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Canopy Scratch Repair

A

avi8tor50

Well Known Member
Hi all-
Have a few scratches on my canopy and windscreen that I would like to repair. Two are very superficial. One, I can just about get my nail into. Was wondering what techniques and products other builders prefer.
All help will be appreciated.

Peter K
9A-86 hrs
 
Fix the canopy

I purchased the kit Vans' offers. I had a deep gouge where some thing dug in one day. I was able to sand it out and then use the progressive sets of polishes and sponge pads to make it disappear. There is distortion but it is under the handle so no one has ever noticed it.
 
I used Micro-Mesh to take out a scrach this summer. Follow the directions, use water with a drop of soap when sanding, works like magic! The hard part is getting up the nerve to start sanding on the canopy to remove just a little scrach. Did the process in about one hour of sanding and polishing and now you could never find the scrach.
 
Canopy Scratch repair

For any scratches I find, I use the Novus plexiglass cleaning system. I use #1 whenever I fly, I use #2 monthly (followed by #1) and I use #3 for the 'tough' scratches with very good results. Novus was recommended to me by my brother Michael who paints for Boeing (and that's what they use) :D Rosie
 
Rats with wings

Two weeks ago, I had my 6A out of the hanger to do the final engine run-ins. I had just put on my canopy after it sitting for 5 years with the plastic still installed on both sides. What a beautiful sight that clear undistorted canopy was. Again, I say was. Installing the canopy made this a complete airplane (everything installed but gear fairings and wheelpants until after inspection). Put the airplane back into the hanger. Opening up the hanger two days later and noticed a punch of pigeon sh** on the floor and on the airplane. Apparently the bird had snuck in while the door was open and went unnoticed. Next thing I knew, he flew out the open door. Bummer was when I noticed the dozen or so vertical scratches down the front of the canopy where he attempted to roost and skated down the front :mad::mad:. Just received my micromesh kit from ASP so this weekend I'll be trying to restore the canopy. Hard to believe that 2 days after removing the plastic scratches appear when it went for 5 years, including fabrication and painting, without a single one!

Such is the life of an airplane builder:cool:

Just a little venting
 
Cheapo version

Use whatever grade of the black carbide? paper you use for sanding paint.

finish with 1000 or 1500 grit.

Then get metal polish (its ammonia based and won't harm the plexi) and prerefrably a rotary buffer but it works well by hand too.

Comes up like new

Frank
 
Polishing Plastics

During some brainless time on the couch tonight, I was surfing youtube and came across this video on edge polishing plastics and scratch removal.

A little weak on the scratch removal part, but I found the edge discussion pretty useful and thought I'd share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yp-kumgpoM

Phil
 
Scratches on Canopy

Im starting to notice more and more small scratches on my canopy surface. Is there any product or technique available to remove these scratches?

Thanks,
 
Last edited:
Your local auto emporium or motorcycle shop will have Novus plastic polish and scratch remover. The #1 product is a non-abrasive cleaner and the #2 product is a fine scratch remover. I use the #1 product every time I clean the plexi on my airplane and go over the whole thing with the #2 product every couple of years to get rid of the annoying little scratches.

The products are pretty inexpensive ($5 or $6 a bottle), so for $10-$12, plus a soft cloth and an hour of your time, you should be able to polish your canopy to nearly new condition.
 
Van's sells a capony scratch removal kit.
It works great. It may also be used for halos only.
It has 4 bottles of product and 2 pads.
 
Scratches in canopy

What do you fellow RV ers use to remove very find scratches from your canopies

I have a touch of overspray i need to remove and usedthe the polish from the micro polish but is leaves super fine scratches that you can only see at certain angles.

Any ideas on a great polish? Plexus will cover the scratches but I want them gone.
Jack
 
Jack,
Can't help much with the scratches but for the overspray next time try a clay bar. You should be able to get the overspray off without causing scratches.
Van's sells a kit for removing scratches.
 
I have used Micro-mesh on one canopy and Scratch Off on two. They work great, but Scratch Off is way easier and faster.
 
Deep scratch

I have a deep scratch on my canopy about 3/4" inch long at eye level on the passenger side. Looks like a screwdriver may have fallen on it and gouged the surface, but I really have no idea how it got there. It's probably close to a millimetre deep. Apart from appearance, I was concerned that the rough surface of the scratch could eventually initiate a crack. Brasso and a microfiber cloth have smoothed the edges of the scratch but created a little local visual distortion so the scratch is actually more noticeable than before when sitting in the aircraft. I'm considering using Scratch-Off to treat the area, but am concerned that it might end up creating a larger area of visual distortion. Has anyone had to deal with something like this? I don't want to make it worse.
 
If it were me...

and it was me, once, but I wasn't able to advise myself from experience - I'd smooth the edges of the deep scratch and then leave it alone.

I tried sanding out a deep scratch by approved methods and ended up with a rather largish flat spot where the scratch used to be, quite a bit of optical distortion, and later the whole area crazed. I made one effort to polish out the crazing which didn't help things at all. Wish I had left it alone, because the repair was worse than the scratch ever was. At least it's in the passenger's line of sight, not mine.

My counsel for a deep scratch: smooth the edges, and step away.

-Stormy
 
Thanks. That was my initial thought too, but you know how it is when something like that happens after all the care you've taken to build a nice plane. However, I'll take your advice and leave well enough alone.
 
smiling jack

Try McGregor cleaner polish I use it for all my plexi cleaningand it took paint off of canopy.
Bob
PS they make two kinds get Cleaner
 
Thanks Bob, but unfortunately it's not the usual kind of fine scratch or blemish that one of those products would remove. This scratch is deep enough that it would take some serious sanding and repolishing to fix, and with that comes the risk of creating more optical distortion.
 
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