i got this nice 1/48 tamiya DH mosquito B Mk. IV that im doing up in night bomber scheme. ive put in about 10 hours of work in it, and as im dry-fitting the canopy, i realise that - oh crud! ive managed to somehow drip a drop of liquid glue ono the canopy, and now its all frosted [:(] . i was thinking along the lines of fine-grit snadpaper, and rubbing compound, but that seems like a recepie for disaster, considering that ima klutz. any other techniques to de-fog a canopy out there ?
thanks
Quite a mess you’ve gotten yourself into. Never fear, you’ve come to the right place for solutions.
If it’s simply a fogging issue, without any fingerprints on the canopy, then you could resort to using Future floor polish to help clean up the haze.
If it’s a fingerprint we’re talking about, or any kind of marring in general, and if you have one availabile, you would probably be better off vacu-forming a new canopy. If you aren’t fortunate enough to own one, then you could try wetsanding the area with some 1500 grit sandpaper.
I’ve done the glue thing on the canopy myself, and i just vacu-form a new one if it’s beyond repair.
Your first impulse to use fine grit sandpaper, or better yet a sanding stick, followed by rubbing compound is the right idea. After that, a Future bath should make it as good as new. Only thing is, you didn’t say if the glue damage is only on the clear portion or also on a frame. If a frame is damaged, it’s still salvagable, depending on how damaged it is.
Try at least two or three Future baths. On one of my earlier models, I sprayed on a finishing coat of DullCoat, without even thinking that it might do something aweful to the canopy. Later when I discovered Future, I applied a coat, what a difference. I thought to try is again, & again… it gradually became clearer with each application.
i do know what future is, its a floor polish, but its not availabe in singapore. would any other kind of floor polish work ? also, i dont quite understnad what a future bath entails exactly. does it mean dropping the canopy in a puddle of future and letting it marinate ? or do i dip and rub ?
how about vac-forming ? where should i go for more information on that ? i saw an article in FSM bout it yonks ago, but i of course lent it to a friend who lined his kitty litter with the issue.
Vacuum Formers are readily available across the net. I don’t have the link now, but i have an article that entails building your own. I have a smaller one in which i purchased, and a larger one which my dad built and gave to me. Every modeler should own one at one point or another. IMO
I have illustrated the steps in doing a “Workbench Vacuform”, which quite honestly, has saved the day on SEVERAL occasions! While the procedure is fairly simple, practice with scrap pieces first to become acquainted with the process.
You’ll need:
(1) Original Canopy
(2) Clear plastic (greeting card box top)
(3) Candle
(4) Piece of molding clay, or Silly Putty
(5) small scissors
Here’s the procedure:
(1) Smooth the kit canopy outer surface
(2) Secure the makeshift stand to your workbench
(3) Place the ball of clay on top the stick
(4) Place the kit canopy atop the clay (on the inside)
(5) Hold the clear styrene about 1.5 inches over the candle flame (move in small circular motions)
(6) When the plastic begins to sag in the middle, place it over the original canopy and gently pull down (easy does it)
(7) Trim the new canopy from the plastic… window frames can be painted on or you can mask them.
Hope this helps! Once you learn this procedure, it can be used to scratch-build radar domes, blister fairings, etc etc… good luck! [;)]
i get the vac-forming process, but wouldent using the method illistraded by oldhooker cause the canopy to be too big ? the other thing is - what kind of plastic stock should i be using ?
As far as “plastic stock” goes, I always use the clear plastic that comes on some greeting card boxes because it’s thin, and doesn’t upset the thickness (size) of the new canopy, thus, making the canopy look more like real glass instead of the THICK kit supplied piece.
This is possibly the dumbest question ever asked, but how does one glue the Verlinden cockpit frame onto a canopy without ruining it? I have read that only Cyano can be used on photo-etched parts so this seems to be a bit of a conundrum. I am talking from experience here.
Well, you can first give the canopy a Future dip, which will reduce the possibility of fogging. Another alternative is to use a quality white glue such as Krystal Klear.
I haven’t tried this myself, but I was reading a tip for de-fogging canopies in this month’s Finescale. Apparently, canopies can be de-fogged by applying super-glue de-bonder to the affected area with a cotton swab or q-tip.
Of course, the reader who provided this tip suggests testing on a spare transparent part first.
Reg, if the drip happened on an area where you’ll have sufficient space to sand, I’d suggest that you go with the 3-grit flex-pad/nail buffing pad, plastic polish/rubbing compound, and sculpting clay/play-doh route. I’m also a klutz [:)] but I’ve had success in clearing imperfections with my canopies with this method. I just followed the tips from FSM and the www.aircraftresourcecenter.com site (“Repairing Canopies”). Try it, it’ll give you a whole lot of experience and satisfaction. Good luck with your repair!
Thanks Rick. Here in S.A. though we do not have Future as such. There is a product though called Mr. Muscle, and I’ve just started trying it and it looks promising. Besides. I messed up my 109 so badly in trying to do the cyano thing that it’s way past any help. Live and learn I guess. Thanks and Cheers,
Roy
For those with Future questions, including what it might be named in your part of the world (It’s available in quite a few places under different names) check out http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
Phoenix, Mr. Muscle is Future… it’s the name for it in S.A.
Future is a clear acrylic floor cleaner/sealerin the US. Its made by Johnson and I’ve heard its sold as “Super Shine” in Austrailia. Perhaps they sell the same brand in Singapore?
