Finally, I can get a little work done on the Edge. The UPS man delivers slow to the Great White North. Engine made it with no problems and I got the Ultracote I ordered last week. I decided to go with my own trim scheme rather than mess with an airbrush job. It would cost too much and take too long. (Not that this thing will be maidened before Spring...only 6 short months away).

The Canopy:
I used the RIT dye method with success. My first attempt didn't go well because I didn't get the water hot enough, and I didn't use enough dye. On my second attempt, I used two bottles (1 black, 1 blue...I read somewhere that blue helps keep the canopy from coming out brown.) I also added a little salt and a little vinegar...also something I read on here, but who knows if it actually has any effect. I used a meat thermometer to gage the temps. It seemed pretty accurate by the fact that my water started to boil right around 212. The water in my tap gets to about 125, so I had to boil pots of water and pour them into a plastic storage bin. I had a tough time keeping the water over 145, but that also seemed to be the temp that the plastic started to warp. I definitely would not have wanted to put the canopy in much more than 150 degree water. The dye works better the hotter the water, but it's a trade off to keep from melting (and ruining) your canopy. Once I got the canopy in, I kept it moving by rolling it side to side and flipping it up-right and holding it under the water. This prevents any lines from forming and keep the staining uniform. Patience is key here, because if you roll it around too fast, the plastic won't heat up enough to absorb the dye. The whole process, once the canopy was put in, took about 30 min. By then, I had added so much water to keep the temperature up, that the dye was too diluted to do much good. Over all, I'm happy with the result, although I was shooting for a little darker. I did manage to scratch the canopy on the bottom of the bin, but I should be able to buff that out.

Coming next: mounting the canopy and adding my covering scheme to the plane.

Here's the photo: