Future Floor Wax, Canopies, and White Glue Evaporate Warning

[sequoiaranger]

If you don't know by now, "painting" your canopies and clear parts with Future Floor Wax really makes them appear clear, tends to disguise its thickness, and can sometimes hide blemishes (or at least reduce them). I use it on all my clear parts.

I also use a strong white glue from the radio-control hobby (RC 56--I think its name has evolved into something else lately) for cementing canopies, as it is very strong, dries clear, and won't damage the plastic like styrene or CA glue might.

Just be aware that white glues are water-based, as is Future Floor Wax. FFW will fog if exposed to moisture. I made the "mistake" of using white glue to seal in a canopy on a small aircraft (1/72 scale) in which I needed the cockpit space for weight (nosewheel) so had my "pilot" just a head stuck on a black deck level with the canopy bottom. The canopy had been treated with FFW and I was securing it with white glue. The only air space under the canopy was the size of the canopy itself. I watched with horror as the canopy fogged up like eyeglasses do when walking from a cold, air-conditioned room outside on a hot, muggy day. I sensed what was happening. The "trapped", tiny airspace in the canopy was over-saturated by fumes from the drying white glue and there was no where to go. Thinking quickly and with my fingers crossed, I inserted a hypodermic needle twice into small gaps in the framing/fuselage interface. The second hole was to pump fresh, relatively dry air from the outside into the canopy space, and the first hole was to allow fume-saturated air inside the canopy to escape. The holes were tiny, but about ten "injections" later the canopy had been de-fogged. IT WORKED!!

I have not had problems with "normal" canopy space, especially when there is open air access to the fuselage, but since I am about to seal up a FFW-ed ball turret with white glue, I have MADE SURE that I have openings (where the guns protrude) to allow some air exchange so that the turret glass doesn't fog on me.

You may never need it, but I just thought I would pass this tip along.