[JohnP]

Hi again howmet

I have been thinking about this myself although not for the Chappy in particular.

I have an old SMEC kit

but rather than mess this up, I thought I would make a replica and mess that up instead

I was going to work out the spacing between individual louvres and buy slightly wider strips of thin plasticard - I could just cut them from a big piece of course but I'm far too lazy for that

Using a piece of graph paper to line things up I was going to partially overlay the strips, applying a smigeon of liquid poystrene cement and holding them in place down the sides with tape while everything set.

When it's all dry it should be possible just to cut out long strips of louvres. Putting more glue on the back should then soften the plasticard helping it to follow the contour of the body as you apply it.

Anyway, it's all just a theory.

P.S. I'll probably use paper strips for my project as (in theory again) I'll be gluing onto balsa.

P.P.S. I notice there are some very expert louvre makers on this forum - perhaps someone else could help?

 

[JohnP]

Oh my. that IS a good point. How about passing a strip of paper between some meshing sidewinder gears while turning the axle. If that's a bit narrow RC gears might work?

 

[JohnP]

 

[JohnP]

QUOTE Printer?

...not a printer EM, it's an RC touring chassis (with paper feed

).

Edit: ...and louvres!

 

[JohnP]

I've been setting gear mesh for years this way resulting in small bits of (what I now know to be) authentic 1/32 scale louvres that I just threw away. But it's thanks to howmet and EM that the penny finally dropped - talk about staring me in the face!

By careful stretching of the corrugated paper it should be possible to vary the louvre spacing too. It's a bit flimsy though: maybe a few coats of thinned PVA glue as varnish might strengthen it up. Or, if I can get my cardboard back (the kids nicked it to make Christmas cards) that might work better.

I think speedyweenie's idea is great too. Once one strip is correct maybe it could be duplicated in epoxy using a plastercine mold. Interesting.

Still, I wonder if anyone else has a method for doing these louvres?

Good topic tx. Can you come up with any other great projects to keep me from my shelf-full of other unfinished "work in progress" this dark and dank weekend?

 

[JohnP]

You're quite right of course howmet.

Thermos flask - check
body putty - check
scalpel - check
wet and dry - check

Lotus 15 to the ready, I shall repair...

 

[JohnP]

QUOTE Who put the love in louvres?
I don't think we want to hear about the "love" bit!

...and who put the Mona Lisa in the Louvre

 

[JohnP]

QUOTE Personally I have a stack of NSCC magazines.
Tropi might want to hear about those

Well howmet tx, as this picture of a simple home-made lid-less box containing tomato soup clearly proves, I have been working hard on my Lotus 15.

I now have a two day wait before I can cast anything in resin so I shall now return on-topic and continue with my my louvre experimentations.

 

[JohnP]

Yes indeed, I'm pleased I hung on to that old Cortina MkII gearbox.