Michel

Hi

I have a CMP , Zero 120 size . Here,s my problem .

I purchased the plane second hand . the plane is in resonably good shape , it does have hanger rash . I have check with Nitro Models and they are OUT OF STOCK , on the canopy,s .

I don,t want to wait and see WHEN it will comes in . If you tell them you bought it second hand , there product support , FORGET IT .

The canopy is in really bad shape , cracked in the front , and less damage in the rear . There is a small part missing in the front . Now I don,t care if it looks crappy , I just want it to hold .

Any ideas on how to repair a cracked canopy ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Michel

Bigshark

Tape it up with clear duct tape. Make a mold by filling it with plaster and then vacuum form a new one....



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da Rock

Just fixing it structurally is possible with canopy glue. The crack and missing piece are fixed the same way. I save some "wastage" from ARF canopies that you've got to cut the excess off. Cut a piece of it that's bigger than the missing piece and canopy glue it over (or under the hole). The glue will dry clear but you will see the repair. I've repaired splits the same way. They need support. So you cut a piece to match the split and glue it behind the sucker. I use sandbags to get the support piece to follow the existing curves. If you don't support the split, air pressure will work the split apart and lengthen it.

Along the same line (pun intended), the canopy and top front of the fuselage of one plane was drawn from canopy plastic. The fuselage part was painted inside. You see that on bunches of ARFs nowadays. The plastic is then glued to an airply frame with dowels at the front and tabs at the rear that take bolts through the fuselage sides etc etc etc. Well, my Extra 260 hit a corn stalk the other day after I dumbthumbed the sucker. The stalk split the fuselage part of the canopy. I layered a piece of medium fiberglass cloth along the split with canopy glue. It's inside and nobody sees it. No effort at all. I used the time I saved to glue the bloody canopy/fuselage to the ply frame where it seems there wasn't a bit of glue at all. You gotta love ARFs.

Dash7ATP

Here is another idea,  If you are familiar with the lightgweight figerglass cloth that is used to glass balsa wings, etc, it can help you make an almost invisible repair. If you can fill the small open area with other pieces of canopy plastic, use CA to fasten a small piece of the fiberglass cloth to the inside to cover the repair. When doing this, I usually use a latex glove and wet my finger with CA and then rub in in to ensure there is no air between the cloth and canopy.

Once you are satisfied with your repair, wet sand the entire canopy with a very fine wet or dry sandpaper, 600 grit or finer. You are looking for an even opaque finish,  finish it off with a coat of clear (inside and out) and it will become perfectly clear again !  For the clear, I use the same clear (automotive top coat) I use for a final finish on painted models. If you don't have a sprayer or airbrush, I'm sure a spary can of any clear that is sold for model use and is fuel proof should work just as well.  Test it on a spare piece.

Dash