity...

PETG is a relative of PET (soda bottle material) The G part adds weatherability and expense.  Thermo-formed outdoor business signs are often made with PETG.

Disclosure:  These are not PP ideas. They are fuzzy old memories of a retired polymer engineer... 

Best regards,

-a-

[jrwilson]

On May 21, 2012 at 10:43 AM, 231Pilot said:

$54 from Great Lakes Aero.  Be sure to get a step bit to avoid caracking when any drilling is done.  They are a quality company with quality products.

It's crazy, June 2016 and that price is now $235...that's some crazy inflation ...$130 from lasar.

[Yetti]

A sharp carbide tipped table saw blade or jig saw or band saw and sanding center or sheet of sandpaper would make a really nice owner produced part in about 5 minutes

 

Home depot has the sheets if you are too lazy for Amazon to deliver to your door

Edited June 24, 2016 by Yetti

[Guest]

If you make your own, be sure to sand all of the edges to smooth out any tool marks, same goes for the screw holes.  Smoothing eliminates stress concentrations.

Clarence

[Jsavage3]

+1 for LASAR...recently bought one for my 252...perfect fit and was pre-drilled.  Simply unscrew the old one and attach the new one...perfect fit and it looks great!  Paid about $120 or so...

[Bob_Belville]

I'm thinking the J & K lens is a lot bigger than my E which explains why I've paid more like $54 for a lens from LASAR.

[jrwilson]

6 hours ago, Yetti said:

A sharp carbide tipped table saw blade or jig saw or band saw and sanding center or sheet of sandpaper would make a really nice owner produced part in about 5 minutes

 

Home depot has the sheets if you are too lazy for Amazon to deliver to your door

You can make this in 5 minutes?  Amazing!  Curves, drill holes and bend and molded cooling bumps?  Impressive!  I can't...maybe with enough time and practice attemps I could get a close approximation...but after buying the right drill bits, sanders, etc and my time, it would be much cheaper and quicker to buy one...  It will be here from lasar on monday

 

 

[Hank]

Wow, mine is 4-1/2" diameter, round, with three (3) screw holes and no "cooling bumps." Yours might be worth $150, but mine??

[carusoam]

If you go LED with the lights do you still need the cooling related attributes?

once you are done shaping and sanding it, it is possible to polish the edges by briefly touching it with the flame of a torch.  Unfortunately a typical propane torch won't get hot enough.  A MAPP torch will be hotter.  See Homer Dan for price and availability....

From the Internet....

POLISHING

Acrylic and HP can be easily edge polished with the use of a torch. The easiest method is using MAPP gas. Propane and Oxygen in combination can also be used. Propane alone does not provide enough heat for a good finish. In the absence of a torch, a buffing wheel can also be used with a polishing compound. 

Sorry about the color.  Unable to make a change....

Best regards,

-a-

[Hank]

Yes, MAPP gas is toasty and warm. Just practice polishing on a piece of scrap, so you don't melt your cut, drilled and sanded finished lens . . . .

[jrwilson]

Special drill bits, sanders, now a super snazzy torch?  With the real probability of destroying the thing I spent hours making?  Yep, I think $150 (tax and shipping) was the right choice...

[carusoam]

There is a thread around here where somebody had built their own thermoformer.  Great for shaping the polymer sheet...

I need to start a 3D printing project...

Best regards,

-a-

 

 

[Yetti]

8 hours ago, jrwilson said:

Special drill bits, sanders, now a super snazzy torch?  With the real probability of destroying the thing I spent hours making?  Yep, I think $150 (tax and shipping) was the right choice...

ummm to the unitiated some people have those things in hanger (I know I have a torch in the hanger for redoing the copper spark plug washers)  for doing the lens I would have to wander out to the garage.  To put the bend in it you use a heat gun.  Yep have one of those also.  Could I make one in the hanger with hand tools Hack saw and a file would work,\would take longer maybe 30 minutes or so.  

Writing out the steps to make the lens would probably take longer than it would to just make it. But since there is already a pattern just trace and cut, use the same pattern for drilling the holes.  And I would make two so I would have a spare, so yeah it would take longer than 5 minutes.

The difference being is that you are having to wait for yours to arrive, I would install the new one and move onto the next task and put the spare one on the shelf.

 

If you give me 20 minutes I can recreate the Mooney stock sun visor.   The top is the factory and the bottom is the Owner Produced one.  The only thing I did not figure out where they got were the little clips that hold the poly carbonate on.  But you will find that the adel clamps that hold the injector fuel lines are just the right size.  And yes you need fancy tools to do it.  The little aluminum part needed a lathe and a horizontal mill (a drill press could have been substituted with according loss of accuracy)

.

[CaptRJM]

On the K model Mooney issued a SB # M20-235.  It was a mod to improve cooling by taking in additional air from around the landing light.  Included in the parts, along with some heat shields for the exhaust, is the replacement lens that has holes drilled on the top and "bumps" on the bottom.  I saw a slight drop in temps after mine was installed.

I have a lot of experience with working with the folks at Great Lakes Aero.  Always willing to work with you and high quality replacement parts.  I would recommend them if you need glass or lenses.

[fantom]

• I have a set of new, undrilled LASAR Wing Tip lenses, still wrapped in their protective covering. I paid $135 each for them, plus tax and shipping.
• Make me a reasonable offer for the pair.......

 

[DonMuncy]

12 hours ago, carusoam said:

There is a thread around here where somebody had built their own thermoformer.  Great for shaping the polymer sheet...

As I posted earlier, I have molds for both types used on the K model. The Plexiglass is cheap and the wife's oven to form them is free. I have a template to router the shape. Drilling the holes in the right places is the biggest chore. If anyone is willing to live with my workmanship, (and the number needed is not overwhelming), I can turn you out some for very little over the cost of materials and shipping.

[Awqward]

I believe there are a number of ways this could qualify as an "owner produced part" even if made by a third party (with no PMA approval)....would the owner need to order and send you the plexiglas to be modified? Or would just sending the old lens be enough? Or just sending the spec (from the IPC)?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DonMuncy]

In my opinion, you are correct. No PMA is needed to make an owner produced part. Naturally the installing A&P would have to approve it as conforming to the type certificate.

The owner has to "have a hand in specifying how the part is made" (ie. material, dimensions, or the like). It would seem to me that a tracing of the old lens and how thick is should be made would suffice.

This is my opinion, and I don't claim to have any special authority for that.

[jrwilson]

Installed new lens and new LED landing light

Edited July 1, 2016 by jrwilson

[Guest]

It looks like you have a loose screw on the retainer for the new LED light bulb.

Clarence

[Cyril Gibb]

It may have been mentioned before, but for working with plastic I've used a 1/16 abrasive cutting disk on an electric drill / angle grinder or dremel to cut like butter.  For drilling in plastic I just use an old wood bit that I drill into concrete for a few seconds to get rid of the sharp edges.  Works for me with no cracking.  A heat gun or oven for bending.  The more even the heat the better.

No need for specialized (expensive) tools.  I've got time, not money.  

[N5756v]

Has any body thought about this product? I use it on my plastic headlights on me vehicles

www.mothers.com/02_products/07251.html

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk