BACKGROUND:
Two months ago, I created a post in which I detailed the process that I used to create a new decorative instrument panel overlay from flame-retardant ABS plastic. You may recall that my wife had a coworker who had access to a thermal vacuform machine that was just barely able to accommodate the size of form that I needed. The post went into detail around the creation of a MDF blank used in the forming process, and then the finishing process that I used to paint the overlay and attach Nulite instrument lights to the back. You can find the post here: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=16040
I've flown several times since that time, both during the day and at night, and absolutely love the finished product. My wife and I took a weekend trip to Panama City Beach, FL in 62C a few weeks ago and on the way back home, cruising above the clouds at 9,000', she mentioned that perhaps we should take a run at replacing the two yoke overlays as well.
Over the years - at least as far as my forensics into 62Cs logs have told the story - many different comm and nav radio systems have been installed, moved, and then replaced. The original glovebox was removed and a radio stack was apparently installed on the right side of the instrument panel. At some point - in the mid-1980s - a KX125 nav/comm was installed (btw, this was the radio that I used for my IFR training three years ago). The previous owner moved the radio to the left side of the instrument panel and had a glovebox rebuilt on the right side, though it did not use original materials. After I earned my IFR ticket, we installed a Garmin GTN650 on the left in the place of the KX125, which went just over the top of the Stratus ADS-B we had installed when we bought the aircraft a little over five years ago.
And in the process of all of these changes, the aluminum overlays surrounding the yokes were progressively chipped back, to the point that they are today. And it is at this point that we found ourselves at 9,000' somewhere over Georgia with my wife commenting that I should probably man-up and get to work replacing them.
Unfortunately the vacuform machine that we used two months ago had been shipped off to another location and was no longer available to us.
So, I decided to make one.
This post will focus more on the process of making a small vacuform machine and producing two yoke overlays, but will stop short of duplicating the finishing process (painting, etc.) that I used for the instrument panel overlay. I will, however, share photos of the finished product once they are complete and installed in the aircraft.
(to be continued ...)