Canopy seams - help wanted!

[Welkin]

I am building Academy's 1:48 Spitfire XIVe and I have noticed that the cockpit main canopy has a noticable seam running lengthwise from front to rear.

It is on the outer, or upper, side of the plastic, so it ought to be possible to remove it?

I have never tried sanding clear plastic, so if anyone can advise me of the best way of tackling this, I would be truly grateful!

[c.smith10]

I am building Academy's 1:48 Spitfire XIVe and I have noticed that the cockpit main canopy has a noticable seam running lengthwise from front to rear.

It is on the outer, or upper, side of the plastic, so it ought to be possible to remove it?

I have never tried sanding clear plastic, so if anyone can advise me of the best way of tackling this, I would be truly grateful!

Generally it is a case of sanding the seam with progressively finer grades of abrasives, you would typically start with wet and dry then go though the grades of micro mesh then a dip in klear and you end up with a nice seam free canopy

[RJP]

And always let the abrasive do the work. Elbow grease on clear parts will only get you into trouble.

Too much pressure on the piece risks internal stress fractures that can't be fixed. It's a good idea to fill the canopy with something firm like plasticine. That will help brace the piece and avoid stress. Once you are finished sanding, peel out the plasticine, wash in soapy water and proceed to the Klear / Future.

Edited July 27, 2012 by RJP

[JackG]

The sanding pads I had bought as a set have six grades of grit:

2400

3200

4000

6000

8000

12000

I've also read that it is best to apply them in one direction as opposed to a circular motion. As posted above, after sanding dip the item in some future and let dry. You will probably find the canopy will be more clear than it originally was.

regards,

Jack

Edited July 27, 2012 by JackG

[BrandX]

Another way to start off with is gently scraping off the raised line with a new(ish) scalpel blade, then hitting it with the abrasives.

As an experiment (and because it was totally inaccurate anyway), I tried nail-buffing boards from Superdrug on a Sea Fury canopy -it worked brilliantly.

The ones I used were by Elegant Touch, and were lots cheaper than Micro-Mesh:

1. Shape & Shine -this has 4 surfaces: black, green, pink and lilac increasing in grit. I started off with the green, as there was no unevenness on the surface.

2. High Shine Glosser -this has 2 surfaces, first use the green (buffer), then white (shiner).

Now you have a sparkly clear transparency all ready for its Klear bath.

Word to the wise: don't use Misses' buffing kit -if she has used it on varnished nails, there will be residual colour which will be ground into your canopy!

There appear to be two schools of thought on directional use: it seems sensible to me to work each stage at right-angles to the last, otherwise you will deepen the previous abrasions...? Anyhoo, worked for me.

[depressed lemur]

Hi,

Just to add my two pennoth, I recently had to get rid of a seam on an F-15. This was my first attempt, and I didn't have all the right tools. Click on the links to see the photos (don't know why I cant get them to show).

This shows the seam I started with on the front screen and canopy, Note, the rear portion of the canopy has had the seam filed off.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm14/Ne...wa/P1030565.jpg

This is a close up of the sanded portion.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm14/Ne...wa/P1030567.jpg

Further work consisted of using a nail polishing stick (nicked from the missus) and about half an hours worth of gentle polishing to smooth out the scrape marks resulted in this,

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm14/Ne...wa/P1030571.jpg

A final dip in Klear and it was as good as new.

And just for the record, this is the entire tool kit I used.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm14/Ne...wa/P1030572.jpg

The best advice I can give, is to try it on a scrap canopy first, Maybe I was lucky, but I shudder to think what could have gone wrong.

Good luck

[Pin]

This is easier than it sounds when using right tools.

I usually only use 3 different sanding paper types (800, 1200, 1500) and then must have magic from Tamiya:

Apply with ear buds.

The final touch - bath of Future/Klear

It takes 10-15 minutes to get rid of a seam

Edited July 29, 2012 by Pin

[arnobiz]

Nail polishing "files" are great, I actually tried it first yesterday and it gave better results than anything I had tried before.

As an additional tip I tend to give a final mechanical polishing before the Future dip by measn of the Dremel polishing tool (the one that looks like cotton), but then the Tamiya polishing compound might give the same result while being safer (I've have an accident once with the Dremel).

Arnaud

[DaveJL]

I use micromesh. The craft kit from Littlecars.com has everything you need. Start of with a 'corse' abrasive, then gradually work your way to the finer grits until the seam is gone. Takes 15 mins.

Dave

[turnerdad]

You have to get hold of a 2 way polishing stick from MDC, amazing and so quick and easy. Remove seam with the finest grade wet sandpaper you can buy (I use Indasa 2500, available through Ebay I believe), polish with stick (2 sides) and finish off with a good quality plastic polish like "Final Touch" kit and canopy compound, and make sure you use a very soft cloth. In my experience, a dip in Future works better on small canopies, larger ones it can struggle and you may get unsightly build ups. Seriously, try the MDC stick!!!!! Turns a protracted and risky polishing experience into a 5-10 minute party!

[Welkin]

Thanks Guys - that has all been really helpful.

I will try it on an old canopy first though!

[Muller]

I bought one of these and they're great! Found one on evilbay for you.

[thx6667]

Get yourself down to Poundland or the 99p Stores and have a look out for nail buffers - they usually come on a four sided block with progressively finer grits with the last just being a smooth polishing surface. They work a treat!