To get back at this topic, For my rear window I would like to make a mold on witch I can form the accrylic window.
I Dont really know of witch material to make it and how to get the right curves, who has Got a bright idea?
I have no tools or skills to make a metal mold.
Get a piece of wood and saw, cut and sand it untill it fits? Sounds oldfashioned?!
Or are there easier ways?

Blocks of rigid insulation material might work e.g. EPS or XPS - see if there is a building site nearby as there's bound to be some reasonable size offcuts in a skip (ask the site manager first but I'd be surprised if they'ed say no to more space in the skip!)

Check that the heat needed to bend the acrylic isn't sufficient to melt/burn the insulation though!

Thought of that too, eps or xps, but I'm afraid it Will melt or deform if I bend the accrylic with heat on it.
I have a supplier at my work who I will consult.

I'm also in a similar position, got the new window cut, took it to a plastic supplier and they made a copy using the old one as a template out of polycarb, now the hard part is getting it the right shape.

He gave me some scraps to practice on, i was just going to experiment with the hair dryer or a heat gun. Trouble with polycarb is that if you get it too hot then it can blister.

Has anybody got experience with PET synthetic material for use as rear window?
It should be easier to bend then Acrylic or Polycarbonate, and wont crack easily, but is it stiff enough?
Or will the rubber in the bends push the window out (to the inside) as now happens with my 2mm (acrylic?) rear window.
A Supplier advices me 3mm PET.

Cheers,

Hi guys,

After a few weeks of thinking, gathering advice, searching for a good window-rubber, making a mould, two unsuccesfull tries to make an accrylic rearwindow, I finally succeeded, I've got a new rear-window!!!
On advice of a supplier in the end I used 3mm PET plate, And it worked fine. Won't break as easy as Accrylic material and bends easier.
I'm quite happy with it.

Looks a lot better then before

Very neat. Great job.

Ertalyte has been something I've been looking at.

Looks like a working solution.

Ideal, any pictures of the mould?

Thanks guys.

Only problem with PET is that scratches can't be polished away, according to my supplier.
Already there are a few minor scratches on it.
After cutting it as good as possible you have to peel the protecting-foil off before bending it with heat on the mould. after that you will have to take it in your hands, try it, adjust it, and retry untill the outside fits well in the hole with enough clearance for the rubber.
During this job it is almost impossible to keep the window completely scratchfree.
Best should be to tape cartboard or something like that on the window after bending it and just keep the edges free of cartboard or tape. (I didn't do that)
Just don't let the tape be on the PET too long, according to my supplier you may not clean the window with white-spirit or something like that.

@Starmag: I don't have pictures of the mould yet, I will take and place some

Hi Harold it's looking good, I do like the colour of your car I'm tempted when it comes time topaint mine in a slightly lighter shade of green with a white stripe down the middle like the Nigerian flag
John

Hi John,

I like the colour of my car too, too bad it is a bit spotty, not very plain.
It has not been painted, the gelcoat seems a bit uneven coloured.
I have sprayed my sills, but it has become a bit too light (Maybe your colour )
Once I have repainted it in the right colour I will get a new white circle on the doors and maybe soms kind of white stripe on the sills.

Greets Harold

As I promised, a picture of the mould.
Not a perfect pic, but you get the idea.
Multiple layers of MDF, glued and screwed together, MDF filler, a lot of sweat and dust (and frustration) while sanding the mould into shape.
I made the left and right part on its own and fixed them together when they where in the right shape.
Then glued en screwed the 0,5mm aluminum plate on the mould.
The plate was just 1000x500mm, so it was not big enough for the whole mould.
As in the middle you don't have to bend the window, I left a bit out in the centre, no problem.

That looks like a good job, and its turned out really well! I'll deffinantly be stealing that idea

The idea you may steal, just don't steal the mould