Ok, I have a 12" dark tint Freedom recurved shield that I need to trim down only about 1". Although I can clearly look above it as it's just above the tip of my nose, it becomes a bit of a distraction looking thru it as potholes/debris/etc gets closer. I've had 10" dark tint shields and this was never a distraction. I know I'll lose a bit of the recurved feature but I'm thinking I'd rather do this than sell it for a loss and have to pay more $$ for a new one. I'm just wondering if anyone here has ever trimmed down a recurve and what effect it had on buffeting? I'm thinking the 1" will still leave plenty of lift above my head. I've read the trimming tips but how fine of a blade (TPI) should I use for my hand held saw? Thanks for any info/tips... troop

 

i used a hand grinder with a stone and basically ground (melted) it make sure you mark it and take off slag as you go

 

Two things to consider.
1. Use a band saw
2. Cut the 1" off the bottom

 

I drew the line I wanted to shave off and used a dremmel tool. I used a round abrasive disk. just need to watch for the shavings flying off, and for chunkes of the disk if you push it to hard. make several passes until you cut all the way through. then I took a metal file and ran it accross the cut enge to get a smooth polished edge. I did it 2 times this way. the last time because the new seat I got was much lower than the previous.

I am sure others may have a better option, but that was the tools and options I used and it seemed to go fairly well.

 

I cut lexan alot for my racecars, I use Blue painters tape to layout my cut and then use a sharp fine toothed metal blade in my jig saw and cut to the line and then final sand the cut with 120 grit paper and then remove the tape. I would also suggest cutting the bottom and not the top as Bob said above.

 

Ok.. I believe I have heard of others cutting the stock shield off at the bottom. I'll have to remove the Freedom and see how that compares to my stocker. That would be great if it works as the full recurve will be intact.

 

yes, cutting off the inch from the bottom would retain your flip at the top. just make a pattern of the stock one in cardboard or whatever you want to use and use it to make your marks on the blue masking tape. i'd also suggest masking the whole shield with newspaper or whatever you want to use. the hot particles of the cutting wheel will fly off and may be hot enough to stick to your windshield. i used a 1/16" disc on my 4 1/2" side grinder and used a motor speed control inline. be very careful while cutting it if you use this method, one slight move off of the line, and there goes your shield.

 

As mentioned, best thing is a bandsaw. IMHO anything else is a compromise and I've cut dozens of 'em. If there isn't much taper on the sides near the bottom it would be best to cut the bottom so you don't lose the effect of the recurve. If you do the bottom you'll want to drill the holes first (for making rounded tops to the slots) using a step drill (Unibit) and make sure you don't leave chips or saw lines at 90° to the shield because that's where cracks start. You can use a propane torch to finish the cut edge in addition to sanding.
Where are you located? I'm over in Kenosha.

 

I'm about 10 mi south of Madison. Using the 50' measuring method I can see the object about 2" above the shield so it's not too high. May be more of a matter of me getting used to it. I'll give it a few more miles otherwise a ride to Kenosha via the backroads may be in order

 

I'm in Kenosha too...