matzri

Hi,
I was wondering how can I make my canopy darker? I want it to be in transport color, not too dark, that I can still see inside…

Is there any way to do this at home? Or that I need to buy another confy in this color?

It's ment to be on my to kits ultra sport + and extra 300 60 GP.


Regrets,
Tal matzri

rclement

My Feedback: (1)

Well, tinting with Rit Dye works but it's kind of a hit or miss thing. It's hard to get perfect results. Some canopy plastics accept the tint and some don't. You can always get a spray can of tint from a hobby shop. Just spray very light coats on the inside of the canopy.

Deadeye

Here's how i did my GP Extra 60 canopy: I found a four gallon bucket, cleaned it, and filled it with water. Added 2/3 bottle of black RIT dye, and 1/3 bottle of RIT denim blue. I used a plug in heating element and heated and stirred the mix until it was 150 degrees. Clean your canopy with hot soapy water, and don't cut it from the mold form (tends to warp more). submerge it completley and wait. I kept the heat on mone for 2 hours or so, then went to bed. Next day this is what I got:

Deadeye

I should add that SIG, GP, and most other KITS accept the dye nicely. Most ARF's do not, as they are a different type of plastic. Kits I mentioned are butyrate plastic, I think.

dr_wogz

My Feedback: (3)

Sweet lookin' plane there Deadeye! black & Gold really work!!

Is that Chloe or Jasmin? (Bratz doll pilot - my wife woud kill me if I used hers!!)

Deadeye

Thanks dr wogz! I think it's Chloe, i had to buy it off my daughter.

dr_wogz

My Feedback: (3)

Actually, my wife just corrected me. It's most definitley Meagan. And apparenly they (the Bratz girls) are afraid of flying.

Her troup atleast!!

matzri

Deadeye,
tanks for your answer, Your extra is just beautiful !!!! I will take your advise about the canopy, but I need from you another advise, how did you made such a perfect covering job?
Can you give me all the details?
What cover material?
Iron? With sock or not?

What are u doing to keep it so shinning ?

Regards
Tal matzri

Deadeye

Matzri,
Thanks for the compliments! I use all Monokote on my airplanes. What you see on the Extra is black, gold, and platinum. I use an iron w/ sock and a heat gun. I covered with the black first, making sure i got the edges tacked well. I try to keep the iron off the open areas, and rely on the heat gun for that. That way I don't end up with the balsa grain showing through. Next came the gold and platinum. I cut my pieces, then used the windex method to position them. After letting it dry overnight, I went back over the edges with trim solvent. And no, I'm not that good at cutting. 'Isis' and 'Jet City Woman' were machine cut with a vinyl cutter. Althought, I still had to weed each letter which was time consuming on the small letters. 'Jet City Woman' is layed over with clear mylar.

As far as the fiberglass, it's simply Lusterkote. When it's good and dry, I again use the windex method to get the covering to stick. After an overnight dry, I start clear coating, light at first, then steadily heavier to seal the Monokote against the fiberglass cowl and wheel pants.

If you are unfamiliar with Monokote or covering, Minnflyer has an excellent tutorial available right here on RC Universe:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...?article_id=67

As far as keeping it pretty, when I get done flying it for the day, I use an ammonia free glass cleaner (Sprayway) and a MICROFIBER rag. I cannot stress how well a microfiber rag works. Paper towels tend to scratch (especially on a black shiny surface), where microfiber is smoother than terrycloth. I can clean 6 to 10 airplanes with one rag, then simply throw it in the wash.

Thanks again for the compliments, and here's a shot of the underside (covered for contrast).

matzri

Deadeye,
again tanks for your answer!!!!!
I steel have some thing that I didn’t understand, maybe it's because some language gaps… and some expression that I'm not familiar with.
So , lets continue to the questions:

"I covered with the black first, making sure i got the edges tacked well. I try to keep the iron off the open areas, and rely on the heat gun for that. That way I don't end up with the balsa grain showing through."

What are the open area ? did you mean that you going over with the iron on the ribs and only places with balsa? What do you do to prevent that the rib (profile) will not place a mark on the cover? Maybe it's the sock that make it happen?


"windex method"

What is this method?

And last one, can you please place a picture of the microfiber rag? I don't remember that I saw something like that… or that I did but I don’t know that it called microfiber.


And again thank you for your attention …..

Regards

Tal matzri.

jetmech05

be careful about tinting your canopy...a gent at the local club here tinted his pretty dark..and it warpped in the sun..now we are in Florida and it was summer...but I wouldn't have thought about it myself..
good luck

Deadeye

When I say 'open area', this is what I mean. Lets use the wing for an example. I tacked my monokote along the tip, root, and the leading and trailing edges. Then, once thats nice and tight, I go over the whole top of the wing with a heat gun, shrinking the monokote tight.

The Windex method is as follows. Windex or glass plus brand window cleaners (blue in color, smells of ammonia) will activate the adhesive on Monokote brand covering (this will not work on Ultracoat brand). Simply cut your piece, and spray the adhesive side liberally with windex. Place your piece on top of your base color (in my case, the black) and squegee the excess windex and air bubbles out with a scrap piece of soft balsa. Let this dry overnight, and go over the edges with a q-tip and trim solvent. [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHZ43&P=7]This is trim solvent.[/link]

[link=http://www.microfibertech.com/Microfiber-Towels_c_10.html?gclid=CPGBv7T6z48CFRY9YQod32e4pg]Clcik here for microfiber rag.[/link]


Good luck, and feel free to ask more questions if you have them.