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11-02-2009, 06:44 PM
| #1 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Castle Bromwich, what! (via Church Warsop, Notts. UK)
Posts: 311
| Messy canopy Very cleverly I've smeared glue on one side of the canopy of a Spit I'm working on - it's gone dull/opaque. Is there any way I can restore it to its previous state, or is it find a new canopy time? cheers |
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11-02-2009, 07:21 PM
| #2 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ocala Florida USA
Posts: 263
| I've never had much luck repairing glue stained clear parts. What I usually do is use Squadron clear thermo-forming plastic .You set the old canopy on a stick (old paint brush handle) with some clay or just glue it on. Put the stick in a vise or some other way to hold still.Heat the plastic until it softens and pull it down and around the canopy with both hands. Hold for a second and you get an impresion of the origional.Trim it and you're done. I think there are instructions for this with the product. In the future, try Testors clear parts glue .This is a latex type glue that dries really clear and is very forgiving.(testors part # 3515C) Ed |
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11-02-2009, 07:38 PM
| #3 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: nederland zwaag
Posts: 181
| contact the company of your model, and ask for a replacement  |
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11-02-2009, 08:12 PM
| #4 | |
| Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 471
| Quote:
Wojtek seems to have all sorts of tricks for clear plastic, he might know a way for you to salvage this or fabricate a new one.  | |
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11-02-2009, 08:48 PM
| #5 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Calgary
Posts: 372
| Depends how bad it is. Progressive sanding and a coat of future should do it but you'll need to be patient and thorough. |
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11-03-2009, 12:46 AM
| #6 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 9,030
| Yep, the sanding will probably do it, followed by a light polishing with 'T Cut' or other car body colour restorer, then a coat of Klear (Future) to give it sparkle. This is given that the glue, if cement, has not eaten right into the plastic and caused internal bubbles. As Piet noted, if it's really bad, a line to the manufacturer should bring a replacement part - hopefully. If you go down the avenue of moulding a new one, using the original as a 'male' mould, then fill it with plasticine or similar modelling clay, and cut a 'female' template mould from thick, stiff card or balsa wood or similar. Fix the clear sheet to the card over the 'female' cut-out, heat any suitable clear plastic gently, until it just starts to become floppy, then quickly, in one smooth, gentle action, press the 'male' mould through the 'female', all the way, untill the clear plastic is beyond the bottom edges of the 'male' mould. Wait a few seonds for it to cool, then remove the clear sheet and trim around the 'male' mould.
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11-03-2009, 05:12 AM
| #7 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Englishman in NZ
Posts: 111
| I did the same thing, and then I discoverd Mighty Bang power off.... Oh wait I meant the Alclad polishing cloths. They range from 3000 - 12,000 grit and can polish canopies no problems. I built my Mech canopy from Perspex and just used gap filling CA for the corners. So if you find that your glue has "eaten" away at the canopy just squirt a bit of CA on then use those cloths. Then as Terry says dip in Klear for that XTRA sparkle, it also provides a depth to canopies that you'll notice. For future reference always dip canopies in Klear as soon as you open the bags, while it doesn't protect fully against glue it does provide a bit of proteciton against accidents and it also stops the fogging effects of CA.
__________________  Kiwi Modeller If at first you don't succeed, maybe bomb disposal wasn't for you anyway! |
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11-03-2009, 05:21 AM
| #8 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Canberra
Posts: 831
| Fine grain emery from 600 to 2000 used to rub out the glue spots and then a polish with a reasonable car polish that is in effect a cutting agent. It takes time and patience but will restore the canopy. I've used this method for both glue and scratches. 
__________________  Thunder and Lightning |
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11-03-2009, 03:47 PM
| #9 |
| Member Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 39
| I was at an absolute loss as to how to handle this situation until I bought the... (drumroll, please)... Novus plastic polish system. It's available on micromark, if not at your local hoby shop. There are three grades of polish, and three grades of polishing pads, and little towlettes to apply the stuff. You'll have to start out with a coarser grade sandpaper to remove the glue, though. This should work - I've been able to polish canopies to nearly new condition after I'd used the coarest grade sandpaper on them. You have to gradually work your way up to finer grits until you apply the 1st level of polish, followed by the coarsest polishing pad, then medium level, then finest. It works. (Novus - can I have my commission check now?) |
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11-03-2009, 03:59 PM
| #10 | |
| Siggy Master   Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Poland
Posts: 13,967
| Quote:
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11-06-2009, 07:30 PM
| #11 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Castle Bromwich, what! (via Church Warsop, Notts. UK)
Posts: 311
| Solution staring me in the face: I have another of the same kit in the stash - Kopro Spit Mk VIII - I can swipe the canopy out of that for a quick fix. Printed on the instruction sheet is a send-off form, I just have to stick on the barcode from the box and send it off to Kopro for a replacement for when I do the other kit (probably mid-2023, the way things are going). Brilliant. Thanks for taking the time with the tips though! |
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11-07-2009, 08:11 AM
| #12 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Posts: 6,725
| What scale is your spit CK? I've got a spare canopy with my Spit MkVc Airfix 1/72 kit if its any good?
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11-07-2009, 10:02 AM
| #13 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Castle Bromwich, what! (via Church Warsop, Notts. UK)
Posts: 311
| I've got that kit in my stash (about three of them actually...  , believe me there can't be many 1/72 Spit kits I don't have an example of in my loft by now), they have two canopies? I'll check it out. I did try the canopy from an Airfix Mk IX (awful kit and about to be superceded by the new Airfix IX which is inbound  ) but it didn't fit at all, might as well be from a different plane. I'll give it a shot. |
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11-16-2009, 07:33 PM
| #14 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 102
| I was once told that toothpaste made a good medium to help polish out scratches! |
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11-16-2009, 10:30 PM
| #15 |
| Junior Member  Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts, USA
Posts: 11
| Toothpaste on plastic canopies I can vouch for the toothpaste trick! I used it myself just recently on a Hase razorback P-47 birdcage canopy that I scratched up badly. A little fine grit sandpaper first, followed by the toothpaste rubbed in with an old toothbrush, wiped up and rubbed down with white cotton cloth, followed by a coat of Future.... and you have it! It does work!! |
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