After you attach the cabin cover to the fuselage, you're left with an unsightly bulkhead that sticks up and curves in a bit. The challenge is figuring out a way to cover this thing up and make it mesh with the rest of the interior.
I was reading on VAF about guys using expanding urethane foam for fiberglass molding so I thought I'd give foam another try. I ordered the 4lb density stuff and made a small test batch and poured it into a box covered with plastic. The foam is fun to play with but I'm not sure what's so great about it. It's the same annoying foam carving that I experienced with the pink foam and the pockets. So, in the trash it went and out came my plasticene clay. Finally something I can work with!
I taped up the area with painters tape first so the packaging tape is easier to remove and there's no residue. Then I taped over it with packaging tape before using clay to form a mold.
After getting the shape that I wanted, I covered the clay in saran wrap to keep the removal mess down. Then, I did the same exact thing to the other side. Getting the left side molded to match the right side shape was a little tricky but I got it pretty darn close.
Next, I cut out two pieces of glass that were about the right shape and used a little cab-o-sil in my epoxy mix to thicken it up a bit and keep it from running on me. I repeated the process on the left side.
After the piece cured, it pulled of easily and I was able to salvage 95% of my clay. The piece still needs a bit more trimming but it sits nicely in the spot with all of the tape and clay removed.
In the end, this piece will be attached to the main panel along with the pocket... at least that's how it works in my head. ;)
