Normally I dip canopies to get them crystal clean but this often causes a stray dust particle or small dog hair to embed in the canopy.
I bought the Novus polish system while back with the intention of using it, but never did. I wanted to use it on my most recent project as I know people are quite fond of it. My understanding is that for most applications you want to use #2. I tried that on a canopy today and it came out looking okay, but there is a distinct residue from the polish that has left a hazy look.
Are there any tricks to getting this stuff to give a nice polished look?
That’s the stuff! Egg carton MIGHT work. Haven’t tried it. My daughter usually makes us buy the cage free organic eggs, which of course come in recycle-able containers. We’re kind of afraid of her…
Whilst Mead has brought up canopy polishing, what is the best way (idiot proof for me please ) to get rid of seams on a canopy … I have the sanding sticks from 1500 down to about 8 or 10000 I think they are, but is the toothpaste method that Rob @18bravo mentions the best paste to make it all clear afterwards ?
Toothpaste is a very fine polishing substance so the result will not be totally clear.
Future floor polish or similar stuff will fill and hide the microscopic scratches left by the toothpaste.
Just make sure there are no lumps in the polish and keep dust away until the polish has dried.
I think Novus at one time marketed their polish specifically for motorcycle helmet face shields, or at least that’s what I bought it for. I remember it worked well. My toothpaste suggestion is in case you’re in a bind at 1 am and need plastic polish. It works very well up to a point, then you have to finish it off with clear acrylic. It’s obviously not the same stuff, unlike other weathering specific items that are ridiculously overpriced: dirty thinner = “rain streaks,” weathering pigments = any good pigment you can find in an art store for much less, or as I posted a few weeks ago, concrete pigment - lifetime supply for 50 dudes for a few bucks.
When I was still big into model airplanes, I’d remove the detail from canopies completely (talking mainly 1/72 and 1/48 here) and paint clear decal film the same color as the plane. Then I cut it into thin strips and use it for the framework. Alternately you can use masks as you normally would (with the framework removed) and paint as normal. If you’ve ever seen the difference you may never want to go back to any other method. Especially on something like a C-130. Which reminds me - I’d glue the portholes into the fuselage with CA. You don’t have to be especially careful because you just polish the hell out of the seam afterward. It makes an incredibly smooth (invisible) seam. Mask with punched pieces of masking tape or sticker material,
I have one every once in a while.
And yes, it can. I originally got the idea many years ago painting the lower portion of some HO scale street cars black, Even though the demarcation line was straight with no paint bleeding underneath, I was not pleased with how high the edge was. Plus the masking was tedious.
I had a bunch of black decal paper on hand so I just cut it into strips and applied.
More later on how I used that black decal paper in a Bradley build. All in good time.
She is the authority. Undergrad in Geology three months after 20th birthday. Will have Masters Degree in Environmental Engineering before turning 22. God forbid I don’t take the plastic tape off of a box before recycling it.
Of course if Kalifornia (nay, all of us) followed her lead there’d be no water crisis, and landfill would be significantly reduced. She composts about a pound per day - coffee filters, egg shells, banana peels - we even make sure our napkins are biodegradable. Imagine if every family in the US composted one pound per day?
She just finished an internship with the city. They had her working in the water department. When she told her boss what our water consumption is (a guy with a PhD) he said, “That’s impossible!”
She showed him the bills. Every month we are far below the average for a family of three.
None of us stunk and our yard is as green as anyone else’s. Our water bill is half of the average, saving us about $75/mo. It’s one of the many reasons my wife never complains when I go on buying binges.
I know a lot Boomers and Gen X’ers like to bust on the younger generation, but she’s not alone in her thinking. It’s kids like her and her friends who may well save the planet. They just have to get other people to follow suit.
By the way she impressed her bosses so much during her internship that when it finished this week they hired her part time to work whenever and for how many hours she chooses.
) to get rid of seams on a canopy … I have the sanding sticks from 1500 down to about 8 or 10000 I think they are, but is the toothpaste method that Rob 
