[Lex]

Vacforming time. Not a successful day, also too busy with other things. I'll post more about it when I have more time.

Take one. PVC sheet. Went white under heat and I gave up.
Take two. PET sheet, cut from drink bottle. Refuses to soften under mild heat, and demonstrated tremendous internal stress (as a result of being stretched when it was blown into a bottle), and I couldn't form it under the current suction.
Take three. Unknown transparent polymer sheet that came with the vacforming machine itself, apparently used in making orthodontic retention molds (I use one of those myself). If anyone can shed light on what material it is, that would be very helpful. This time it worked exceptionally well and readily formed into the desired shape. However the material is 1mm thick and not suitable for canopy, I need to get my hands on a thinner version. It also moulded almost too well, and reproduced all the irregularities in the paster mould's surface finish. I will have to try sand and polish the mould even more before trying again.

Overall I got the hang of it. The resulting canopy is shown in the photo, the surface irregularities make it difficult to see clearly through, and if I use this one I will end up losing all the cockpit details. This canopy is still useful though, I can use it to find the correct place to cut and attach on the fuselage.