RunRyder - Canopy Seam

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Avant Aurora - EFX - FX > Canopy Seam

creightoncarr
Veteran
Location: Missouri City, Texas - USA

Got my kit today. I was expecting a small seam on the canopy which could easily be sanded down. Instead the seam is VERY large because it looks as if the two halves were not aligned properly when they were mated. I took it to my painter and he agreed. It cannot be sanded down smooth without removing all of the gel coat from one side of the seam. The only option is to fill the entire seam and sand it down again. Even then I'm not sure it will be completely unnoticeable. Anybody else have canopy problems like this? Attached are a couple of pictures.

06-09-2008 11:56 PM

EKIM

Veteran - Location: Long Island New York -

I just did one for a friend of mine. you need to sand ALOT. Once you block sand the seam down keep on sanding without the block to smooth it out and so its not flat where the seam was. you will have a ton of little pin holes that need to be filled with bondo or similar. here are some pics of how much I had to sand. (More in my gallery)

*******Mike********

06-10-2008 12:55 AM

Ghostrider

Key Veteran - Location: San Diego, CA -

Yes,

Mine was the same way!

You do not want to sand it all the way down to the fiberglass because you will have a flat spot running around the canopy where the two halves meet, instead of a nice radius curve. You want to sand the high part down but leave a small lip so that you can bondo up to the lip so that it makes some what of a point. Then sand and shape to keep a nice radius.

See below. No flat spot like the pics above.

Sam Gammo
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".

06-10-2008 03:11 AM

Doug L
Veteran
Location: Minnesota

Mine required quite a bit more bondo than that. The canopy met high on one side at the top of the windscreen, then high on the other side at the bottom. Dave Yost did a great article in RC Heli last year about canopy prep that was very helpful.

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06-10-2008 03:15 AM

HOMEPAGE

henry caldwell
Senior Heliman
Location: SOUTH CAROLINA

Here's a true 3d canopy. Painted by Jody Greer. It's different.

[

06-10-2008 03:45 AM

creightoncarr
Veteran
Location: Missouri City, Texas - USA

It's definitely different. How are the letters secured - just with the screws and nuts?

06-10-2008 03:50 AM

henry caldwell
Senior Heliman
Location: SOUTH CAROLINA

another one..

Henry Caldwell

06-10-2008 03:54 AM

henry caldwell
Senior Heliman
Location: SOUTH CAROLINA

It is secured with nuts and bolts, with a piece of clear hard tubing between the letters and the canopy

Henry Caldwell

06-10-2008 03:56 AM

Ghostrider
Key Veteran
Location: San Diego, CA

Now if you can figure out how to hang a set of Dice on it you will be set!

Sam Gammo
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".

06-10-2008 04:00 AM

Jason Bell
Elite Veteran
Location: San Diego, Ca

Henry

Insanity! I love it!

Wheres the cow pattern?!

Team Avant
Team ElyQ
Flight Power USA
Aerospire
Vblades

06-10-2008 04:04 AM

HOMEPAGE

HiroboFreak
Senior Heliman
Location: Central Coast, NSW, Australia

Back to the seam.

We painted one quite a few months ago & struck same thing.
The canopy straight from the packet left a lot to be desired. Misaligned canopy halves resulting in a LOT of prep work, adding to cost of the finished paintjob.

Not good for the person paying for it.

Synergy N9 | T600n Pro

06-10-2008 04:51 AM

HOMEPAGE

Machinegun21
Senior Heliman
Location: Escondido, Ca- USA

CRAZY Henery!!! That canopy is da Sh*t

Justin Barry
Avant Aurora
DX7Balancer

06-10-2008 05:25 AM

HOMEPAGE

EKIM
Veteran
Location: Long Island New York

I should have been more detailed in my post above. The pics I posted were after I had sanded off all the bondo. I only block sand the seam flat the rest is sanded by hand to get the curves. The pic makes it look like I have a huge flat spot but that is just because of how much of the surrounding area i sanded to blend it in. The pics are misleading.

Yes ghostrider I could have done it the way you did it but mine wasn't as bad as some of the others in here. the halves were lined up pretty good except for a few small areas. so alot of bondo was not needed. Here is the finished paint job on mine

*******Mike********

06-10-2008 11:38 AM

Doug L
Veteran
Location: Minnesota

Ekim, Did you use the supplied decals, or paint the letters? Just curious if the decals should be applied between clear coats, or directly to the paint before any clear.

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06-10-2008 01:00 PM

HOMEPAGE

EKIM
Veteran
Location: Long Island New York

You can get away with putting the decals right on the paint and then clear over them but I try not to do this especially when using neons. On this one I used House of kolor sg100 intercoat clear then the decals then final clear

*******Mike********

06-10-2008 10:54 PM

RyanW
Veteran
Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma

XXXX

06-11-2008 04:01 AM

HOMEPAGE

Doug L
Veteran
Location: Minnesota

Do you scuff the decals before the final coat of clear?

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06-11-2008 05:39 AM

HOMEPAGE

raid
Heliman
Location: NYNY

http://www.runryder.com/helicopter/.../?highlight=dyd

06-11-2008 10:39 AM