Windshield Haze

[Kyle Boatright]

I've noticed that the windscreen and canopy on my RV-6 has developed a haze
on its exterior.

The history of the canopy is that the canopy was manufactured about 7 years
ago, with the airplane first flying about 5 years ago. The airplane has
always been hangared (other than the occasional overnight stay somewhere),
and has been treated properly during its life. My cleaner of choice is
Plexus, which Aircraft Spruce and several other outlets sell for aircraft
canopies.

The only things I can imagine that could have caused the haze on the canopy
is either the plexus, exposure to corvis oil (the smoky stuff) at airshows,
or some sort of airborne contaminant in my hangar (e.g. a neighbor spray
painting).

For what it is worth, the canopy doesn't have any scratches, so I probably
don't need an aggressive abraisive cleaner.

The bottom line is that I'm interested in removing this haze layer. Any
recommendations?

Thanks,

KB

[Denny]

Actually you do need an 'aggressive abrasive cleaner'...
Whatever is attacking the acrylic is bonded to the surface.. You need
to grind that away and then polish the new surface...

cheers ... denny

[john smith]

In article . com>,
"Denny" > wrote:

> Actually you do need an 'aggressive abrasive cleaner'...
> Whatever is attacking the acrylic is bonded to the surface.. You need
> to grind that away and then polish the new surface...

Micro Mesh?

[Denny]

john smith wrote:
> Micro Mesh?

And elbow grease...

[B A R R Y]

Kyle Boatright wrote:
>
> The bottom line is that I'm interested in removing this haze layer. Any
> recommendations?


Know any local classic car / hot rod die-hards?

Those folks are often very familiar with all kinds of cool products to
restore mechanical things. Chances are they will know of products and
techniques to get your canopy crystal clear and sparkling. In some
cases, they work with parts that are very difficult, or even impossible,
to replace.

[Mike Noel]

It would be interesting to know if there are any sources of chemical vapors
nearby that could have caused the hazing. If they are strong enough to
damage your canopy, perhaps they are also a hazard to metals and your body.

--
Best Regards,
Mike

http://photoshow.comcast.net/mikenoel

Suppose you were an idiot... And suppose you were the president... But I
repeat myself.
-- with apologies to Mark Twain.

'The first rule of intelligent tinkering is save all the pieces.' - Aldo
Leopold

'Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf
is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps.'
- Tiger Woods

"Denny" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Actually you do need an 'aggressive abrasive cleaner'...
> Whatever is attacking the acrylic is bonded to the surface.. You need
> to grind that away and then polish the new surface...
>
> cheers ... denny
>

[tony roberts]

Hi Kyle

I don't recall the name of the product but it is easy to find - most
Harley dealers carry it and it is for removing the haze and small
scratches from motorbike windshields. It comes in a white plastic
squeeze bottle with red writing. They make one for haze and two for
different levels of scratches. Awesome stuff - takes a fair amount of
work but the results on my old windows was excellent.

HTH

Tony
C-GICE

--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

In article >,
"Kyle Boatright" > wrote:

> I've noticed that the windscreen and canopy on my RV-6 has developed a haze
> on its exterior.
>
> The history of the canopy is that the canopy was manufactured about 7 years
> ago, with the airplane first flying about 5 years ago. The airplane has
> always been hangared (other than the occasional overnight stay somewhere),
> and has been treated properly during its life. My cleaner of choice is
> Plexus, which Aircraft Spruce and several other outlets sell for aircraft
> canopies.
>
> The only things I can imagine that could have caused the haze on the canopy
> is either the plexus, exposure to corvis oil (the smoky stuff) at airshows,
> or some sort of airborne contaminant in my hangar (e.g. a neighbor spray
> painting).
>
> For what it is worth, the canopy doesn't have any scratches, so I probably
> don't need an aggressive abraisive cleaner.
>
> The bottom line is that I'm interested in removing this haze layer. Any
> recommendations?
>
> Thanks,
>
> KB

[Guy Byars]

You can also use a product called Mirror Glaze. It comes in two flavors,
one in a white squeeze bottle has a mild abrasive for scratch removal.
Another flavor comes in a blue/grey bottle and is for regular cleaning.

You spread it on, let it dry and buff it off. Lots of work, but works well.

http://www.meguiars.com/?home-clear-plastic-care/Mirror-Glaze-Clear-Plastic-Cleaner

Good Luck...

Guy


"tony roberts" > wrote in message
news:nospam-D71DE8.21522029062006@shawnews...
> Hi Kyle
>
> I don't recall the name of the product but it is easy to find - most
> Harley dealers carry it and it is for removing the haze and small
> scratches from motorbike windshields. It comes in a white plastic
> squeeze bottle with red writing. They make one for haze and two for
> different levels of scratches. Awesome stuff - takes a fair amount of
> work but the results on my old windows was excellent.
>
> HTH
>
> Tony
> C-GICE
>
> --
>
> Tony Roberts
> PP-ASEL
> VFR OTT
> Night
> Cessna 172H C-GICE
>
> In article >,
> "Kyle Boatright" > wrote:
>
> > I've noticed that the windscreen and canopy on my RV-6 has developed a
haze
> > on its exterior.
> >
> > The history of the canopy is that the canopy was manufactured about 7
years
> > ago, with the airplane first flying about 5 years ago. The airplane has
> > always been hangared (other than the occasional overnight stay
somewhere),
> > and has been treated properly during its life. My cleaner of choice is
> > Plexus, which Aircraft Spruce and several other outlets sell for
aircraft
> > canopies.
> >
> > The only things I can imagine that could have caused the haze on the
canopy
> > is either the plexus, exposure to corvis oil (the smoky stuff) at
airshows,
> > or some sort of airborne contaminant in my hangar (e.g. a neighbor spray
> > painting).
> >
> > For what it is worth, the canopy doesn't have any scratches, so I
probably
> > don't need an aggressive abraisive cleaner.
> >
> > The bottom line is that I'm interested in removing this haze layer. Any
> > recommendations?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > KB

[pbc76049]

Ok Kyle,
The first thing to do is to not panic and jump into a
mechanical repair involving material removal, sanding, polishing.
The first thing I would do is to get a bit of METHANLOL and see
if the film is removable. Methanol doesn't hurt acrylic in the least.
If that doesn't work, ues V&PM Naptha, Use soft cotton to clean it,
I use flannel from Walmart. My experience is that the stuff is usually on
the
INSIDE of the bubble and are products fron the sublimation of the plastics
in the interior of the airplane. DEFINATELY solvent wipe stuff before
you get out the polishing compounds.

Another thing that few bother with is to use a canopy cover to keep dust
off the canopy. Most dust is pretty acidic, remember acid rain and car
paint jobs.
Get a big soft piece of flannel at Walmart and keep it on the plane when you
arent flying it.
Plexiglass generates static electric charges and pulls dust out of the air
when it sits.

Oh Yeah, I make canopies and acrylic stuff for a day job, so you can take
this for what it is worth

--
Have a great day

Scott


"Kyle Boatright" > wrote in message
. ..
> I've noticed that the windscreen and canopy on my RV-6 has developed a
> haze on its exterior.
>
> The history of the canopy is that the canopy was manufactured about 7
> years ago, with the airplane first flying about 5 years ago. The airplane
> has always been hangared (other than the occasional overnight stay
> somewhere), and has been treated properly during its life. My cleaner of
> choice is Plexus, which Aircraft Spruce and several other outlets sell for
> aircraft canopies.
>
> The only things I can imagine that could have caused the haze on the
> canopy is either the plexus, exposure to corvis oil (the smoky stuff) at
> airshows, or some sort of airborne contaminant in my hangar (e.g. a
> neighbor spray painting).
>
> For what it is worth, the canopy doesn't have any scratches, so I probably
> don't need an aggressive abraisive cleaner.
>
> The bottom line is that I'm interested in removing this haze layer. Any
> recommendations?
>
> Thanks,
>
> KB
>
>

[Kyle Boatright]

"tony roberts" > wrote in message
news:nospam-D71DE8.21522029062006@shawnews...
> Hi Kyle
>
> I don't recall the name of the product but it is easy to find - most
> Harley dealers carry it and it is for removing the haze and small
> scratches from motorbike windshields. It comes in a white plastic
> squeeze bottle with red writing. They make one for haze and two for
> different levels of scratches. Awesome stuff - takes a fair amount of
> work but the results on my old windows was excellent.
>
> HTH
>
> Tony
> C-GICE

This was the ticket! We have a brand new Harley Dealership nearby and they
carried their cleaner/polish and their plain 'ol cleaner. The
cleaner/polish really did the job. It took a minute or two to clean each
6"x6" area of the canopy. Afterwards, I followed up with the cleaner, which
is inexpensive ($3.95/bottle) and does just as good a job as the Plexus I
normally use at a fraction of the price. I'd say the pump spray bottle from
the Harley shop has 2x the cleaner in it as an aersol can of Plexus, which
costs ~$8.00 or so.

The cleaner/polish was $5.95/bottle.

Highly recommended for slightly hazy plexi...

KB

[Brien K. Meehan]

Guy Byars wrote:
> You can also use a product called Mirror Glaze.

I use that stuff. I love it.

I just cleaned all my windows, inside and out, before going to the
International Freedom Festival fireworks in Detroit / WIndsor. I
thought my windows were in great shape before, but DANG, what a
difference it made!