Removing paint from canopy

The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, CO has obtained an
F-104 Starfighter from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
The canopy seems to have some sort of paint or coating on the inside
of the canopy. Does anyone know of a way to remove it without damaging
the canopy? Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to
provide.

Jason Unwin
Aerospace Education Officer
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
(719)948-9219

In article ,
(Jason) wrote:

The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, CO has obtained an
F-104 Starfighter from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
The canopy seems to have some sort of paint or coating on the inside
of the canopy. Does anyone know of a way to remove it without damaging
the canopy? Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to
provide.

Jason Unwin
Aerospace Education Officer
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
(719)948-9219

DO NOT use paint remover! The TCE in the paint remover will certainly
craze the plastic.

You might try denatured alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, which will not
attack the plexiglass.

You might have to resort to polishing the paint away with up to 2000
grit wet sandpaper, plus polishing compound.

On Sun, 09 Nov 2003 20:26:01 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
wrote:

In article ,
(Jason) wrote:

The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, CO has obtained an
F-104 Starfighter from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
The canopy seems to have some sort of paint or coating on the inside
of the canopy. Does anyone know of a way to remove it without damaging
the canopy? Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to
provide.

Jason Unwin
Aerospace Education Officer
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
(719)948-9219

DO NOT use paint remover! The TCE in the paint remover will certainly
craze the plastic.

You might try denatured alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, which will not
attack the plexiglass.

You might have to resort to polishing the paint away with up to 2000
grit wet sandpaper, plus polishing compound.

I've used the ClearFix System and overspray was removed easily.
Otherwise polishing with the 2000 paper will go the trick.

"Orval Fairbairn" wrote in message
news
In article ,
(Jason) wrote:

The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, CO has obtained an
F-104 Starfighter from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
The canopy seems to have some sort of paint or coating on the inside
of the canopy. Does anyone know of a way to remove it without damaging
the canopy? Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to
provide.

Jason Unwin
Aerospace Education Officer
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
(719)948-9219

DO NOT use paint remover! The TCE in the paint remover will certainly
craze the plastic.

Try a milder sodium hydroxide solution such as that found in some oven
cleaners. Many plastics modellers use oven cleaner aerosols as paint
strippers (acrylics, enamels, and some lacquers) on styrene plastics without
affecting them. If it won't hurt clear styrene it's unlikely to hurt
perspex.

Ezy Off is reputed the best but is stronger than some of the weaker
non-caustic non-fuming varieties The weaker oven cleaners (mostly generics)
shouldn't harm perspex and are a good starting point. Of course, try an
inconspicuos spot first. Odds are the paint won't be anything more than
enamel, otherwise the perspex would already be damaged by lacquers.

Assuming you get the paint off and the perspex is still damaged. A good set
of micro-mesh polishing clothes (which I believe are aimed more at aviation
than scale models) will remove minor scratches etc. If the perspex is
crazed, very little is going to save it, although polishing techniques can
make it presentable.

--
The Raven
http://www.80scartoons.co.uk/batfinkquote.mp3
** President of the ozemail.* and uunet.* NG's
** since August 15th 2000.

If the canopy is made of Lexan - and I admit to ignorance here - you can
probably remove the paint with Acetone. I'm rebuilding a '58 Champ, and have
cleaned a bunch of gunk off the windshield so far, with nary a mark on it.
Plexiglas is quickly destroyed by acetone, but not Lexan. Acetone is a very
powerful solvent, and readily eats paints. Powder-coatings, too, I learned.
The hard way, of course!

Jon B.

"Jason" wrote in message
m...
The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, CO has obtained an
F-104 Starfighter from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
The canopy seems to have some sort of paint or coating on the inside
of the canopy. Does anyone know of a way to remove it without damaging
the canopy? Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to
provide.

Jason Unwin
Aerospace Education Officer
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
(719)948-9219