Scratched canopy

[steve pagano]

Can you sand scratches out of a canopy?


                                T.I.A.
                                      -Steve

[Jim Oliver]

How thick is the material and how deep are the scratches??

I have sanded with 1500/2000 grit then rubbed out with Brasso---results not too bad.  Also, a few coats of clear dope will restore the shine (or melt the canopy, depending on the material).

Jim

[Bill Little]

Hi Steve,


Iin the majority of cases, you can sand out the scratches.  You will have to follow the same procedures as you would in rubbing out a finish.  Most all of the canopies now made for our planes are not affected by clear dope, and it is standard procedure to clear right over the canopy in the finishing process.

[Andrew Hathaway]

Toothpaste will take out a lot of really nasty scratches, but tends to leave a dull finish.  I've used various automotive compounds, cleaners, and plastic polishes with mixed results.  Generally it's easier to prevent scratching a canopy then it is to remove the scratch and return the original appearance.

[Leo Mehl]

I think Windy Urtinowski actually sprays clear dope over the canopy as part of the finishing process and rubs it out with Gorums polish. This also helps protect it from scratches. Thanks to him I do the same thing but have been known to scatch them up on outside squares. Usually you can tell because if I start with a round rudder and eventualy it is squared off at the top the canopy has been scratched too an usually a little road rash on the top block. all in a days confussion

[Bill Little]

Uh.....Leo........... uh........... read my reply #2 above........

[Joe Yau]

I guess it depends how deep the scratch is..  I use Plexiglass polishes like Craftics20/20 or Mequiars Plastx. Craftics has rubbing compound which is great for removing deeper scratches and Meguiars is finer (only good for minor sratches) and give you a shinier finish. I use both in some cases, then finish with a Lucite plexiglass cleaner.

[steve pagano]

     The canopy is on a kenhi panther that was given to me my first year of flying. I'm not sure what year it what built in but on the rudder it says kenhi panther 1954. The finnish was aged and dull and I'm looking to refinish it hopefully to look the same way it did when it was first built. It was fitted for a fox 35 but i replaced it with a L.A. 40

P.S. Any one know of a good Ready To Fly weight for this bird?

                                       T.I.A.
                                           -Steve

[Rudy Taube]

Hi Steve,

What Ty said. 

But, if you still want to try and restore it you can try this:

http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=7598.new;topicseen#new

We used to use a product (I think it was called "Miracle Glaze?) on our FS planes. I think the above product is similar. It is not just a cleaner. It actually fills the scratches and when it drys, it drys perfectly clear and the scratches disappear. You end up with a crystal clear canopy.

If you are really serious about restoring your canopy, you can make a male mold of it and send it to Eric at RMS. He will make a perfect canopy for you.

I still agree with Ty's plan. Our flight lines need more planes with "Character" 

[Bill Little]

Hi Steve,

What Ty said. 

But, if you still want to try and restore it you can try this:

http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=7598.new;topicseen#new

We used to use a product (I think it was called "Miracle Glaze?) on our FS planes. I think the above product is similar. It is not just a cleaner. It actually fills the scratches and when it drys, it drys perfectly clear and the scratches disappear. You end up with a crystal clear canopy.

If you are really serious about restoring your canopy, you can make a male mold of it and send it to Eric at RMS. He will make a perfect canopy for you.

I still agree with Ty's plan. Our flight lines need more planes with "Character" 

Actually, Bill Sawyer already has canopies for the Panther.  And, they are quite nice, I have one!

[Bill Little]

Removing scratches from a canopy is not unlike removing them from any thing else.  As long as you have material that you will not sand through to remove them!  You simply keep moving up in grit and make the scratches smaller and smaller until you can polish it back to a shine.  I have started with 180 and ended with 2000, then Gorham's or a similar polish.