G

Canopies ?

Started by Geoff_B, December 06, 2003, 03:32:32 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Geoff_B

Hi

With clear Injection moulded canopies what is the trick to sanding them down to reshape them, then making them clear again, as i would like to redo some of the framing for the Supermarine 553 i have just done. The 583 could also do with a tidy up to get the correct style of framing ?

Cheers

Thor  <_<  

joesus

One problem, of course, is that it takes very little re work to go right thru the plastic. Make a casting of the part and modify that. I use plaster for the pattern. A few coats of really cheap automotive  primer will seal the finish and can be polished to the gloss needed for clear parts. Use that as the mold to suck your own brand new transparency. The only problem with this technique is that you (or, rather, I) might lost the part in all the excitement. I've got a 2 year old Maintrack SR-177 whose canopy has been  missing, presumed lost for all that time, with its canopy hidden forlonely behind tissue.

nev

Well, if you didn't already know, Klear does wonders for canopies.  When I've had a big ugly seam on canopies (eg hasegawa Eagles) I cut it off with a sharp blade then paint with Klear and Voila!
Between almost-true and completely-crazy, there is a rainbow of nice shades - Tophe


Sales of Airfix kits plummeted in the 1980s, and GCSEs had to be made easier as a result - James May

Geoff_B

Cheers Nev

Thats what i was looking for, i knew there was a trick to injection moulded ones.

As to making more own i'll have to give that a try Joe. You could do with doing a revised SR177 Canopy as the original had too much framing for my liking and would sure have been changed on the production aircraft.

Cheers

GeoffB B)  

Aircav

The old way use to be just keep using finer grades of wet & dry then polish with toothpaste
"Subvert and convert" By Me  :-)

"Sophistication means complication, then escallation, cancellation and finally ruination."
Sir Sydney Camm

"Men do not stop playing because they grow old, they grow old because they stop playing" - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Vertical Airscrew SIG Leader

Joe C-P

QuoteThe old way use to be just keep using finer grades of wet & dry then polish with toothpaste
Then finish with an overall coat of Kleer (in the UK) or Future (in the US). I don't know what those products are called in Canuckia or Oz, but they're high-gloss non-yellowing acrylic floor finishes, and they fill the tiny leftover scratches beautifully, and prevent the clear plastic from fogging if you use CA-type glue to fasten it. (I use white glue, but am looking for watch-crystal cement.) You can airbrush it, paint it on, or even dip the canopy in the bottle, though make certain you drain all the excess liquid before it sets.

JoeP
In want of hobby space!  The kitchen table is never stable.  Still managing to get some building done.

Ollie

In Canuckia it's called Future.