rv969wf

rv969wf

Well Known Member
Does anyone know how to tint / darken a clear non tinted Canopy???? Are there some good products out there that one can spray on that will stick and not peel off??? Everyone has to ask a dumb question so this is mine... I've looked and looked on the internet with not much luck. Please fire back with any kind of response. THANKS !!!!!
 
I was just thinking this very same thing yesterday. I was looking through my OSH pics when I came across that green RV-8 with the playing cards on the wings, and I really like that tinted canopy. I don't think this is a dumb question by any means...
 
FWIW, while building my Cozy MKIV, I came up to the point of whether to order a tinted or non-tinted canopy. After much discussion with experianced pilots who do alot of flying at night, it was brought to my attention that you have better visability at night with a clear canopy, so thats what went in. I can always where sun glasses during the day flights.
 
You would need to try it with a piece of scrap lexan that you removed but I tinted all of my canopies on RC planes by using Rit Dye purchased from Wal-Mart. You would obviously need more than one box due to the size but I mix it with water in a trash bag and drop the canopy in and let it soak until it is the color I want. Not sure but it might work with the RV canopy. Need a big tub or something to soak it in.

Once it's tinted you can wash the canopy and it doesn't come off.
 
Donald--

That is an incredible tip if it actually works! Can somebody try it on their canopy and let us know? :D


I believe Todd's Canopy's sells a couple of different tints:

http://www.toddscanopies.com/tdmain.htm

You can subtract the one from Van's and buy one of Todd's, I think.


Also, I've heard some DARs don't like the tint if you intend to fly at night. Safety concerns you've mentioned, but if the DAR won't sign, then it's moot.

Joe
 
Rit Dye

praterdj said:
You would need to try it with a piece of scrap lexan that you removed but I tinted all of my canopies on RC planes by using Rit Dye purchased from Wal-Mart. You would obviously need more than one box due to the size but I mix it with water in a trash bag and drop the canopy in and let it soak until it is the color I want. Not sure but it might work with the RV canopy. Need a big tub or something to soak it in.

Once it's tinted you can wash the canopy and it doesn't come off.
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Thanks for the tip on "Rit Dye" can you tell me how it works?? I'm guessing it soaks into the acrylic and are there different tints / shades colors?? Or can it be sprayed on with paint gun only on one side of canopy????? Thanks Alan
 
I'm actually not sure if it will work on the RV canopies as it does with the RC stuff. Might work great...might not work at all. The acrylic seems harder than the stuff they use for models but it's worth a try. The black is pretty concentrated so it works better than the other colors.

Please try it on scrap but I've had great results with models. You can set the level of darkness by varying the time you leave it in the dye.
 
rv969wf said:
Thanks for the tip on "Rit Dye" can you tell me how it works?? I'm guessing it soaks into the acrylic and are there different tints / shades colors?? Or can it be sprayed on with paint gun only on one side of canopy????? Thanks Alan
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There are several different colors. I pour a couple of boxes into Hot water and just drop the parts in and let them soak. I check them periodically and when the color is the shade I want I rinse the part off and I'm done. You actually determine the shade! :cool:

Looks really nice when you are done. Seems to last forever but that's on models.
 
Rit Dye

Thanks Don for the tips, I did find the website for the dye. www.ritdye.com I will probably experiment on some scrap pieces and see what happens. I'm not sure what color to try as the website shows tan, beige, black and many other colors. Problem with my RV-6 is the canopy is painted and plane is flying. Do you know if it effects paint or powder coated steel parts? I guess I'll have to experiment with the dye and see what it does to paint and other things..... Thanks for the help. AJ
 
I would be very suprised if it works. The clear (and white) Styrene we dyed for the RC models is quite different from Acrylic in density and porosity. I would have concerns with the optical clarity of the finished product also. The dye works great for low density polyethelyne also btw.
 
I think this is only an option if you still have the raw canopy that has not been installed. This stuff is nasty and permanent. I'm pretty sure it would stain the paint. You don't want it on anything you don't want that color. The most of my canopies have been tinted black. I have used the red and blue to color coordinate with some paint schemes.

Again...please try this with scrap....I'm not sure if it will work on the RV canopies but I am sure it will tint most anything it comes into contact with....fingers, cloths, carpets, forehead when I wiped my brow, kitchen towel (wife still upset about that one!)
 
Anything that penetrates the plexiglass might also affect the properties. I would be very carefull trying things just because it "looks like it works."
On another note, as mentioned before, a little tint goes a long way when the sun goes down. I had a tinted canopy on my Moni and when the sun went down it got VERY dark inside (even though it was still light outside) with all interior lighting (instruments) reflecting back into my face.
 
On a recent flight to Ocala, Fl. I met an RV6 owner who used the adhesive window tint you get from autoparts stores. He was very careful and made a template to get the curves right first, then applied the tint to the upper half of the canopy so the sun is blocked but left the lower half clear. Kinda like bifocals. He did a very nice job and did not get those ugly airbubbles that people get when they do a half-a**ed tint job on their cars. I can provide his contact info if you like.
 
I used static cling vinyl window tinting from Auto Zone. I applies easily works well and stays on for months. I did the center two thirds of my canopy which is enough to keep it significantly cooler.
 
Do you have any pictures of the application?

MXpilot1 said:
I used static cling vinyl window tinting from Auto Zone. I applies easily works well and stays on for months. I did the center two thirds of my canopy which is enough to keep it significantly cooler.
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If you have any pictures of your canopy, please post or send to [email protected]. My wife is not gonna get in the airplane unless I solve this.
 
Naughty!

MrNomad said:
My wife is not gonna get in the airplane unless I solve this.
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So, I'm not sure I fully understand you problem ;)

I was thinking about part tinting my canopy (when I get to that stage) so that the top/sides were tinted but the front was clear for forward vis at night. Not sure yet. Just another one of those decisions I guess. an expensive one to get wrong though...
 
lexan

praterdj said:
You would need to try it with a piece of scrap lexan that you removed .
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i may be wrong, correct me if i am, but these canopys are not lexan.. lexan is almost indestructible and would survive a bird strike. we had solar panels outside and the A/C instructor had an all star pitcher throw a brick at it to demonstrate its strength and it barely scratched it.
(note not a glancing angle either)
on the rit note, i did this many times and heated the water some. works great.

Lexan is similar to polymethyl methacrylate (Plexiglas/Lucite/Perspex) ? commonly described as Acrylic ? in appearance, but is far more durable, often to the point of being described as "bulletproof" (depending on the thickness of the sample and the type of weapon used). Lexan is typically used in the aerospace industry for items such as aircraft canopies, windscreens and other windows, but can often be found in household items, such as bottles, compact discs, and DVDs. It is also one of the most common products used to make Bullet-resistant glass. The ASP 9mm features see-through grips made of Lexan to let the user know how many rounds are left in the magazine.
 
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removal of tint

tinted windows for years and if you happen to be talented enough to tint a canopy then you had better love the color purple that its gonna fade to . because i doubt you'll ever get it off. the static cling stuff is not what im talking about
 
MrNomad said:
My wife is not gonna get in the airplane unless I solve this.
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Buy her a nice pair of sunglasses and a tennis visor :D

BTW- I have a tinted windshield on my 182. It came that way from the supplier. The level of tint that's truly acceptable on airplane windscreens is almost a joke. Doesn't seem to affect my visibility at night, nor does it cut down on the sun's power by day. I shoulda saved the extra 50 bones.
 
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Not enough...

David Johnson said:
Buy her a nice pair of sunglasses and a tennis visor :D
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David... that won't hack it here in Tucson - Barry lives a mile away from me. Spouses tend to be more fussy than the pilot... :)

When it's 100+ outside and sunny, it's the bit of the canopy above your head that is the problem with it's greenhouse effect. Some folks have painted the top of their RV canopies, but I don't like that look....

The sun shades seem to be the only other option... besides moving to Minnesota... :D

gil in Tucson
 
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bsacks05 said:
On a recent flight to Ocala, Fl. I met an RV6 owner who used the adhesive window tint you get from autoparts stores. He was very careful and made a template to get the curves right first, then applied the tint to the upper half of the canopy so the sun is blocked but left the lower half clear. Kinda like bifocals. He did a very nice job and did not get those ugly airbubbles that people get when they do a half-a**ed tint job on their cars. I can provide his contact info if you like.
Click to expand...
I have a brother who is in the window tinting business and I asked him about putting some of his products on my Plexiglas canopy. He checked with his suppliers and they recommended against it. Apparently the adhesive, or possibly the heat reflected back into the Plexiglas, or both can cause some harm to the canopy.

I've elected to go with a clear canopy for the reason Mel mentioned, night flying.
 
The sun shades seem to be the only other option... besides moving to Minnesota...
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I agree wil Gil,
You could buy a few of those screens people put in the back windows of their car when they have a small child riding back there. They would keep the sun out by day and can easily be removed if they are in the way because they attach with suction cups. It seems like I've seen a photo on here somewhere and they had these in the top of the canopy...

Josh
 
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