Hello everybody,
let’s get started with the first act of the new bending orgy.
Here once again the sketch of the 18’’ outlet as a basis for the template, in which I have drawn already the pipe support on the SRB-Blast Shield, to this but later.
This time, the bending process is not as easy as with the ring line, in which it only once went all-around.
Therefore, this template (left in the image) can be used only for the upper rounding and the subsequent outlet, whereby a consistent holding is very important.
And during the stepwise bending then the hot air gun takes action.
This is the intermediate result, which seems to be quite useful, only the short piece after the upper arch should actually be still a bit flatter, but it could not be aligned close enough. But it became probably something too hot for my fingers.
Now the overhang part can be separated and then the junction be rounded.
In order to bend the following short slant it must be re-clamped.
For this the rod must be aligned with the balsa triangle narrow to the slant. After fixation of the triangle with the pins it must be blow-dried again, and only after cooling, the clamps can be removed.
Thereafter, the rod should should fit snugly and not splay back again. And then follows the second bending downwards,
whereto I yet again have re-clamped and used a more stable board with slanted corner.
And this is the preliminary result, which can be quite impressive.
Now only the final bending til below the SRB support is missing, for which I still have to determine the distances and dimensions.
And now a short outlook at the initially mentioned pipe supports under the outlets.
In this image all looks again relatively easy, the triangular base as well as the sickle shaped brackets, similar to those at the supports for the 24’’ ring line. But if one now outlines the real proportions in model scale, then this part shrinks considerably.
And so I will let it go at that for today.