Making a Canopy

This is not a trivial exercise, a lot of work, a great deal of risk (Canopy = $$$) and a really suboptimal place to start learning composite work.

I have about 5 pages of really minor but very important details on this process that I consult ever time I mount a canopy and this is not my first rodeo.

Cut canopies with abrasive cutoff wheels and disc sanders, never with toothed devices.

Some installers use countersunk metal screws in addition to bonding (epoxy + cotton flox + fumed silica. Screws are mostly to hold alignment and position while the epoxy cures.

Rubber bands made from bike inner tubes are very handy for holding the plexi on the frame while it cures.

I cannot think of a more difficult, detail-critical installation than this.

How far are you from Dave Nelson in MI or M&H in NY?

....Or Applebay (Fidel) in NM?


wrote in message
...
This is not a trivial exercise, a lot of work, a great deal of risk
(Canopy = $$$) and a really suboptimal place to start learning composite
work.

I have about 5 pages of really minor but very important details on this
process that I consult ever time I mount a canopy and this is not my first
rodeo.

Cut canopies with abrasive cutoff wheels and disc sanders, never with
toothed devices.

Some installers use countersunk metal screws in addition to bonding (epoxy
+ cotton flox + fumed silica. Screws are mostly to hold alignment and
position while the epoxy cures.

Rubber bands made from bike inner tubes are very handy for holding the
plexi on the frame while it cures.

I cannot think of a more difficult, detail-critical installation than
this.

How far are you from Dave Nelson in MI or M&H in NY?

gluing the canopy.
About 35 years ago, I was using ( and still do)silcone RTV for a wide
variety of jobs needing a gap filling glue.
I repaired an extensively damaged Kestrel, with a smashed canopy.
I dislike screws for holding plexi. After doing test samples,
the canopy was glued with clear silicone RTV (type I)
using a commercial primer on both surfaces .
this method avoids localised stress and was OK for ten years.
I recently saw this gl;ider for sale with a canopy which
looked like the blue tinted canopy I installed.
PS yes, cut the plexi using a cutoff flexi disc. I melts and
aneals the cut surface.
JMF


At 02:42 22 January 2014, wrote:
This is not a trivial exercise, a lot of work, a great deal of risk
(Canopy
= $$$) and a really suboptimal place to start learning composite work.

I have about 5 pages of really minor but very important details on this
process that I consult ever time I mount a canopy and this is not my
first
rodeo.

Cut canopies with abrasive cutoff wheels and disc sanders, never with
toothed devices.

Some installers use countersunk metal screws in addition to bonding
(epoxy
+ cotton flox + fumed silica. Screws are mostly to hold alignment and
position while the epoxy cures.

Rubber bands made from bike inner tubes are very handy for holding the
plexi on the frame while it cures.

I cannot think of a more difficult, detail-critical installation than
this.

How far are you from Dave Nelson in MI or M&H in NY?