Flybridge Instrument panel cover

[Steve]

The cover of the upper instrument panel is a formed piece of Lexan?(I guess) it is fogged srom the sunlight. I'm wondering if anyone has tried buffing that sort of item with and automobile headlight cover kit, the kind that have a sponge ball used on a drill with some sort of buffing compound?
Any ideas?
Steve W

 

[rwidman]

One of the commercials on the TV show "Shipshape TV" (a commercial in its own way) shows the owner of the Flitz company using his product to restore a plastic hatch cover. So - it might work. Or you could use Flitz polish.

 

[FlyWright]

It might be easier and look better if you can replace the plastic pane with a UV resistant plastic or shatterproof glass pane. The plastics I've seen that have become glazed or fogged by the UV exposure looked to be more than surface deep.

 

[jleonard]

My son (owns an automotive shop) polishes out headlights often so that system does work very well. Would be worth trying IMO.

 

[SomeSailor]

Do you have a pic?

I run a CNC shop as a side business and have the capability to make CNC parts with much less effort that scratch building.

 

[Steve]

This is a formed piece, Imagine a 3/16 piece of lexan heated and then placed over a female mold the shape of a rectangle cake pan and pressed into it with a male pattern. I believe might have been made in Taiwan maybe I can get one through the Monk Owners group. But I was wondering how polishing might work out.
Thanks all for the replies.
Steve W

 

[SomeSailor]

If ya get a chance to snap a pic, lemme know. I recently cut a new venturi for mine and enjoy working / thermo-forming plastics as well.

 

[Carolena]

We used McGuires plastic polish on the hatch lenses on our current sail boat. It made them look a lot better, but after 25 years in the sun, there is only so much you can do. I'd give it a try. We eventually replaced the hatches becuse there was crazing in the material that wouldn't come out. Thought about just putting in new lenses, but then we would have also needed to sandblast and paint the frames. Anyone looking for some bomar hatches in restorable condition?

 

[FF]

"placed over a female mold the shape of a rectangle cake pan and pressed into it with a male pattern."

TOO MUCH WORK (TWO molds) for a Chinese mfg.

Most likely the bottom mold had holes in it , the plastic was heated then placed on the mold and a shop vac used to pull it into the mold. 1/2 the effort.

Hot plastic is easy to form.

 

[SomeSailor]

That's why I was hoping someone had a picture. I could very easily make a drape mold on my CNC and possible pull a few spares. I need a similar cover for my gauges on my CHB.

 

[skipperdude]

Could you use the old one as a mold to form a new one?

Heat the plastic and drape it over the old one.

Just thinking.

Sd

 

[SomeSailor]

If I had an old one, it would be as simple as CNC probing the interior of the old one and making the drape plug from that. Vacuum molding is pretty straightforward from there.

Anyone have an old one laying around that I could probe?

 

[skipperdude]

what is CNC

 

[SomeSailor]

Computer Numeric Control. I basically tell a computerized digitizer to go in and probe the interior of the cover and create a 3D CAD file from which I can made a plug.

It doesn't do anything to the original in the process.

 

[Art]

On the bridge, my 1977 Tolly has two original 9” x 9” x 7/8" molded plastic covers, one for full instrumentation of each engine. They had become so dulled that I could no longer accurately read gauges. I removed off dash and on both sides of plastic I vigorously hand rubbed with red rubbing compound, then with a white 50/50 rubbing/polish compound, and then with “Color Back” an auto shine liquid... and finally with DuPont Teflon liquid glaze. Came back exceptionally well – not absolutely perfect, but uniform look and darn clear to see through. Did that bout two years ago, still just as uniform and clear today.