----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Hi Paul, I have made this arguement on the group list before so perhaps you have seen it but let me try again. When I first got my Coupe, the side windows were old and cloudy. One day, a friend of mine touched a window in the wrong way and it shattered so I was in your position of looking for a better kind of material. I replaced my windows with Lexan which I had purchased locally. The windows worked ok but they were not as clear as the plexiglas had been. After a while, I got to thinking about how I would get out of the plane in the event of an accident, particularly, if the plane went onto its' back. It seems to me that the cracking and shattering of plexiglas is a feature and not a fault. If the airframe becomes distorted in an accident, the sliding windows might not work and it would be difficult getting out of the plane in a hurry. The following year, I replaced the Lexan with plexiglas and felt much better about it. Last Saturday, I flew the plane for the first time since Sept., moving it from a secure airport where no work can be performed on any plane to an airport two miles from my house where I can at least look at the plane every day. One of the things that I noticed was that the windows are about as you describe yours. The windows have been replaced three times in the twelve years that I have owned the plane and they are due for replacement again. I have noticed that the side windows need frequent replacement but the bubble windscreen has been on the plane as long as I have owned it with no problems. There should be some things we can do to make the side windows last a lttle longer. The problem is that the cut or broken edge wants to start a crack and it will then propagate until it becomes a problem. The solution is to remove stress from the edges and holes. I suggest that insted of drilling holes for the rivets, you could melt the plastic with a hot soldering iron or heated nail which will produce a hole which is smooth and does not start a crack. The hole should be substantially larger than the rivet as there is no ennd for the rivet to fill the hole. The edges could be heated until they just begin to soften and flow and they will also be more resistant to cracking. Good luck with your windows, Bob Condon In a message dated Fri, 28 Dec 2001 2:57:12 PM Eastern Standard Time, "Paul M. Anton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > <PRE>----[Please read <A HREF=" http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm ">http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm</A> before following any advice in this forum.]---- > </PRE> > > My side windows are shot again will only about a year in service. > The portion of the window that fits under the welting is all crazed > and a bit crumbly. > > Obviously some reaction--- with what--I don't know. I used the standard > welts from Skyport and 3M weather-strip cement to cement the welts in. > > I can get Lexan in sheet form but have never cut it. How do I do it? > Can it be scored and snapped like the regular Plexiglas? > > Any info would be appreciated. > > Thanks > > Paul > N2273H > > ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiLm.aVzvvT Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
<<attachment: winmail.dat>>
