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By letpmar
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1643472
Is there anywhere to get our canopy polished professionally, it’s getting tatty and I would like to get rid of the scratches

Pete
By cockney steve
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1643505
In the late sixties, I used to fabricate the canopies for premature baby incubators. We used Oroglas (notorious involvement in the IoM "Summerlands" fire) which is Acrylic sheet that is less brittle than "Perspex." I think you could do a first-class job with ammonia-free automotive polishing compounds often referred to as "cutting compound"
various grades of foam pads and compounds are available (Farecla is the leading brand)

After machining we sanded and then polished on a buffing-wheel using Cannings bars of polishing "soap" After buffing, "Duraglit silver polish was used......"Silvo" or"Brasso" metal-polish on a soft piece of muslin cloth can also be used.
Deep scratches should be machine-buffed firstand the scratch "faired-in" over a fairly wide area....just polishing a finger-wide groove will certainly get rid of the scratch , but will introduce optical distortion. polish across the marks, not with them.

You may find a local car-valeter who specialises in "detailing" . These sort are usually capable of doing the work you require. The attention to detail and finis they achieve on show and custom vehicles is unbelievable......I think an aircraft windscreen would classify as a "rough job " to them, but the bill might tell a different story. HTH.
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1651088
If the perspex is yellowing as well, , then it's false economy to buff out any scratches, a new canopy is the only solution.

Peter
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By GrahamB
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1651112
There are kits for doing it yourself from places such as Transair.