Van's Air Force
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how many glass layers on your canopy
- Thread starter cytoxin
- Start date
fstringham7a
Well Known Member
8 layers is probably OK
Hi William
I used the suggested amount of layers and it turned out just fine.....With that said I think that 8 layers would do the job. In a fiberglass aircraft I was building before my RV7A the exterior and interior of the fuse had two layers each of one layer of uni with one layer of bidirectional cloth with a 1/4 of foam sandwiched between. It was really strong.....so I think 8 layers of glass on the canopy will surely do the job.
Frank @ SGU RV7A "NDY"
cytoxin said:
Hi William
I used the suggested amount of layers and it turned out just fine.....With that said I think that 8 layers would do the job. In a fiberglass aircraft I was building before my RV7A the exterior and interior of the fuse had two layers each of one layer of uni with one layer of bidirectional cloth with a 1/4 of foam sandwiched between. It was really strong.....so I think 8 layers of glass on the canopy will surely do the job.
Frank @ SGU RV7A "NDY"
This is an area not to be skimped on
I put six layers at the base of the windshield and four layers on the top of our RV-6A slider. During several years of work required to complete the plane and over three years of operations (317 flight hours) including several transcontinental trips, the canopy fiberglass is flawless.
According to my log I spent six months and one day getting the canopy just right - time well spent. Be sure you trim the lower part of the external latch handle on the slider so it will clear the top fiberglass if you or anyone else tries to shove the sliding canopy closed with the trailing edge of this handle pointed forward.
Bob Axsom
I put six layers at the base of the windshield and four layers on the top of our RV-6A slider. During several years of work required to complete the plane and over three years of operations (317 flight hours) including several transcontinental trips, the canopy fiberglass is flawless.
According to my log I spent six months and one day getting the canopy just right - time well spent. Be sure you trim the lower part of the external latch handle on the slider so it will clear the top fiberglass if you or anyone else tries to shove the sliding canopy closed with the trailing edge of this handle pointed forward.
Bob Axsom
A Couple of Additional Comments
(1) I followed the procedure demonstrated by George Orndorf in his RV-6 video.
(2) I used 24 hour cure epoxy resin which is reported to have superior adhesion qualities. The brand I used was EZ-Poxy ordered from Aircraft Spruce.
Bob Axsom
(1) I followed the procedure demonstrated by George Orndorf in his RV-6 video.
(2) I used 24 hour cure epoxy resin which is reported to have superior adhesion qualities. The brand I used was EZ-Poxy ordered from Aircraft Spruce.
Bob Axsom
cytoxin
Well Known Member
thanks for the tips
i ended up with 8 layers then sanded down smooth and put one layer on that. went well in the end. i did have some trouble at one point but got past that.(read took some of it off). i was given a good idea though, make the fairing on a mold release of types and then remove fill and paint it bond it to the structure with a better adhesive. hysol or some equivelant,,,Proseal maybe, you know how that **** sticks to mek'd alu. maybe next time..its good now and feathered with 0 lifting. so far i have about 2 months into the canopy building/fit/fair project...
just for a data point i was using west 105 with 206 hardener
thanks again
i ended up with 8 layers then sanded down smooth and put one layer on that. went well in the end. i did have some trouble at one point but got past that.(read took some of it off). i was given a good idea though, make the fairing on a mold release of types and then remove fill and paint it bond it to the structure with a better adhesive. hysol or some equivelant,,,Proseal maybe, you know how that **** sticks to mek'd alu. maybe next time..its good now and feathered with 0 lifting. so far i have about 2 months into the canopy building/fit/fair project...
just for a data point i was using west 105 with 206 hardener
thanks again
