Attaching and finishing canopies
 

I will be attaching a canopy to a warbird before too long and I was wondering what are the ways that you guys do it? I have used RC 56 and tape with some success but not great sucess. I am looking for the type of glues and glueing methods, how some of you guys may even screw canopies in and down , and also your ways of finishing...ie, filling , blending , detailing etc. I say its never to late to learn a new way oof foing things.

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

Hi Ram-bro,

There are as many ways to attach a canopy as there are ways of finishing a model. In your case I would attach the canopy with strips of light gass cloth or coverall or silk wetted out with West system epoxy or equilivant and blend it in to the contours of the fuselage. To get a good key to the canopy mask it up and sand the edges with 400 wet and dry paper to give the epoxy a key. I usually use this method when I glass the fuse and finish with paint. It helps if you wear gloves when handling the canopy to keep it fingerprint freehttp://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...ular_smile.gif

Cheers,


Colin

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

I build a frame out of 1/32" ply (easy to cut with sissors). Then fill the gap with tinned epoxy and fit the edge in the gap. I have done thesame for curved sections, but is alot harder todo. Takes longer fiting the edge to acurved area when both themounting surface and canopie are curved, but it can be done.

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

Crash, thanks for the reply. So as i understand it,you would actually glass your canopy to the fuse? How did you keep the epoxxy off of the canopy glass or did you make a seperate frame asembly by glassing the entire canopy?

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

Jim, thanks for the idea, so as Iunderstand what you are saying, you would build a frame onto the fuse where the canopy would fit into? The canopy would butt right up to this canopy? Good idea and it makes for a nice blending surface.

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

Hi Ram-bro,

I mask all of the canopy save for a 1/4" strip all around the edge. Sand the edge for a key and then glass to the fuse, fill and sand. and then paint.

Cheers,

Colin

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

Its has a grove you insert the canopie into. It allows you to do all the extra inside work before you attach the canopie.

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

Not a war bird but...

I have a 20+ year old Calypso pattern plane that I attached the canopy to the Monokoted fuselage with a small bead of RTV. Still holding strong. Added some 1/4" trim tape for a simulated frame and to cover the RTV joint showing through the clear/tinted canopy. Used tape to hold it in place while the RTV cured. It isn't a smooth, faired in attachmnet but from 6 feet away it's hard to see the difference (.030") between the canopy and the fuselage.

Terry in LP

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

I use RC56 to attach my canopies, but I also frame them with thin strips of ply and filler to make the joint smooth.  I paint the bare wood wood underneath the canopy first and cover/paint the plane after installation.  It's a lot more work than just slapping it on after all the covering, but it looks neater.

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt">This thread has detailed step-by-step instructions http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3973867/tm.htm starting on about page 10 and getting into the details on page 20.</div>

RE: Attaching and finishing canopies
 

hey great thread. That is what I was looking for. So you don t use any glue on the inside of the canopy?Are you sanding the "tooth" on the fuse to make a lip that the canopy sits on or in?  The problem I will have is the rounded front of the canopy and getting it to sit and blend nicely.