Interior Liners for Cockpits? Who's Built the Best

[mattford1]

Hi Guys-
A bit of an old timer here (www.737sim.com). I'm interested if anyone out here was found the best method for re-creating the 737 (or any commerical flight deck) interior liner panels. The real ones are vacu-formed Kydex, however that is not an easy process without a vacu-form mold and machine.

Has anyone found a good method for making these without having to make fiberglass molds and positives?

Thanks,
matt
www.737sim.com

[hyway]

Hi Matt, long time no speak?
I used Forex plastic sheet
you can bend it hot or cold, mould it cut it weld it, paint it, do what ever you like I used 5mm thick white

[jongas]

I have been looking for interior liners to purchase, however the only site I could find does not reply to my emails, plus I have a sneaky feeling they may be rather expensive any how!

This chap made some rather nice looking panels from MDF.

http://www.sim-737ng.com/mip/mip.htm

If anyone knows where I can buy some interior panels please let me know - I need to crack on with building the shell !!!

Jon

[flyboy01]

I know that Flightdecksolutions have just finished the first run of their interior liners. Look great from what i have seen. But i am not sure on the price. Would imagine they would cost a bit as moulds and tooling, along with labour would cost a bit. Just another option out there. Also have you tried to obtain some real ones from Aircraft dismantlers in the states and the likes.??? Dont know how often thse would come around.
Trev

[Jackpilot]

Usually real ones are so "tired" that they need a complete restoration (not always doable) and it can be faster and cheaper to make your own. Unless you want an exact repro, fabricating a nice lining is easier than it looks.

[jongas]

Yeah most breakers I have spoken to either sell with complete cockpit or cannot (or will not) remove as apparently getting them out in a semi decent condition is tricky (or not worth the hassle).

I spoke with Nick at APHS but he said that the mouldings are rare and those that are in re-sellable condition even more so

Also shipping for me to the UK from US can be a deal killer.

Seems like a gap in the market here for someone to fill, along with some nice eyebrow window mouldings too :D

Anyone has any more suggestions please let me know.

Jon

[jongas]

looks great - but 3,500 euros is (IMO) expensive for what it is.

:(

[Jackpilot]

maybe have a look at my site: www.aviasimtec.nl
and look at the b737 parts


This community is very close knit and knowledgable.
We all know who manufactures what !!!

[blueskydriver]

Hey all,

I was just surfing YouTube for making homemade vaccum formers and it looks like something easy to do. I have the interiors for the 727, so I don't think many would want these molded, plus making a molder big enough would be hard (but not impossible).

However, many have asked about the eyebrow molds and that seems much easier to do. Of course the ones I have are from 727, but they'd be close for a 737.

Assuming I used ABS plastic or some other similar material, what would be used to make this a solid object. In other words, if the plastic is vac down on the eyebrow it would produce a copy, but it would be thin and flimsy. So to make it a solid object, what would I use to fill it in or up?

Hot plastic as a filler would not work because it would melt the molded copy, fiberglass material would be too exspensive, so it would have to be something cheap and that hardens, but does not require heat...

Any suggestions on this part and I would attempt to vac copy/mold mine and sell them at a cheap price. If we could figure out the filler, then everyone could do that part themselves and I could just make the molds, so the shipping would be lighter and cheaper.

Of course I would not know the outcome without trying it first.

[jongas]

Hey all,

I was just surfing YouTube for making homemade vaccum formers and it looks like something easy to do. I have the interiors for the 727, so I don't think many would want these molded, plus making a molder big enough would be hard (but not impossible).

However, many have asked about the eyebrow molds and that seems much easier to do. Of course the ones I have are from 727, but they'd be close for a 737.

Assuming I used ABS plastic or some other similar material, what would be used to make this a solid object. In other words, if the plastic is vac down on the eyebrow it would produce a copy, but it would be thin and flimsy. So to make it a solid object, what would I use to fill it in or up?

Hot plastic as a filler would not work because it would melt the molded copy, fiberglass material would be too exspensive, so it would have to be something cheap and that hardens, but does not require heat...

Any suggestions on this part and I would attempt to vac copy/mold mine and sell them at a cheap price. If we could figure out the filler, then everyone could do that part themselves and I could just make the molds, so the shipping would be lighter and cheaper.

Of course I would not know the outcome without trying it first.

What about expandable foam?

The sort used to fill gaps, that would also keep the weight down too.

Keep me posted - customer #1 here !

Jon

[jongas]

JK, Just saw that you have already posted on another thread - great minds on the expansion foam :D

keep us posted

[mattford1]

Hi. Been in touch with Peter and he feels that his won't fit in the real cockpit.

[mattford1]

Hi Jon-
The real ones are made out of a material called Kydex, which is flame retardent and fairly expensive. They are vacu-formed.

[blueskydriver]

Okay Folks,

I'm going to give it shot and I'll post photos as I go. It might take a bit to get started, but this is something that is really needed... I'll keep everyone informed.

[ChrisKLAS]

The new FDS liner product looks fantastic. I have already placed my preorder!

[jongas]

The new FDS liner product looks fantastic. I have already placed my preorder!

If you don't mind me asking, how much do they charge chris?

Regards

Jon

[ChrisKLAS]

If you don't mind me asking, how much do they charge chris?

Jon,

I don't believe FDS has announced pricing on this product yet. They offered a kind of super secret "order it before it's announced"-type deal for those of us who purchased their nose sectional, but I don't believe I should post that price. I would contact Peter at FDS to see what he has to say about pricing.

[blueskydriver]

Regarding the Eyebrows, I got my wife too help me and this is what came of it. We made a DIY Vacuum Forming box to test the idea first, and then the plan is to make a bigger Vac Former and make formed copies of my Eyebrow Moldings.

See the attached photos to see what we did... You'll notice that we used wooden, plastic and cloth objects to make molds of. So, the chance of messing up the eyebrows are remote. We found that the key is the right amount of time under the stoves top electric wire (broiler setting) and the right amount of vac pressure.

Finally, we think that we could make a larger DIY box roughly 24inchesx24inches. This should be big enough for the eyebrows and enough vac pressure too draw the plastic down 6 inches. We'll keep you informed and the next step would be the back filling material.

I checked on expansion foam and was told that the door and window type is best because it only expands a little, as opposed to Max Expansion Foam, which expands a great deal...

[jongas]

great work -keep us posted - cant wait to see the eyebrows!!

[mpl330]

This is looking promising - put me down for a pair if you "go into production" ;)

Cheers
Mike

[Matt Olieman]

HEY, that was fantastic. Good demonstration :) :) :)

This looks like something that belongs in our "NEW" Tutorial area :) :) :)

Thanks for the pics and demonstration.
Matt Olieman

[blueskydriver]

Okay Guys, I will count you in for some once I get them going. And just as a reminder the plan is to make the eyebrow molds and then you would fill and paint them yourselves. This method reduces cost and shipping weights, as well as let's you paint it too match the colors you might already be using...

Finally, I hope to have the first prototype made in about two weeks. I will post photos as I go along...

Thanks for your encouraging interest.

Matt, you just got in before I did, thank you and that is a good idea. I will make a video/tutorial to add. I believe there is alot more that can be done with homemade vacuum forming...I'm thinking about knobs, levers and other small things.

[Matt Olieman]

You're right on it!!! I've looked into this years ago, but just couldn't find out how. All of us here appreciate you sharing this info. This is FANTASTIC!!!!

Matt Olieman

[Jackpilot]

Check

http://www.flightdecksolutions.com/view_page.php?id=71

[mattford1]

If they would only fit in a real 737. Sigh :-(

[jongas]

Okay Guys, I will count you in for some once I get them going. And just as a reminder the plan is to make the eyebrow molds and then you would fill and paint them yourselves. This method reduces cost and shipping weights, as well as let's you paint it too match the colors you might already be using...

Finally, I hope to have the first prototype made in about two weeks. I will post photos as I go along...

Thanks for your encouraging interest.

Matt, you just got in before I did, thank you and that is a good idea. I will make a video/tutorial to add. I believe there is alot more that can be done with homemade vacuum forming...I'm thinking about knobs, levers and other small things.

How are the eyebrow moulds progressing?

Can't wait to see your work ! :D

Jon

[BHawthorne]

Vacuum forming looks like a nice way to make quality panels. I'm curious just how plausible it would be to make tooling to do both interior and exterior panels with it. I just wish someone had a big enough vacuum table to do whole cockpit tubs. I would imagine something like F-16 tub could be done with a few vacuum formed panels. Once you have the tooling forms, I wouldn't think it would be that difficult to be churning out kits that way. Now that would be truly cool. :)

[blueskydriver]

Hey Everyone,

I apologize for the delay in making any progress. My wife had Jaw surgery about two weeks ago (shortly after making the first vac former) and she has her mouth wired shut for a total of six weeks. What I did not expect was I would be the sole person to care for her.

Let me put that another way, I'm very happy to be here for her, but we expected her mother to stay and help out as well; however, her mother was/is now unable too. So, that just leaves me to do things and to be as close as possible to my wife. If for some reason she were to choke on something for example, I would have to use wire cutters to open her mouth and remove the substance. Thus, that means there is very little time to do anything else...where I could leave to get materials.

I will get back to this soon...

John

[Rodney]

John,
You are on your own schedule. While some are slobbering on their keyboard it is not meant to be any type of timeline. You do what you are doing. Taking care of a spouse, child parent, sibling is always the right thing to do. Hope her silence doesn't become deafening. Speedy recovery to her!

[jongas]

Hi John

I totally agree with Rodney - Family always come first IMO.

You both take care,

All the best

Jon

[Jackpilot]

You have friends Captain...
Jack

[blueskydriver]

My friends and MYC members,

After a great deal of time of dealing with life's wonderful adventures, I've come to the conclusion that I cannot achieve the ability to produce vacuum formed B737 Eyebrow moldings. I thought that somehow I could make a vacuum forming device large enough to accomplish this task. However, what I have in ambition does not equal what I have in physical ability.

Furthermore, there is not enough available space within my home. My garage is in use as a simulator room and my family room has been taken over as a RC aircraft shop and storage; thereby, leaving no free space. Additionally, the power requirement for such a device is beyond what my household wiring can sustain. Thus, I would need special wiring and an electrician to install it, as well as for my insurance company to support this prospect since my house is residential, in which case, they will not.

Consequently, the feasibility is not easy enough to pursue it and therefore I apologize to those of you who had hopes that I could follow through with this. I realize theses moldings are in short supply and I wish I could provide for the huge demand, but it is beyond me...

My sincere apologies,

John