I've been using RC-56 since it was first introduced and haven't used anything else on a canopy since. It's always worked great. Until now.

When I finished my last project, a Dirty Birdy, I used RC-56 to glue the canopy as I always do, it was a brand new bottle by the way. It dried clear and strong. About 5 days later I finally got a chance to fly the plane and after 2 flights the glue was milky white and runny. I could slide the canopy around and could have just pulled it off the plane if I tried.

Two weeks passed before I got to fly it again and the same thing happened. A few flights and the glue turned white and liquid. What the heck is this?

I'm running Cool Power 10%, the same fuel I always run. I run it in my other planes and the RC-56 on those have no problems. But on this plane the glue softens every time I fly it. The canopy on the Dirty Birdy is right behind the engine but the exhaust doesn't blow on the canopy, there's no appreciable oil on the canopy after flying and my previous DB (with RC-56) with the same engine running on the same fuel didn't have this problem.

All I can figure is I got a bad bottle and I should pull the canopy off, buy a new bottle and try again.

Has anybody else ever seen this?

Dave

Dave what are the possibilites that it's softening from sunlight and not exhaust? To go way out on a limb here maybe there is a chemical leaching from the canopy when it gets in the sun, therefore affecting the gule.

Although I put my money on a bad bottle of gule.

I would wait till it happens again (so the glue is soft) remove the canopy and remove as much glue as you can. Then try again, but mix up the bottle first - maybe something settled in there?

I agree with Minn. I have a bottle that gets used very seldom. I've found that the glue separates much like paint. You can't re-mix it by shaking the bottle. I have to use a wire bent 90 degrees one the end. Stir it much like you would a can of paint or use a drill set to a very low speed. Then shake it up.

Dave,

I would suspect a bad bottle. I recently opened a new bottle and found it totally unuseable. I suspect it had been on the shelf too long. Since I picked it up as a pilot prize I wrote it off and got a fresh bottle and it seems to be ok.

Tas

The glue was good consistency out the bottle, no separation, not thin. Sure did surprise me when it was runnier after two flights than it was out of the bottle. I had to wipe some off where it was dripping so getting all the old glue off should not be a problem.

I do intend to buy a fresh bottle and remove the canopy next time the plane flies. I started to remove it the very first day at the field but I figured I'd give it another chance. I just need to be sure I don't make one too many flight and have it blow off in the air!

Dave