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Help defogging clear canopy parts

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:56 pm
by 15tango
I'm painting a custom F-86 and the tape that I used to tape off the canopy left behind some sticky residue. I used paint thinner to clean off the sticky residue but now my canopy has a fog look to it. I was wondering if anybody knew of an easy way to get rid of this foggy look. I've tried water and windex and it's still there. Any help is appreciated.

Re: Help defogging clear canopy parts

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:11 am
by Yoxford
15tango...This should fix the cloudy canopy.....I always dip my canopy & clear parts in Future floor wax which is an acrylic that really adds clarity to plastic canopies..makes them look like glass..(.and also great for a base coat for decals.) As for the best method of aplication, you can dip, brush, airbrush, as it is very thin like water, and flows over the part well just do not let it pool up..excess can be sucked up by the edge of a paper towel.
It is important that the clear parts are clean and free of oils (such as your fingerprints) prior to application of Future. Most often wiping off with a Q-Tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol should be enough…and Let the canopy dry thoroughly before proceeding. Let the Future dry about 4 hours before handling
The nice thing about Future is that all clear parts can be improved by this coating: thick, badly polished, even scratched. Lasts forever and will not yellow.

Mark

Re: Help defogging clear canopy parts

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 10:30 am
by Jnewboy
This has happened to me years ago and I never tried the future shine so try it first on a little part.. if there is no luck try scrubbing it with a soft toothbrush and some olive oil. It will clear up, but unfortunately its a temporary fix, within a month it will be foggy again and you will have to redo it. not the best but its something.. :D

Re: Help defogging clear canopy parts

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 12:20 pm
by 15tango
Thanks for the tips guys. Hopefully one of them will workout for me. I would hate to have spent all this time on the aircraft only to have it ruined by a foggy canopy.

Re: Help defogging clear canopy parts

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:30 am
by kduck
I have a few tips from my scale modeling days that might help. Try polishing the cloudy part of the canopy with a bit of toothepaste and a piece of soft cotton rag. The toothepaste is a very mild abrasive. Also I've found that the best way to remove tape residue from just about anything is another piece of tape. Take a piece of clear tape and keep putting it over the sticky part and pulling it off. After several tries it should remove all the residue. If necessary use fresh pieces of tape until the residue is all gone.