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Building Tips and technical articles. => Building techniques => Topic started by: Ken Culbertson on November 20, 2024, 03:21:42 PM
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Is there any reason slow cure CA glue or Epoxy should not be used for gluing on a canopy?
Ken
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Epoxy, if you can avoid the mess getting on the inside, yes, works very well. Windy showed that you dig a trench or groove for the canopy to just sit in, about 1/16" deep, maybe a bit more. That canopy needs to just sit in that grove and look right. Nothing force about the fit. Put slow cure epoxy in the groove, wipe off excess, scuff edges of canopy, clean inside of canopy thoroughly, then just set into the grove, make sure it's positioned correctly, maybe one piece of tape to secure, then go away for 6 hour minimum!! CA can cause the inside to fog as kit kicks off, and then you can't clean it. I remember there was something to prevent it, like buffing the inside with scentless furniture polish, and that prevents it but I never tried it. Your mileage may vary. This is why canopy glue was invented. Elmer's may work just as well, and once you paint everything, it becomes fuel proof, and if electric, that's not a concern. I would still use the groove technique though, if possible. I started building some plastic airplane models again years ago when I learned the trick of using Elmer's to glue in plastic model canopies on with. I always ha problems with plastic glue getting where it didn't belong!! Elmer's comes right off!!
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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Canopy Glue works Soooo good.
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I had never thought of Elmers. The White or the Yellow like Titebond? I have some Titebond. What concerns me about Canopy Glue is that it remains flexible.
Here is the Canopy I am gluing and where it goes. The sides are recessed into the fuselage. Will canopy glue hold the sides?
Ken
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Ive seen it said " Shake the daylights out of the CANOPY GLUE . " before use. Or It Wont Work . Which might explain why it didnt work .
Epoxy , or others , pre glue each side . i.e. lower edge of canopy , and where it fits. Beforehand . So theres No Dry Areas , on the seam .
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If you try Elmer's you want the white glue because it dries clear. For a fitted lap joint, I would use canopy glue. It will bond better and also dry clear. Thin some epoxy and use a very thin layer of that if you are worried about strength or vibration.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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Pacer Formula 560 Canopy Glue
Bonds plastic, clear, flexible
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I use 30 minute epoxy applied via a glue syringe, which lays down a nice thin bead. I also "practice" putting the canopy in place several times before applying epoxy. You only get one chance to do it right!!! Good luck Ken!
Don
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I used E6000 to glue a canopy and a cowl in place. Go sparingly so the parts are removable. I got too enthusiastic and the plastic tore before the glue pulled loose. The glue heats while it cures, so the plastic cowl had some deformities...but I really lathered the glue on like I was icing a cake. The next cowl got small dots, and it removed without tearing dope or plastic. Don't get a big tube...it cures like silicone RTV. I bought the package with several smaller tubes (much to my wallet's chagrine).
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I have ruled out Canopy Glue. The flexibility along the sides scares me. So now it is down to slow cure CA and Epoxy. CA seems to grip plastic better and the canopy has a lot of openings in the bottom of the interior for air to get in. Thanks for all the tips. Most everybody now days just paints it. I miss the old rules.
Ken
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I have ruled out Canopy Glue. The flexibility along the sides scares me. So now it is down to slow cure CA and Epoxy. CA seems to grip plastic better and the canopy has a lot of openings in the bottom of the interior for air to get in. Thanks for all the tips. Most everybody now days just paints it. I miss the old rules.
Ken
I don't understand what your concern is on this. With as wide of a joint that you have, and if the fit doesn't have to be forced at all, why would being flexible be an issue, especially for an electric model??
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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I don't understand what your concern is on this. With as wide of a joint that you have, and if the fit doesn't have to be forced at all, why would being flexible be an issue, especially for an electric model??
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
The finish will extend well onto the canopy. I am concerned that it will crack around the joint in the Texas Sun. If that will not be the case, I would rather use it. What has me spooked is the term "flexible". Does that mean that it will work like silicone or soften under a heat gun? I plan to use z-poxy over polyspan for the fuselage covering which will extend over the edge of the canopy. Having never, in 60 years of doing this, used canopy glue I am relying on those who have to tell me that it won't slip after it sets.
Thanks Dan
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The finish will extend well onto the canopy. I am concerned that it will crack around the joint in the Texas Sun. If that will not be the case, I would rather use it. What has me spooked is the term "flexible". Does that mean that it will work like silicone or soften under a heat gun? I plan to use z-poxy over polyspan for the fuselage covering which will extend over the edge of the canopy. Having never, in 60 years of doing this, used canopy glue I am relying on those who have to tell me that it won't slip after it sets.
Thanks Dan
I have never experienced, nor ever heard of anyone complaining about canopy glue acting like silicone. The epoxy you plan to use stays flexible to a certain extent also. If you have the canopy edges glued well, then have epoxy overlapping, I think you will be fine and over thinking this as a problem. If you are that worried, just use the same epoxy you intend to finish with to hold the canopy, and run the risks associated with that method.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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Dan McEntee
You have beaten me into submission. Ordered some Canopy Glue.
ken
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I'm not a great fan of the two types of "canopy glue" I've tried. They stick things down pretty good, but don't seem all that fuel-proof. The joint (unprotected) got gummy after a number of years and discolored from collected dirt. The solution wasn't cleaning it off better--that didn't work. I had to pull off the canopy, get all the glue off and redo it. That's fine for the type of plane I used it on, but I wouldn't do it that way on something nicer. If you are going to paint over the entire glueline, then that would solve that issue as long as your paint will stick to the canopy glue. And before everyone tells me that "their brand" isn't like this, the brands I have tried are: JZ Products R/C56 and Pacer Formula 560. I'm not sure I can tell any difference between the two.
As usual with this stuff, use what works for you and your methods.
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I'm not a great fan of the two types of "canopy glue" I've tried. They stick things down pretty good, but don't seem all that fuel-proof. The joint (unprotected) got gummy after a number of years and discolored from collected dirt. The solution wasn't cleaning it off better--that didn't work. I had to pull off the canopy, get all the glue off and redo it. That's fine for the type of plane I used it on, but I wouldn't do it that way on something nicer. If you are going to paint over the entire glueline, then that would solve that issue as long as your paint will stick to the canopy glue. And before everyone tells me that "their brand" isn't like this, the brands I have tried are: JZ Products R/C56 and Pacer Formula 560. I'm not sure I can tell any difference between the two.
As usual with this stuff, use what works for you and your methods.
It's electric so the glue won't be exposed to evil of IC exhaust fumes under the finish so I will probably be OK.
Ken
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Ken--Excellent news on lack of fuel exposure, but be sure to check if stray electrical currents cause glue liquifaction. That might be a problem....
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After great consternation I was forced to take a knee and kiss the ring. The Canopy glue arrived yesterday and I put it to immediate use. After discovering that the bottle needed to be opened and stirred, I was able to easily apply a thin coat on all of the surfaces and put the canopy on. After taping pinning and applying come innovative clamps to make sure the sides stayed in place, I turned out the lights and left it to dry. This morning I was pleased to see it firmly attached, clean and clear. Put on a layer of protective tape and added filler to the seams. I will sand the joints smooth and epoxy a silkspan strip over the joint.
This plane will have tail number 33. The 33rd PA I have built and it will be the first with Canopy Glue!
Thanks guys. I now have a lifetime supply. LL~
Ken
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I like tail number 33, but for a different reason!