<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Right on, Earl. If people are going to paint the canopy anyways, then there's no advantage to the heavy acetate.</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">--Lance</font>
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<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>EHaury@aol.com</b></font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Sent by: discussion-request@nsrca.org</font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">03/20/2003 03:50 PM</font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Please respond to discussion</font>
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<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif"> To: discussion@nsrca.org</font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif"> cc: </font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif"> Subject: Re: Focus Canopy Painting</font></table>
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<br><font size=2 face="Arial">Plastic canopy forming involves heat to soften the material sufficiently to draw it over a plug for shaping. A black canopy can easily reach the same temps in the sun. A large canopy may sag when softened, smaller ones may distort due to mounting stresses.<br>
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Anyway, a sure fix is to use the stock canopy as a plug. Simply glue the flange to a backer board, wax, apply PVA and lay up a fiberglass mold. Use the mold to fabricate a glass canopy. I use 2 layers of 3/4 oz, 3 layers 3 oz S-glass and a few CF "ribbons" vacuum bagged into the mold. (Bleeder cloth and absorbent backing in the bag to minimize resin.) West 205 laminating epoxy works well. The glass canopy weighs about one-fourth to one-third that of the plastic version and is much less heat sensitive. An easy way to reduce weight and not at all as hard as it may seem to do.<br>
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Earl</font>
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