Dipping canopy in Future/Klear to improve its clarity

[Allan]

I did some work on my Hartmann 109 canopy yesterday.

It was all painted and weathered with a little silver on the frames.

I got out the OZ version of Future and was about to slap it on the outside of the canopy when I realized that one way to avoid possible Future buildup in the corners of the frames might be to paint it on the canopy inside.

Which I did, and it turned out quite nice.

Allan in Canberra

[lancer]

I paint both the outside and the inside of the canopy with Klear. It helps with cutting down on the fogging.  

[John Howling Mouse]

Possibly another dumb question...  Okay, have read about this and have done it successfully:

Dipping canopy in Future/Klear to improve its clarity and protect its finish from crazing/fogging by CA glues.

But how does a clear acrylic finish actually improve clarity?  No matter how I wrap my mind around it, all I can imagine is that anything, no matter how apparently "clear," still has to have some impurities, etc.

How does applying a clear liquid to a clear piece of styrene magically improve it?

Is it because the Future evens out minute scratches, pits and other imperfections in the plastic?

:dum:  

[Jennings]

It fills in and smooths out microscopic scratches and flaws in the surface of the styrene.  Styrene comes out of a mold that is not perfectly smooth, so it is molded with flaws.  Styrene itself is not perfectly clear and free of imperfections.  The Future does the same thing to a clear styrene canopy that carnuba wax does to the paint finish on your car.  It smooths out the imperfections and gives it a shine.  Some of the "clearer" may in fact be optical illusion, but it does work..

J

[Eddie M.]

It's magic.  
   Eddie

[Gary]

Oh he got-cha good that time Baz!!!  

[AeroplaneDriver]

The fact is that Future/Kleer doesn't do a damn thing to the plastic, BUT it does have a smell that is almost irresistable to Grimble Gnomes.  Once you leave it to "cure" overnight and crawl into bed, the Grimble Gnomes climb out from their cave behind the fridge and work work their magic on the canopy.  This is not some great altruistic move on their part, they just rub themselves frantically on the source of the smell, resulting in a highly polished, super clear canopy.

You would know this if you read the fine print on the bottle.

[The Rat]

It's possible that the coating changes the refractive index slightly, the same way the coatings on quality optics allow for better light transmission.

And to me it kind of smells like green apples.    

[Leigh]

While dusting the other day I noticed that my once crystal clear canopies seem to be getting a dull coating almost exactly the same as a futured canopy will go after you wipe it with rubbing alcohol.
Does future lose it's lustre and need a touch up?

[noxioux]

I've only ever dipped a canopy if I've had to repolish it.  It seems pointless to do it to a healthy canopy--unless you're trying to add a shade of color (like that hip yellow tint on certain vipers).  But it really helps if you have to repolish a canopy, like to get rid of casting lines down the middle, that sort of crap.

[Jennings]

While dusting the other day I noticed that my once crystal clear canopies seem to be getting a dull coating almost exactly the same as a futured canopy will go after you wipe it with rubbing alcohol.
Does future lose it's lustre and need a touch up?

Does your kitchen floor?

J

[cletus spuckler]

The kitchen floor sees a lot more traffic than the cockpits of the planes, but the dust does cause a tarnish.....I haven't perfected a vacuum storage technique...yet.

cletus spuckler