Canopy, polish, Klear

[AdriaN (MLT)]

Today i experimented with polishing canopies.

I polished some old canopy with car polish (turtle wax). It did make it nice and shiny, but i wouldnt say it removed scratches. Then i dipped it in Klear and i noticed on some parts the Klear would move away or group up... just like water does on plastic. It makes sense in the end because the polish is wax after all. i tried brushing it on, but when looking at it in the light, i got many dusty dimples.

Shall i wash the canopy after polishing it? or shal i just polish it and thats it? maybe a second coating of Klear? or Klear then polish?

Edited January 23, 2010 by AdriaN (MLT)

[Skii]

Today i experimented with polishing canopies.

I polished some old canopy with car polish (turtle wax). It did make it nice and shiny, but i wouldnt say it removed scratches. Then i dipped it in Klear and i noticed on some parts the Klear would move away or group up... just like water does on plastic. It makes sense in the end because the polish is wax after all. i tried brushing it on, but when looking at it in the light, i got many dusty dimples.

Shall i wash the canopy after polishing it? or shal i just polish it and thats it? maybe a second coating of Klear? or Klear then polish?

I tend to treat Klear as a last resort to restore clarity on a canopy, but I wouldn't try it over a polish coat as it would do exactly as you describe. Micromesh treatment, and a polish is all I normally use to get a nice clear perspex canopy.

[Deanflyer]

Hi Adrian,

I wouldn't use any sort of wax polish on a canopy if you're going to use Klear - it'll stop the Klear or paint adhering to it afterwards. If you need to remove blemishes, use either very fine wet and dry paper or a fine sanding sponge, wash off the sanding dust, dry it, and dip it in Klear. As you remove the part from the Klear, inspect it carefully for grit or dust, and if there is any then redip it immediately. Repeat until you're satisfied with it, wick off the excess on a paper towel, and cover to prevent dust settling on it. Leave it overnight before masking over it, just in case. That'll be all you need to do, and the Klear will act as a primer on the plastic if you're going to use acrylic paints on it afterwards. The canopy won't need polishing with wax, as it'll be sparkly and clear anyway...

Hope that helps, it's what I do and it works for me.

Cheers,

Dean

[AdriaN (MLT)]

Hmm i decided to take a look at my 'test canopy' in sunlight, and i was quite amaized. This canopy was the one i polished fully. i brushed half of it with Klear and it seems that when it dried i lost the marks and comparing it with other half which is polish alone, it is much more clearer and shiny.

[dahut]

To polish clear plastic that has been scratched, you actually have to scratch it up some more - in successively finer scratches. Start with 400 grit wet-dry sandpaper and go all the way to 12,000 grit. Then add the Future/Klear coats.

For most kit canopies that are not badly buggered, a simple dip in Future/Klear is all that is needed. It fills any minor scratches and coats the plastic with a layer of acrylic. The effect is to blend the imperfections and make them disappear and I daresay almost all kit canopies are improved for it.

I usually combine the two jobs, rubbing down kit canopies with ultra fine wet-dry paper, 8,000-12,000 grit and THEN dipping them in Future.

As you've figured out, any polish that is oil/wax based will not work under later coats of acrylic gloss finishes... unless you remove it first.

[AdriaN (MLT)]

To polish clear plastic that has been scratched, you actually have to scratch it up some more - in successively finer scratches. Start with 400 grit wet-dry sandpaper and go all the way to 12,000 grit. Then add the Future/Klear coats.

For most kit canopies that are not badly buggered, a simple dip in Future/Klear is all that is needed. It fills any minor scratches and coats the plastic with a layer of acrylic. The effect is to blend the imperfections and make them disappear and I daresay almost all kit canopies are improved for it.

I usually combine the two jobs, rubbing down kit canopies with ultra fine wet-dry paper, 8,000-12,000 grit and THEN dipping them in Future.

As you've figured out, any polish that is oil/wax based will not work under later coats of acrylic gloss finishes... unless you remove it first.

To be honest, ive found it all depends on how you apply the Klear, after polishing. My car polish is wax based. After dipping it in Klear it did 'run off' on some parts because of the waxy surface, THEN i get out my brush and brush over the canopy a few times until its nice and smooth, and the Klear doesnt seem to run off anymore i leave it to dry and voila! Maybe the wax melts under the Klear? or maybe the brush sticks it into place? I dunno. Maybe you should try it out too

[~Dan~]

The Klear is an acrylic (as in plastic) sealant... more or less an acrylic emulsion paint. As such it needs solvents in it to keep the acrylic 'wet'. This mix is suspended in a water 'carrier', but to make this spirit based formula mix with the water, it requires an emulsifier.

So, basically, the solvent and emulsifier in the mix will, given the opportunity, dissolve the silicones which are used as a lubricant for traditional 'T' cut, of the silicones and synthetic waxes in the modern T-Cut formulas*.

So if you dip it, then the Klear is likely to run off, but by brushing, you are adding in a little surface agitation which may be just enough to assist the solvents in the clear to dissolve the waxy base.

...in my opinion, it's still a slightly risky strategy, as wax is unstable, it's a very weak substance, prone to evaporation over time, and it can even go off. So over time, there is a minor risk that you could get some clouding.

Okay... so I am REALLY splitting hairs! But if you simply just remove the T-Cut before applying the Klear, then you eliminate all risk. You could probably do this by using washing up liquid in a strong solution.

* I know a polymer chemist who specializes in car care products who experimented with the new formula of T-Cut a few years ago. From what he tells me, it is a product that 'builds'. And yet cuts at the same time. So his guess was that contains nano-disks for cutting (polishing), and probably uses acrylic instead of a wax -- so, in some ways it is similar in composition to klear. Its designed to be a One-Shot, easy to use product, and thus it does it all in one bottle.

I don't want to write an essay on the stuff, but basically, it's really not the best stuff for doing canopies because in order to give quick and easy results on cars, it will contain fillers and diffusers. These fill light scratches with oils and micro-beads that diffuse light so that scratches don't show up so much. Unfortunately, this effect is temporary.

It's a well known phenomenon within the bodyshop industry that you flat an polish a new panel and it looks as smooth as glass, you come in the next day only to find the area covered in swirl marks. The reason is that Siloxanes used as lubricants in high-end polishes fill those scratches making them invisible, but because silicones and siloxanes stay wet, they can evaporate or get absorbed into the substrate. For this reason, when a perfect finish is critical (custom paint jobs etc.) the technician wipes down the panel with alcohol so that he can see the true effect.

So after this lengthy explanation, you'll understand why I'd recommend trading in T-cut wax for either an expensive high-end polish from 3M or Farécla... or going old school and getting the old formula T-cut in the red bottles. This stuff is basically pure polish made from aluminium oxide. Its what we call a reducing polish, which means that when you first put it on, the abrasive particles are large and coarse, but as you work it they break down and become finer. So use a small damp peice of cloth for best effect, and don't keep applying new dobs of polish once you start getting the result you want. Then wash with alcohol or detergent.

(Yes, I had an early dinner and now I'm just bored,)

[bentwaters81tfw]

Polish out scratches with Brasso and a soft cotton cloth. No need to play around with sanding materials.

You can then wash the article in detergent, and coat with Klear of required.

[AdriaN (MLT)]

Aah i forgot about his topic!

I polished it using turtle wax car polish a few times. this gave it a shine. Then dipped it in Klear. It did run off because of the wax layer but found that if you brush over it, it doesnt not run off probaby because you break up the waxy layer. I did this twice and this is the result-

Canopy at first- very dull & some scratches (the canopy needs paint touching up as you can see mainly on the front)

Canopy after- shiny, clean (i also re-touched up the paint as you can see)

It did bring it too life and hide the scratches, but not totally, if you look at it in the light youd still see the scratches, just not so visible. They are not those 'white scratches' anymore... just 'engraved' marks :)

Im happy though.. thankyou for you help!

Edited February 9, 2010 by AdriaN (MLT)

[marky sparky]

I tend to use nail buffers at first, going from course to practically smooth. These can be purchased from Boots etc...

When the canopy looks nice and clear I wash it in warm water with a little washing-up liquid and then dried off with an old cotton t-shirt.

I have a jar of Kleer (mint sauce, apple sauce size) works well and with a pair of tweezers dip the canopy in nice and slow and then draw it out slow too.

Place the wet canopy on a kitchen towel (paper type) and cover with a Tupper-ware box. The Kleer doesn't stick so it's no problem.

One other thing I do is put a few drops of Black ink into the Kleer. It hardly darkens the canopy but seems to make it sparke a little better. (dunno why).

I have another Kleer jar with Brown ink to give it the F-16 falcon gold look if desired. The Kleer looks really dark with the ink in but it doesn't tint too much so dunk as many times as required.

[marky sparky]

I've just bought and tried this.......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polywatch-Acrylic-...pd_cp_watches_1

and it works great!!!!

[Harvs73]

I don't even bother buying specific polishes etc for my canopies as the best polich I have found is in every home - toothpaste! The images below are from the AZ Models 1/48 Ki-48 Lily canopy that has copped a blasting for being milky etc. I attacked them with a file to thin down the plastic, I then used 400 grit followed by 2000 grit wet and dry then used toothpaste and a cotton tip to polish it. Once the polishing was done I let it dry and used One Go to seal it and fill all the fine marks left by the thinning process.

This process works for all the models I have so far.

[stalal]

I had dipped my canopy in Future wax that was old. After drying, Future wax has dried with undulating and wavy patterns.

How do I remove the dried wax from the clear canopy part?

[AdriaN (MLT)]

I had dipped my canopy in Future wax that was old. After drying, Future wax has dried with undulating and wavy patterns.

How do I remove the dried wax from the clear canopy part?

Leave the canopy in window cleaner that contains ammonia. it will melt right off.

[stalal]

Leave the canopy in window cleaner that contains ammonia. it will melt right off.

I did that. It worked!