If you are able to make your own original parts, you will be able to create a machine that is different from others. And you will be envied for your “individuality” that you could not experience before. If it becomes “possible to make parts with beauty” that everyone recognizes, it will be the best!!?
- You can expand your dream even from “Nicoichi”.
- Cutting through an allyl lens with a hole saw
- The key point is the “preparation hole processing.
- Stops work “just before” drilling penetration
- Cutting the step of the contact part of the combined lens side
- Finish cutting for thickness matching is flat
- The only remaining work is “gluing the lenses together”.
- Fix with masking tape and wait for gluing
You can expand your dream even from “Nicoichi”.
An original design indicator lens with a protrusion in the center of the indicator lens. This is a simple yet completely original design part that is based on Honda’s genuine indicator lens and combined with a commercially available small lens for custom blinkers. Since the blinkers are such a prominent part of the vehicle, this kind of customization may cause some owners of the same model to think, “What the hell?!?What!!!The above is an example. Above is an example with a custom lens I made.
Looking back at the history of the Super Cub, the “boobie” indicator lens was introduced in the late 60’s, and in the early 70’s deluxe specification models were also introduced with indicator lenses commonly referred to as “nipple” lenses. This time, I decided to make my own “nipple lens” based on the stock indicator lens for the modern Super Cub. This is a “Nicoichi” custom.
Cutting through an allyl lens with a hole saw
The center of the Honda lens needs to be drilled, but we decided to use a hole saw. The outer diameter of the stepped part of the small lens made by Kijima, a long-established custom parts manufacturer, is 28mm, so I decided to use a hole saw of the same size, but we’ll see how the hole turns out.!?
The key point is the “preparation hole processing.
“What would happen if you suddenly made a hole with a hole saw? When I asked such a question to Mr. Itabashi of Model Create Maxi, who is an instructor of making parts, he replied, “That would be a big mistake. He replied, “That would be a big mistake! The lens would break and that would be the end of it. As the saying goes, “if you hurry, you can get around”, so I used a pin vice holder and a Φ1.After making a preliminary hole with a 0 mm kiri (drill), I chucked the hole saw into the drilling machine and fed it slowly and slowly at 550 rpm, the lowest speed, to cut in the beginning. The base lens was cut out. It requires technique, but let’s work slowly with small amount of feed (pushing amount).
Stops work “just before” drilling penetration
The signal just before the completion of drilling is “the moment the cutting sound changes”. The work is finished by loosening the pressing force at the timing when the cutting sound changes. Then, the work is finished at the timing when the hole saw penetrates just a little more. Since the bottom hole was drilled with a pin vice, the pickup tool bent 90 degrees was inserted into the hole, and the center of the lens, which had been drilled with the principle of leverage, could be removed with a snap.
Cutting the step of the contact part of the combined lens side
The Kijima compact lens is a type that is fixed by snapping it onto a rubber body. The reason why I chose this type of lens is that there are no screw holes for screw fixing, so it was easy to design. Using a belt sander, the protrusion of the part that hooks onto the rubber body is cut off (the protrusion in the direction of the outer circumference is cut off), and the dimensions of the step are adjusted to match the thickness of the Honda stock lens. The final finish was done using sandpaper of around 400. After shaving off the bumps, it is finished so that the bumps fit into the Honda stock lens.
Finish cutting for thickness matching is flat
Wrap 400 sandpaper around the flat bar and fix it to make the base part of the projection lens more flat to match the thickness of the base side lens. If the thickness of the lens becomes the same, it will shine without a sense of discomfort when the lamp blinks, don’t you think? We thought.
The only remaining work is “gluing the lenses together”.
If there is a gap or unevenness in the contact area between the two lenses, use sandpaper wrapped around a plate to cut and finish the lenses so that they adhere even more closely. After repeating this process, the fit of all four lenses became good.
The best way to bond acrylic resin is with “PLAREPAIR” liquid. Since the indicator lens is made of acrylic in the first place, you don’t need to use Plarepair powder, just pour a small amount of the liquid and each lens surface will melt and adhere firmly. Apply the plastic repair liquid to the inside of the base Honda indicator lens. When you wait for a while after applying the appropriate amount of liquid with the brush, you can clearly see the sticky feeling = melted condition on the lens in the applied area.
Fix with masking tape and wait for gluing
Once the bonding process is complete, wrap the masking tape around the lens to prevent it from shifting. Wait for complete curing in this situation. At the very least, you want to leave the lens in place for about half a day,” says Maxi Itabashi, the instructor.
assistance in covering the story:Model Create Maxi
- Point 1・When you want to make a hole in an acrylic part, be sure to make a preparatory hole using an ultra-fine drill instead of using a blade tool of the finishing dimension.
- Point 2・ If the accuracy of the fit of the bonding point is high, the bonding strength will increase, so finish it so that it will fit securely.
- Point 3・ Plastic repair liquid is the best for bonding acrylic parts. Acrylic surfaces are melted and bonded to each other.
There was a time when it was said that the first step in building a custom machine was to change the blinkers, but it is true that changing the design of the blinkers and the shape of the lens can make a big difference in the impression of the bike. Here, we took on the challenge of making custom blinkers for the Honda Little Cub. Actually, I looked through the catalogs of custom parts manufacturers, but there were surprisingly few variations and I couldn’t find my favorite parts. So, I decided to keep the indicator body and replace it with a custom lens to give it a more unique look.?And so on.
That’s when I came up with the idea to make the blinker lens nicely integrated. Super Cub traditional design?This was the “nipple shaped” lens design of the Kajima. While I was flipping through the catalogs with this fantasy in my mind, I discovered a repair lens for small blinkers made by Kijima, a long established custom maker. By combining the Kijima repair lens with the Little Cub’s Honda stock lens, an original “nipple” shaped lens could be created!!!I thought.
When I shared my custom fantasies with Mr. Maxi Itabashi, a professional plastic parts maker and advisor to Motomechanic magazine, he said, “That sounds interesting!!!The hole drilling process may be difficult, but if we can convey the know-how of hole drilling, DIY custom lens making may become popular.!?I was so excited to talk to you.
When using a drilling machine, it is necessary to work with bare hands and to set the rotation speed to around 500rpm. The rotation speed of the drilling machine can be adjusted by changing the pulley of the V-belt. In any case, if you are not in a hurry and feed the drilling handle very slowly, you can enjoy the work without breaking the lens.
If clear custom parts are available for the base stock lens, the protruding part can be made into an orange lens for an even higher level of customization. For Sunday mechanics who want to create custom parts to their own specifications, this is a one-off customization of the “Hybrid Lens” that should be a challenge.