Setting the canopy

I'm in the middle of this chore. I've almost got it ready to mask off for the paint. While thinking about the methods I've used over the years, I thought it might be helpful to outline the method I've been using for these last few years. Hopefully, the information will be beneficial to others, as well as opening a discussion of other's methods for doing this job.

Almost all plastic canopy's can be set this way.

OK, the first item is a choice. Are you going to leave the canopy clear, Dyed, or painted.

Clear and, or dyed canopy's will require you to do some sort of cockpit interior work. If this is your choice, make a nice looking interior. It will show well for you.

Next, is the fitting of the canopy. Plastic canopy's basically come in two styles The first style, is the wrap around, or flat sheet style of canopy. The second is the formed, or bubble style. I'll be discussing the wrap around first.

First off, in either style, it will be necessary to fit the canopy to the space it's intended for. For wrap around canopy's, the Smoothie suffices as an example here, a nice looking job can be done by wrapping the plastic into place. A few pins can be used to hold it, while you trace around it with a soft lead pencil.

Un-pin the plastic, and, using a sharp no. 11 blade in your Exacto knife, relieve the area that will be covered by the plastic canopy, so the plastic will be flush, or very sligthtly below the surface it will be glued to.

Test fit, and relieve until you are pleased with the fit. Once satisfied with the fit, you are ready to glue it into place, after you have done whatever treatment you decide on the inner surface.

The bubble style can be fitted very well, just by making a small extra effort.

Using a sharp set of small scissors, cut the excess plastic from around the base of the canopy. Test fit it, and continue to make small adjustments to the fit, with the scissors, until it sets correctly without you having to apply much pressure to keep it in place.

The final fitting is done by wrapping a sheet of sandpaper, 100-150 grit, around the area where the canopy will be installed. Place the canopy into it's position, and move it back and forth on the sand paper. Take your time, the sandpaper will allow you to match the contour exactly.

Once the fitting is done, remove the sandpaper, and set the canopy into it's place. A piece of masking tape going from one side to the other can hold it in place while you trace around it with a soft pencil.

Remove the canopy, and use your no. 11 blade in your Exacto, to make a small groove where the pencil mark was. It doesn't have to be very deep, about 1/32" will be fine. Test fit your canopy, and make any adjustments to the groove that are needed. You want the edges of the canopy to fit down into the groove. When you are satisfied with the fit, it's ready for the next step, finishing the inside of the canopy.

If you decided to make the canopy anything other than clear, now is the time to do that.

Let's take painted first. I've enjoyed the results I get by painting the inside before installing the canopy. Many like a solid color, others like to shade it a little.

One of the better paints for canopy work is the small rattle cans of paint used to paint the insides of RC car bodies. These are rather inexpensive, and as far as I can see, quite durable. They also come in a big selection of colors.

For a solid color, apply the one color with two coats, a light mist, followed a little later with a full coat. After it's dried, you can glue the canopy into place.

Speaking of colors, I prefer to do a little shading when using painted canopies. It's not hard to do, but does require a little practise. I prefer to use candy colors when I do this. Here's the way I do it.

For most canopies, I use a blue candy color applied to the inside first. Other candy colors can be used to complement your trim scheme. It's important to get a smooth even coating for the first coat. It's also important not to get too much in there, as it'll run and spoil the look. A light fog coat, or a series of them, will work pretty good. Once you have the shade you want, let it dry completely. If you want to shade it a little, spray some more around the edge, blending it up about 1/4 of the way to the top. Another method would be to shade it darker from the top down. Let it dry completely again.

OK, now it's all dry. You're ready to apply the silver base coat. Yep, when you are painting the inside of a conopy, the base coat goes on last, sort of a reverse negative affect.

If you did this right, you'll have a nice candy colored, shaded canopy, when looking from the outside. When dry, it'll be ready to install.

OK, so you decided to dye your canopy. You like the tinted-clear look. and you want to show off your cockpit detail.

Fit the canopy as above, groove and all.

One of the problems with coloring your canopy this way, is finding a suitable container to do it in.

If you don't have one in your garbage, go to the store and buy a 2 liter bottle of your favorite soft drink. Another way, and more fun, order Pizza delivery with a 2 liter bottle of soda. Do what you want with the Pizza and soda, what we want is the empty bottle.

We're going to cut the top off of the bottle. Just enough to fit the canopy into. For most canopy's we would use, this should be just about perfect in height. Bigger than that, you're on your own.

I use Rit dye, the powdered kind. Boil some water, pour a small amount into the bottom of the 2 liter bottle, and mix it well. Pour more hot water until you have enough to completely cover your canopy. Mix it well again. Now you can insert your cleaned canopy into the dye. Let it sit, the longer it sits, the deeper the color. Use something other than you fingers to remove the canopy, unless you want to go around for a few days with wierd colored fingers. Wash the canopy in cold running water until you feel that all the dye water has been washed off.

If you did this step right, the canopy should have an overall even tint. dry it carefully with a soft dry towel. It's now ready to install on your plane.

I've seen several questions regarding the best glue for this job. In my opinion, there are only two. Epoxy, and a product sold under the name, RC-56. I prefer the later for the initial glueing. I like the way it dries clear, and a bit flexible. Ca will work, but it often fumes up and will frost the inside of the canopy. About the only way to remove this coating, is to remove the canopy, and clean it off manually. You have been warned.

For the wrap around canopy, apply the RC-56 into the area you relieved with your Exacto knife. Carefully fit and pin the canopy into place. A few pieces of masking tape, strategically placed will hold everything until the glue sets. If you do manage to smear some of the RC-56, it will dry clear, and not be too noticable.

For the Bubble style canopy, either place the glue into the groove, or around the base and place the canopy. Tape and pins, if needed, will hold it all in place until you're ready for the next step. Forming the small fillets, or in the case of the wrap around, fairing it in.

OK, did you let the glue dry overnight? It should be completely dry and the tape and pins can be removed.

Fairing in the wrap around, isn't hard, it just requires several steps. These steps are also used when forming the fillets on the Bubble style canopy, so the methods will be combined. There will be some slight modifications between the two styles of canopy's, but I believe they will be self explanitory.

Fine line tape is applied to either side of the canopy joint. regular low tack masking tape is applied, overlapping the fine line tape, on the side away from the fillets. For greater security, straight 30 minute epoxy can be spplied, and allowed to cure, before the next step.

Mix up some 30 minute Epoxy in a small plastic cup. No more than 1/4 full please. Add some denatured alcohol, You don't need much, about 1/4 the amount of Epoxy. Mix it all up real good, and add Micro Balloons until you get a paste.

Apply the paste And form the filets, or fairing. let this dry completely. overnight is best.

Once completely dry, you can sand the fillets. sand until the fine line tape edge is exposed. The Epoxy Micro ballon mixture will sand without too much effort, and form the basis of some really nice fillets.

At this point, you should remove the tape completely. Re-tape with fine line applied about 1/32"-1/16" away from the fillet edges. Once again overlap the outside edges with masking tape. Sand down the edges of the Epoxy, and apply spot putty over the Epoxy fillets. When dry, sand again.

Again, remove the masking, and re-mask in a similar way as last time. Sand away the edge of the spot putty, and you're ready for the paint coats.

Once the paint is applied, and before the clear coats are applied, remove all the masking. Lightly sand the paintedge on the canopy. Don't worry much if you sand the plastic, because the clear coat will fill all those sanding marks and your canopy will look smooth, and blemish free.

Canopy's attached this way look great. They have neat fillets that blend into the canopy, without a line. Real Pro-Stunt looking if I must say.

Caveat, I'm sure there are other methods that also work well. This is the method I've been using for the last 10 years or so.

>Once the paint is applied, and before the clear coats are applied, >remove all the masking. Lightly sand the paintedge on the canopy. >Don't worry much if you sand the plastic, because the clear coat >will fill all those sanding marks and your canopy will look smooth, >and blemish free.

John,

If I'm reading this right, you're saying to remove all masking from the canopy before clear coats, thus you are going to spray your clear dope on the canopy also? I read somewhere that dope solvents will attack canopies.

>John,
>
>If I'm reading this right, you're saying to remove all
>masking from the canopy before clear coats, thus you are
>going to spray your clear dope on the canopy also? I read
>somewhere that dope solvents will attack canopies.

So far, I haven't experienced a problem with butyrate, or PET plastics. I'll guarantee that Nitrate plastics will crack and craze something awful if you use dope over it. Trust me one this, you don't want to see this.

Start with several light dust coats first, then you can go a bit heavier. The last coat goes on wet, and I haven't had the necessity of rubbing them out, or waxing them to get them clear and smooth. But, I can see where that could happen, and buffing and waxing would be fine for clearing them out.

Any questions regarding compatibillity between dope, or other clear coats, and your plastic can be worked out by coating a piece of scrap from what you trimmed off the canopy.

Same thing with catalyzed poly-urethanes. I've never had any problem spraying over canopies. Just don't go too heavy.

Hi Craig,
The methods John has described is an excellent way to fit and install canopies. Been using those exclusively for the past ten years or so, also.
I have had no problems spraying clear over canopies. I've used Sig, Randolphs, PPG acrylic auto lacquer, and Chroma Clear 4-1. Start with light coats as has already been stated. Rub out the canopy just as you would the rest of the paint. I use 800, 1200, 2000 all wet (usually Windex or similar).
Novus plastic polish #1, #2, and #3, will remove any and all scraches from the plastic.
This is all based on using Sig canopies, Sig clear sheet, and a few custom made ones.
Bill

The only thing I do different is to use Epoxolite instead of mixing up my own epoxy and micro-balloons.

I know you CAN spray clear dope over the canopy, but I always mask it entirely when applying clear, fearing that I'll manage to melt it.

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"Lots of people know a good thing the minute the other fellow sees it first." -J.E. Hedges

I do my canopys vary close to the way John dose his. So far I'm happy with the way they turn out.

The way I avoid canopy melt down when spraying with clear dope is 4 or 5 vary light coats then start going with slightly heavyer coats. So far I've not had one deform. When you have all your clear on the canopy, it will look terrible untill you wet sand , rub out & car wax.