Getting rid of seams of canopies

[amateurmodeler]

Hello all,

I've got two f-16s sitting here with seams smack down the middle of the canopies. How dow I get rid of them without affecting the clarity of the clear parts?

 

[ShutterAce]

Pick up a FlexiFile polishing stick and some plastic polish. Tape both sides of the seam o you don't scratch up the whole canopy and proceed to remove it by scraping it of with a blade. Not too deep though. Once you have the ridge line gone polish it out with the stick and polish. Be careful because the canopies break pretty easy.

 

[sunsanvil]

Hasegawa by any chance?. I did my 1/32 by first carefully sanding it down, as mentioned above trying to minimize the affected area, then I finished mine with ordinary toothpaste, a finger, and a bit of water....over and over and over until it was literally as clear as if it had never been there. Took a while I can tell you (but its the sort of thing you can do while watching TV ).

 

[amateurmodeler]

yep hasegawa!! also have a kinetic kit, with the same problem.

 

[Glorfindel]

Micro Mart sells a polishing kit that includes several grades of micro sanding papers that you use to work seams, scratches, and as I found out recently, helps remove paint off clear parts as well. The key to it is "polishing" with the sanding paper in one direction (left to right) then change up to the next highest grit paper going in the other direction (up and down). Then right to left again with another higher grit. And then up and down again with yet another higher grit, etc, etc...There are I believe six or seven different grits with the last feeling almost like silk. The final step is a compounding solution, with the consistency of Elmer's White Glue, that smooths out and fills in any micro abrasions left behind by the sanding. I've used this kit once and was pretty impressed with the method. Take your time and you can always re-apply your steps to get the canopy/clear parts looking the way you want it. Which is better then if you had left it alone with a gash mark on the windshield.