Advice for cleaning aircraft perspex/acrylic windows?

I can help you with that. Have a look in your mail box.

Alan

Scout windows

A bit late in the day I suppose, but where did you source the windows. We are at present restoring ex-XR603 as the Australian Navy N8-102 and need a port side sliding window. (The one which was always cracked by the door-stay)

David

It definately can become so hard over time that only meths will touch it. I have seen the results of a ‘only meths will shift it’ canopy and it was crystal clear – no crazing, wrinkling etc. at all.

Thanks for clearing that up. You having seen it though, I think you’d agree that my canopy WAS an extreme case! 😎

An extract from Air Publication 101B-1301-1A “Hunter F Mk.6 & 6A Aircraft Servicing Manual” should help.

All depends exactly how hard it has become I suspect. It definately can become so hard over time that only meths will touch it. I have seen the results of a ‘only meths will shift it’ canopy and it was crystal clear – no crazing, wrinkling etc. at all.

Would be wise to try the “warm soapy water” first though – I presume the heat from the water will soften the latex? In theory.

rags in water is best, have just used the same method on a couple of windows and it comes off a treat. It’s best to leave it until it’s a very pale coffee colour before you start trying to take it off.

The new plex is covered in latex to protect it – I’d be very surprised if water would do anything other than run off, considering things like kitchen gloves are made of latex 😀

The paint we used at Fleetlands was a grey latex-based paint. The de-humidified storage facility sucked all of the moisture out of the paint and left it hard. Soaking it in water re-hydrated it and allowed it to be peeled off.

Depends what sort of latex you have, I suppose. I’d still be very averse to using any form of chemical first.

cleaning aircraft windows

PPA Ltd manufacture and repair aircraft windows. Please do not use any petrol, meths or other petroleum based or solvent based cleaners on acrylic windows. They will stress craze and shatter as soon as the window becomes subject to any stress or temperature variation.

There are a number of products you can use which are readily available. First try brasso, or a 3M cream called finesse-it. If you want any advice please e:mail [email]info@ppagroup.net[/email]

As I say, if it was me I’d still rather try the rags soaked in water method first. You’ve got nothing to lose, other than a few hours waiting for the water to soak in. If the panels are in the grey paint as applied at Fleetlands (high possibility considering it is Scout stuff) then it does work. If it doesn’t, then obviously resort to meths.

The new plex is covered in latex to protect it – I’d be very surprised if water would do anything other than run off, considering things like kitchen gloves are made of latex 😀

After spending many hours on my Hunter canopy which was absolutely plastered in age-hardened latex, I can vouch that Meths is the least aggressive solvent that will budge the stuff.

We used to use Solvol Autosol for Perspex radar plotting screens.

Good old WD40 . would be worth a try on a small sample area .

as mentioned thou, Tcut is very good for Acrylics and polycarbonate

As I say, if it was me I’d still rather try the rags soaked in water method first. You’ve got nothing to lose, other than a few hours waiting for the water to soak in. If the panels are in the grey paint as applied at Fleetlands (high possibility considering it is Scout stuff) then it does work. If it doesn’t, then obviously resort to meths.

Hello
Does anybody know of a way of removing the rubbery soloution from acrylic windows? I have picked up a couple of new old stock windows for my Westland Scout and it is proving very difficult to remove the original protective coating, as it has gone hard through age. Obviously I have to be carefull of the windows surface so I cannot use anything too harsh.
Thanks
Simon.

As David says, Methylated Spirit is the stuff to use.

I had a new canopy for the Hunter which was plastered in the stuff that had gone hard with age. Apply Meths liberally, leave to soak and if you are really lucky, you will be able to peel off the now softish and rubbery covering. Very stubborn areas need a scraper – I used a soft scraper used for getting ice off car windscreens.

Took me two solid days to do the inside and out of the Hunter canopy. :rolleyes:

Cleaning Perspex

I have been working with perspex [Clear Acrylic] for 20 years as an architectural modelmaker and it is quite resilient material.
Lexan is NOT perspex its only similarity is that it is clear! and if you try and polish this material it is quite soft and will never be clear again.

I would get some wet and dry and sand it off and then go through the grades
to 1200 grit and buff it back up using perspex polish [ available from Hamar Acrylics London] or something like brasso which will do a similar thing and will bring it back to perfectly clear.

Try and avoid using chemicals as sometimes it crazes [ white spirit for example ]
is quite bad.

Regards

Graham

I wouldn’t go trying any form of chemical, to be honest. If this is the grey rubber paint then it’s the same stuff we applied to Scouts, Lynx and Gazelles when they were in storage at Fleetlands. Horrible stuff, especially when it got into things like the vent louvre on the rear door of a Gazelle 😡

IIRC the best thing was to simply apply rags soaked in water and leave it to soak. This re-hydrates the paint (don’t forget it will invariably have been stored in a de-humidified atmosphere which dries everything out) and allows it to be gently rubbed off. Unfortunately there’s no quick way around it.

For polishing we used Greys Plastic Polish which comes in small glass bottles, is white and smells like aniseed.

Hope that helps.

Lee

Not aircraft related really, But having worked for Hella lighting in Banbury for many years before it closed last year.
producing lexan polycarb front headlight Lens for the car industry,
on the production line they used to polish out any small scuffs etc with T.CUT.
they also used this method on the rear light lens that are made from Acrylics.
not sure how this would work on aircraft canopies .

Hi try here

http://www.globalair.com/discussions/phillip/article~/msgID=617

petrol will shatter LEXAN

Methylated spirits should be alright. I have used petrol on an RV acrylic canopy without any harm done.