i got to do a little sanding on my F-14 canopy. its got hat middle line down the middle of the canopie. any body got any tips on how about doing this. thanks rob[:D][:D]
Very fine sanding sticks or sandpaper around 800 to 1000 grit then dip in Future. Some people like to use rubbing compound but I never saw the need.
Canopys are problems. I’m still trying to fix the one for my Revell F-18.
I’ll suggest you mask off all of the canopy you do not need to sand with Tamiya masking tape. Them wet sand it very lightly with 400 grit, lightly with 600 grit, then 1000 grit and finish it all off with ULTRA FINE steel wool dipped in Murphy oil soap (pure vegetable oil soap.) Then rinse clean and apply a final coat of future wax.
My 2 cents. Try it on a canopy that is already ruined, for practice, to see how it works for you and let me know what you think, Bill.
Get a ladies’ tri-grit fingernail file from the drugstore- cheap! While you’re at it, pick up some fine and rough grades, too- they’re the same as “model brand” sanding sticks. Just polish starting with the roughest grade you need to get rid of the blemish, then work down to the tri=grit. Last is that fine buffing side and a nice,refrshing bath in Future. I am tempted by the ultra-fine steel wool dipped in wax- that sounds really interesting… BTW, you can trim the sticks to points and varying thicknesses to meet your needs. Enjoy,and fear canopies no more!
I’m still scared![:(]
I too was scared at first. I did the tri-fingernail file thing on my Tomcat canopy, dipped in future and it worked out great! Have no fear and take the good advice you’ve found here.
…hey that rimes!
I agree with using the tri-grit sanding sticks from the cosmetics counter (and yes, do pick up some coarser grits. It’s ridiculous to pay the prices the hobby companies charge for the same product). Where I differ from the others is that I first adze the raised seam off. Put a new blade in your X-acto knife, and very, very carefully scrape along the seam in the canopy, removing only the part that sticks up. That leaves a very small line to be polished away. I tried this method the first time on a Hasegawa F-16 many years ago and have used it ever since, and it has never failed me. But, use the edge of a sharp knife or razor blade, not a seam scraper. They aren’t sharp enough.
TOM
Why is there a line down the canopy in the first place?
You might want to do a little research before you break out the sanding sticks…
If the line goes all the way from the back to the front and includes the frames then more than likely it’s a mold seam. Otherwise, the lines represent antennae which are integral with the canopy, and shouldn’t be sanded.
Should look like this:
Here you can see them on both the pilot’s and RIO’s glass:
Gip Winecoff
gip - on the hasegawa 1/48 cat, the line along the canopy is a neccary mold line. however, there does indeed to be a line or something running thru the center of the canopy. i checked MATS brefily but its difficult to get a suitable picture. so i cant really conclude anything. im goign to post a link to this thread on the F-14 GB folder.
I really hated canopies until I discovered the Tri-Grit Squadron Sanding Stick
(http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=SQ30505
and Swanny’s article about future:
http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
The Squadron Stick is a polishing stick. The best way to use it is to alternate directions of sanding (first grit left-to-right, then the second grit up-to-down). I don’t think I’ve had a problem with canopies since.
thanks for the replys guys. i am trying to get it too look that way in the pics of the real thing, i justhavent got the nerve up yet to try it. but i wll try it in a few days. [:D][:D]
Anybody still use toothpaste as a final polisher? 30 years ago I used it with great results!
Gip Winecoff
i used it for my auto bodies.
dancooper says that the line is a piece of metallic foil used to dissapate energy in the even of a lightning strike. so i am going to snad away the seam and add a piece of wire.
As for the F-16 and F-15, the line is indeed a mold seam, and for the life of me I don’tknow why it files off without leaving a line going all the way through the plastic, but it does. It’s a mold seam because the canopies, if they are accurate, describe more than a half-circle, or 180 degrees. Somebody correct me on this, or pick it up where I left off. I know WHY it needs to be molded this way, but not HOW.
And yes, some canopies, like Harriers, have det-cord molded into the plexiglass canopy. Upon ejection, it blows a hole through which the ejection seat and pilot pass, assuming all works according to plan. In others, like, I think, the F-105B, there are antenna wires set into the Plexiglass. Usually, when these things are molded by kit makers, they are as raised lines inside the canopy (T-33’s have these lines, though I forget their function) and impossible to paint if you are me.
TOM