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PaulR

Well Known Member
I've got my canopy all fitted and drilled and no cracks! The question is about the f/g fairing in the front. I've seen where people have painted the inside of the canopy black and others have used black pigment to dye the epoxy.

After reading the note from Scott at Van's about the wetting issue when using pigment, I'd like to paint the inside. To that end, can any kind of paint be used without worry of the plexiglass crazing or cracking?

Thanks
 
Paul,

I didn't dye or paint the fiberglass (I have a tipup) and don't really notice it at all even though it is basically white. I did put a piece of black fabric on the deck inside. I don't think it is necessary to paint or dye, but that's my opinion.

greg
 
Gel Coat

Sounds like a job for black gelcoat. Brush it onto the canopy and let it get tacky for 45-60 minutes. You can proceed when light finger pressure leaves a fingerprint but no gelcoat comes off on your finger. When you reach this stage, start laying up your fiberglass. The two will cure together for a good bond.

Just make sure you do a little homework to make sure you pick a gel coat that is compatible with your resin system. If you want, you can layup a test sample on a scrap of plexiglass.
 
carbon fiber cloth

Another way to do it is to make your first layers with black carbon fiber cloth. I just laid mine up with BID cloth, and it looks fine, but I saw another fairing done with carbon, and it looks real nice.
Also, West makes a black pigment that you can put into the epoxy. See their website. www.gudgeonbros.com

Regards,
Chris
 
Resin Tint

I used some black tint in my resin. It worked out even better that I had hoped for. The windscreen has been in place now for almost three years now.
It has a niced finished look from inside the cockpit. I would not hesitate to use this method again.

I hope this helps you.
 
I taped the windscreen well, shot a coat of rattle can flat black on the inside, and it's been good for years. Might have used rattle can primer coat first. Don't remember.

L.Adamson --- RV6A
 
Lots of Help

Thanks, guys for all the help. I hope I have the ability to help someone else someday like everyone is helping me.
 
I did mine with carbon fiber and it looks really good from inside (the portion that you can actually see) and the carbon Firber should be pretty darn strong too.

Mehrdad
RV7A - IO360M1B
 
Same here....

L.Adamson said:
I taped the windscreen well, shot a coat of rattle can flat black on the inside, and it's been good for years. Might have used rattle can primer coat first. Don't remember.

L.Adamson --- RV6A
Click to expand...

Masked and scuffed the inside before a quick squirt with Rustoleum matt black.

I also mixed some black pigment with epoxy and glass beads as the "glue" that held the edge to the canopy deck. I had a good fit here so the "glue" bled into the joint and formed a neat black - actually dried dark gray - bead on the inside. Once that set up I laminated regular glass/epoxy over the joint.

Jim Sharkey
 
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