DeBoers Enterprise.

[Neo-uk]

I've just acquired one of these but the top of the saucer is warped
Anyone have any idea on the best way to fix this ?
I've heated it up and tried that.

 

[crackerjazz]

Is it resin? I had a Time Machine dish that was badly warped that I laid on a flat surface and put some weights on top of. I came back to it after a couple of weeks and it was just like new. Try also to ping Steve Neill or Commander Max for some advice. I remember reading one of their posts a while back about the same issue and how they fixed it.

 

[cougar184]

its fiberglass... how did you heat it up?

 

[brandomack]

Ask Mark Nehmzow, he's the foremost expert on the DeBoers.

www.nemvia.com

 

[Neo-uk]

It's fibreglass with webbing in places on the back.
I heated it up with a paint stripper (quite hot).
Looking on the net at others it seems they have metal braces to keep the shape but this ones just fibreglass. I'm guessing this was an early release before the metal supports were added to the kit.

 

[Neo-uk]

I'm starting to think it might be quicker to build a new saucer top. ( might be quicker but I don't know if it will be easier )

 

[Blackbirdcd]

Contact the manufacturer and ask for advice

 

[Neo-uk]

I did Blackbird and was told
"they only guarantee missing or damaged parts in shipping. We do have replacement top saucer for $260.00 plus shipping,if you need a new one. It is lined with carbon fiber which is better. You can let me know if you need one. "
Fair enough if it's missing or damaged in shipping, but what if it's not a good cast in the first place (lumpy and bumpy).
I think I need to find someone on here to CAD me a new one so I can get it 3D printed.

 

[Neo-uk]

I've just acquired one of these but the top of the saucer is warped.
I'm going to try and fix it but I Think there will be just as much work involved to build a new one.
I need to find someone on here to CAD me a new one so I can get it 3D printed.
It's only the top of the saucer. Here's some pictures.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B--1inkpRkC6Mk9Hd3kwQk1QdkE/view?usp=sharing

 

[brandomack]

I would just pay the $260. Having someone design it in 3D and printing it will cost at the very least double that.

 

[darth_myeek]

Is it plausible to make a fiberglass mold of a good section of saucer in order to cut and splice a replacement?

 

[NextGenMaker]

It's hard to see just how distended the section is in that picture, but it looks like you might be able to body-fill the cracks then build up material on the inside of the saucer (let's say you use Apoxie Sculpt for the sake of argument, but I haven't used it before) and sand your way to victory. Then you just need re-scribe the panels. You're gonna need to body-fill and sand anyway; there is a lot of glass fiber texture showing and I'd personally want to knock the gloss off for better paint adhesion.

 

[Neo-uk]

Decided to start my own

 

[vismus]

Worst case, is you can contact Dennis for a replacement. I've built a number his designs and they were all excellent, in fact, I'm working on a Seaview CII as we speak. In your case, I'm a bit taken back.

Tommie

 

[Neo-uk]

I'm not going to pay $266 for a replacement of a substandard part, plus the postage on top then whatever the uk customs decide to add on as well.

 

[Neo-uk]

I decided to make my own replacement Enterprise saucer top.
Glad I did, it's turned out ok. Here are some pictures of the process.

Here's the starting point.
I had the side profile laser cut out of MDF and four out of acrylic. I glued them down to a base board I made out four wedge components.



The next stage was to fill in the gaps with insulation foam ( great stuff ).

 

[Neo-uk]

I put up a wall around it a let the last layer just settle without touching it, to get it rally smooth.

 

[spockboy]

Nice work.


Spockboy

 

[Neo-uk]

Well after hours and hours of sanding here's what I had.

Test fitting the B deck I saved from the original.

After hours and hours of panel scribing (I hate doing this). Any tips would be welcome.

 

[kirkman]

Are we going to see the completed project?