Trojan T28 Canopy Repair

Initial damage

 There is one final issue that I have not resolved yet in the reconstruction of my Airfield Trojan T28, and that is the canopy damage.  When my plane crashed, the canopy was ejected into the propeller (just before it completely shattered).  One of the propeller blades ripped through the front shattering it.  Fortunately it was still in one piece.

OK, it's in one piece, but how do I fix it?

Some Google searching came up with a solution that I decided to try. This solution involved using tape to hold things together while thin CA glue is used to repair the cracks.

Another view of the tape

Taped up

So, here I go.  These two photos show the clear tape that I used to cover and hold together the cracks.  The tape also allows you to see better the extent of the damage.

CA applied

Finished product

It's maybe a little hard to see in the photo on the left, but all of the cracks have been run over with regular thin CA glue.

The photo on the right shows the finished product after the tape has been removed.  Yes, it does look like it has been welded together, but it's together!  There is also some clouding of the plastic near the glue (you can see a little of it covering the pilot), but I should be able to buff some of it out.

While this appears to have worked very well there is one thing that I would do different.  If I have to do this again (and I'm sure that I will), I would tape it on the outside and glue it from the inside.  Why?  Well, the taped side left a nice smooth surface (surprisingly, the glue did not stick to the tape) while the glued side, well, feels like a raised weld seam.

Any way, I'm still very satisfied with the results.  Especially since it saved me from buying a whole new cockpit (plastic, foam, and pilot).

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Please feel free to post comments, good or bad, and be sure to come back and check for future posts.