I have a micro helicopter canopy made of lexan. I want to paint it white from the inside, leaving the windows clear. Then I want to tint the windows. I've tinted many lexan canopies with Rit dye, and I've also painted many lexan canopies from the inside. The problem is, I can't mix these two techniques on the same canopy. Is there some way to tint the windows other than emersing in dye?

Thanks!

Why not use the scale model paint that is tinted but not opaque? I think it comes in several colors. I can't remeber if it attacks lexan though???

Testors makes a transparent paint for RC Cars that doesn't attack Lexan. Comes in a spray can in several colors including smoke. I've tinted several plane canopies with it with great results.

A great (and cheap) way to tint your canopy is to simply brew some coffee and submerge your canopy in it for as long as it takes to achieve the tint you desire. Tinting will occur on both the inside and out so you don't have to worry about fuel corrosion, and the result is very realistic.

I just spent the last two days trying to dye my Sig 4*60 canopy with Rit dye.

No go.

Two packs of dye to 2 gallons water, one TS of laundry detergent, water temp 130 degrees F, agitation...I even pulled the airstones out of my Koi pond and used air agitation for 12 hours.

No Go.

Slight tint wipes off with alcohol.

I just finished spraying it inside with Practa Racing Finish RC293 True Blue Pearl paint. US$4.29 for 3 oz at your LHS.

Here is how it turned out:


It is more translucent than it looks. I could hold a quarter inside and you could see it.

I prefer the non-opaque look of Rit Dye, but this is OK.

Should look good with the Ultracote Safety Yellow covering! LOL

I mentioned using Testors transparent paint to tint a canopy, here's how it looks. I used blue to match my paint job, but they make a smoke tint, and several other colors. Spray mist coats, adding coats to darken to taste.

OH, I like that a lot, Tim_Indy.

I looked for the Testors at my LHS on Saturday, but they didn't have it, so I opted for the other.

The Testors looks much more like a good Rit Dye tint. Just what I wanted.

I may bite-the-bullet and strip the Practa and search for the Testors.

Thanks for sharing the picture with us.

Thats a real Nice tint you have there. Now about the canopy mounting whats holding her down?

Rit won't take without adding salt to the mix! Honest.

No, I did the salt, too, honest!

But the only reason I remembered it was that the bucket of RIT was foaming so bad with the air stones and the laundry detergent they suggest, I had to add it to kill the suds! LOL

Someone mentioned there are two types of canopies...lexan or polycarbonate and one would work with RIT and the other wouldn't...

I think I got "the other" LOL

I looked for the testors and the pactra at my LHS and they didn't have them. So I bought the "Model Masters" spray tint that they did have. THIS STUFF TRULY BLOWS! I've tried twice now to get a decent result and the stuff is just impossible to work with. Also, it rubs off with alcohol even after drying for a full week. Guess I'll look harder for the Testors.

Crash_N_Burn: I've never added laundry detergent to my dye -- isn't that recommendation for when you are dying fabrics! All I do is pour the whole bottle into a pot with water, get it about 130 degrees, add a goodly amount of salt, and let 'er sit. I check every 10 minutes or so until it's the darkness I'm looking for. Usually takes about an hour. This method has always worked well for me. I wish I could use it for my current application.

Tower stocks the Testors paints. I think I'll add some to my next order.


http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...nt&FVPROFIL=++

Ya know, HH, maybe the laundry detergent did me in.

The last successful canopy I did was on a Giant Stinger. Put in the dye and no salt as I remember, agitated for about an hour or two and it was great.

I make the mistake of reading the instructions this time and it was emphatic that ALL batches of dye, for whatever application, had to have the soap. ***Sigh***

I may have to buy another plane so I can test another RIT canopy! LOL

Also thanks V_O for letting us know the Testors is available at Tower.

I think if the RIT doesn't work next time, I'm going for the Testors, not the Practa. The Practa goes on fine but is just too opaque. If you put on light coats it just looks like light coats of paint.

Interesting and (almost) timely thread. Thanks to all.

Thanks for the tip about the Pactra. I'll try the Testors next.