Yes, I might say that I’m a pro on fogged windows. Thats is, in making them, not specifically restoring them.
I don’t know how I do it, but I 've messed up quite some canopies. That has given me the opportunity to restore some as well.
Sanding with a high numbre grid is the first answer (try your local auto shop foor 2000 grid sanding paper, or perhaps higher)
I’ve got some Tamiya polishing paste. works ok
Toothpaste might do the trick as well. In the Netherlands we’ve got a brand that is reknown for its horrible effect on the teeth, because of the sanding effect. Bad for the teeth, means that it is good for restoring your canopy. It’s the next step when having sanded with the aforementioned sanding paper.
Normal/decent toothpaste doesn’t sand enough. It’s just too sofisticated (it really is), and not harmfull enough. You can keep that toothpaste for it’s normal apllication purpose.
Best of luck!
(another option is to buy a new model, and replace the kitpart, or to ask the manufacturer a replacement part. Give it a shot!)
LOL!! Thats funny that your a pro at fogging canopies. I’m still a rookie (I don’t glue them on to avoid it)
Thanks for the tip. In the US, any toothpaste made for denture wearers has a good amount of abrasive in it. Much better (or rather worse) than regular toothpaste.
Another thing that you can do is to go to a cosmetics department and get a nail polishing stick. They typically have three progessively finer polishing surfaces on each stick. I’m amazed at how good they work and how easy they are to use to get a nice surface on a clear part.
Recently I made lens for my T-34’s head light. I cut a circle of clear styrene, and used a Flexi-File to grind a convex lens shape. After smoothing it the finest grit that I have for my Flexi-File, about 600, I went at it with the nail polisher. I think I only needed about a minute or so on each grit. After I was done with the final polish, my headlight lens was prefectly transparent and glossy. I think at this stage, a lot of people would use a coat of Future, but I didn’t really think that the Future would add any additional improvement.
Squardon & micromark alos sell a version of that polishing stick. Don’t know if its really that different in terms of grit, but the same technique. I still dipped my in Future afterwards, and for me I did see more of an improvement for a canopy. For a lens, it probaly doesn’t make a difference.