videobobk

videobobk

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February 8th we are having an Open House at the high school where we are building our 12. We will be on display in the gym, and lots of interested folks will be there. It looks like we will have the canopy installed, but not fiberglassed. I would like to pull off the plastic coatings from the canopy so people can easily see the interior (full interior will be here, thanks Flightline!) Will that stuff restick? I am not too concerned about the inside, but I would like to reattach everything if possible. What would you suggest?

Bob
 
Canopy cover

Hello, We just took our protective covering off and I use a nice soft bed cover or blanket, keeps from scratching it. Doubtful if you will be able to re-use it as it is hard to get off. Use a little duct tape to hold it in place, works real well and is easy to take off. Don Lewis
 
On the other hand, I would prefer to have the covering on when doing the fiberglass, that bubble is pretty costly you know.
I have my fiberglass all done, but still have the covering on. There is a lot of opportunity to scratch it during the rest of the build. I have wondered if there is a problem of leaving it on too long. Not sure duct tape over the long haul would come off well or not.
 
There must be some reason why you do not want to just open the canopy.
If the steps are removed, people will not bump into them and get hurt. And kids will be less likely to try to get into the airplane.
Joe Gores
 
Liquid Plastic

There is a liquid masking film ACS sells it I forgot the item #. I saw the application it's very easy to peel when cured.


plasticcoating.jpg




Something like this http://www.aero-accessories.com/LMF/LMF-application.html
 
Cover

I meant to use the duct tape to hold the soft blanket in place. Blanket offers a little protection too, we have had a couple clecoes come out of the clecoes tool and fly across the hangar, get the poofy bed cover, cut it to fit the canopy.
 
Spraylat coating

...roger that!
a couple light coats of Spraylat will provide good protection, probably tougher than the plastic.
DO NOT LET THE SUN HIT IT! ( guess how I know this!?!?)
Have used tons of it masking backlit acrylic signs; it seems to 'dry out' over time, so the one year recommendation is good, but more so a heat & humidity thing. ( hot & dry will 'age' it faster)
IF hard to peel off, applying a fresh coat on top will rejuvenate it to some degree and make it much easier to peel.

Cons;
- it attracts dirt like a magnet, and its a little harder to make accurate marks on it for drilling etc. Likely better to strip the area you're drilling etc.
-harder to notice little dings ( but do you really want to know anyway?)
 
A couple good ideas here. I really wouldn't have to put the plastic back on, just looking at keeping things scratch-free. It shouldn't be more than a couple months, so the spray-on stuff would work great. Thanks!

Bob
 
Bob,
I always tell builders to not remove the plastic until you are ready to climb in and fly.
What causes the most damage, is cleaning off the accumulation of dust and grit that builds up. Particularly if you do it more than once.

If a builder must remove the protective plastic, a good replacement is a couple of layers of heavy duty plastic food wrap. Use two people to stretch it while putting it on, then rub it down smooth. Of course, only put it on a canopy that is 100% clean already. It give a fare amount of protection, but the biggest benefit is that when ready to fly, you just peal it off, removing all of the dirt and grit without needing to try and wash it off.
 
rvbuilder2002 said:
Bob,
I always tell builders to not remove the plastic until you are ready to climb in and fly.
What causes the most damage, is cleaning off the accumulation of dust and grit that builds up. Particularly if you do it more than once.

If a builder must remove the protective plastic, a good replacement is a couple of layers of heavy duty plastic food wrap. Use two people to stretch it while putting it on, then rub it down smooth. Of course, only put it on a canopy that is 100% clean already. It give a fare amount of protection, but the biggest benefit is that when ready to fly, you just peal it off, removing all of the dirt and grit without needing to try and wash it off.
Click to expand...

Another excellent idea! I totally agree on not getting ahead of yourself, but this just seems to be too important. We will have an audience of hundreds, some who know nothing about projects like this, and some who will. Shots in the newspaper will look much better, also. We even had the wings and tail painted, just to make it look more nearly finished. I believe we can prevent damage for a couple months if we are careful.

Bob
 
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