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How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
When I built my extra 300s i attached my canopy with canopy glue from pacer. Not to say it didnt hold but it looked like crap?? how do you guys make yours look so good?
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
E*nealio, I have never used glue, I use small screws in the corners. If you don`t leave a gap where the canopy could get air in, screws is all you need. I never had one fall off, and with screws you can remove the canopy anytime. JT
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
E*nealio
Was the Pacer product you used called Formula 560 Canopy Glue? This is the glue I currently use to attach canopies. Dries clear with no fogging and holds like nails. It says it will adhere to Monokote type coverings but Ive always trimmed the covering to get a good bond to wood. I used to use RC-56 glue but havent seen it locally recently. It may be the same stuff with a different name. |
RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
RC-56 and formula 560 are the same thing and are my choice for attaching canopies.... On the bigger planes, I make a recessed frame so that when I glue the canopy to it it sits flush with the fuse sides, turtle deck and the front top hatch..... As you know from posting in that thread I started, I am building this EXTRA that you have..... I think I am going to use this same method on mine. On the bigger planes, the canopy/cockpit area and the front top hatch make one piece and are removable. After installing the canopy, I typically glass the top hatch and the joint where the canopy and the top hatch meet to smooth it out and make it look like one piece..... I am doing everything I can to save weight on my buildup of this plane, so I will most likely NOT glass this one, but you could still use some glazing putty or filler and smooth out the joints where the canopy and fuse meet. Then of course cover it.
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
Screws and trim tape !
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
As you say the canopy glue will squeeze up and show an uneven line that you can
see through the canopy and look like crap. I tint the canopy a little first then spray paint about a 3/8" border inside the edge of the canopy that will hide the glue when it squeezes up. The canopy glue will stick to monokote but works much better if you remove a small 1/8" strip that follows the outline just inside the edge of the canopy. After the glue dries I sand the edge of the canopy to remove the sharp edge then apply 1/4" pin striping tape to cover the seam. If I am scratch building I epoxy the canopy on then fill the edge seam with micro balloons or epoxilite , feather the edge , then paint up over the edge about 3/8'' tommy s |
RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
Remember, gluing is only the first step in ataching a canopy. If you want it to look nice, you have to do the extra work as described above.
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
I agree with all of the above advice except for the screws part. This will weaken your fuse. Give a place for oil to enter. In the event of an accident the canopy will be most likely destroyed. If you only use glue and tape then it will pop off in one piece - and you can re-attach it. Canopy glue works great.
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
As you can see, there are many techniques that work well, but let me give you some advice. I learned the hard way that the canopy glues are the way to go because of their elasticity and vibration absorption capability. I had a giant scale CAP that kept getting cracks in the canopy. I talked to the manufacturer and he pointed out that the poly glue I was using was allowing the airframe vibrations to induce cracks in the canopy. It cost me $45 for another canopy and a lesson learned.
Paul |
RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
Wrongwaywayne, You are so right !!!!!!!! You must be the Top engineer in one of the factories assembly line !!!!!!! You have opened my eyes to my wrong methods !!
I have been doing it wrong for about 35 years, 100+ assembled kits. From now on I will start using glue to attach my engine to the mount, because screws probably weaken the mount !!! I will start glueing the engine mount to the fire-wall because screws probably weaken the fire-wall !!! More than that, I will start glueing the servos because screws could weaken the wings and fuselages and the airplanes will start falling appart in flight !!! Now I know why my 20+ year old, 1000`s flights Sig Kavalier weights 27 pounds, maybe is the oil residue that has accumulated all this years !!!! Wow, now I know why my canopies break when my airplanes crash !!! I P.S. I never said the canopyglue was not a good method, I never even used it before. Sorry about being so ignorant and suggesting the screws thing. SORRY !!!! |
RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
ORIGINAL: JTorres Wrongwaywayne, You are so right !!!!!!!! You must be the Top engineer in one of the factories assembly line !!!!!!! You have opened my eyes to my wrong methods !! I have been doing it wrong for about 35 years, 100+ assembled kits. From now on I will start using glue to attach my engine to the mount, because screws probably weaken the mount !!! I will start glueing the engine mount to the fire-wall because screws probably weaken the fire-wall !!! More than that, I will start glueing the servos because screws could weaken the wings and fuselages and the airplanes will start falling appart in flight !!! Now I know why my 20+ year old, 1000`s flights Sig Kavalier weights 27 pounds, maybe is the oil residue that has accumulated all this years !!!! Wow, now I know why my canopies break when my airplanes crash !!! I P.S. I never said the canopyglue was not a good method, I never even used it before. Sorry about being so ignorant and suggesting the screws thing. SORRY !!!! That is just too funny !! Sorry, had to say it.:D |
RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
Some people just take longer to learn things than others. Glad I could be of assistance.
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
1 Attachment(s)
Well the Glue was in fact Pacer Canopy 560 glue.... What i did was made 1/8 or so line around the monocote directly then attached the canopy with rubber bands and kept it tight??It still looks like crap? Could it be to much glue?? Because i just took it off and painstakingly pealed the glue off the canopy.. Well so far so good. think ill put some trim tape over it until i get good with this thanks for the input.. Here are some pics of what my extra will look like and what it looks like now......
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
I am modify'n the elevator so its not on the plane right now so.... Im adding counterbalances and increased control surface size...... And yet trying to make it stronger too!
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
Its not the exact same scheme, just want to look like it and get the design close, i dont want to copy it!! its a great scheme though , dont get me wrong!!!
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RE: How can you attach you canopy and make it look good??
ORIGINAL: E*nealio Well the Glue was in fact Pacer Canopy 560 glue.... What i did was made 1/8 or so line around the monocote directly then attached the canopy with rubber bands and kept it tight??It still looks like crap? Could it be to much glue?? Because i just took it off and painstakingly pealed the glue off the canopy.. Well so far so good. think ill put some trim tape over it until i get good with this thanks for the input.. Here are some pics of what my extra will look like and what it looks like now...... |
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