Canopy Frame and Skin

Despite my best efforts, my canopy frame, with skin and braces installed, ends up being 1/8" less in width than my fuselage (1/16" on both sides). This is only at the front, where the side rails meet the front canopy frame (where the canopy skin is). The My efforts to "stretch" it using a car jack have failed and I am hesitant to put more pressure on it.

Can some epoxy mixture around the side curves of the canopy skin take care of this properly?

In a related question, I noticed that some canopy skins look like they have been completely covered with fiberglass and/or epoxy mixture (Bruce Swayze, for instance). I know it is part of the plans to fiberglass the canopy skin where it transitions to the glass, but some of the pictures I have seen look like the entire canopy skin is smooth as glass, with no rivets showing. How are people doing this and how does it hold up? If this is doable, I think it would take care of my problem and allow my canopy skin to come down even with my fuselage side skins.

Let's start with this; slider or tipup, front or rear?

I do not know the answer to your question but I wanted to say that I spent two weeks trying to get my canopy frame bent into shape. I finally decided to cut it in a couple of places so I could bend the pieces without it flexing anywhere else. In an hour I had it shaped and welded back together. This may not be for everybody as I have quite a bit of experience welding chrome moly steel.

Dbro172 said:

Let's start with this; slider or tipup, front or rear?

Click to expand...

Tipup, front

macrafic said:

Tipup, front

Click to expand...

I posted in your other thread - when I bent the canopy frame (forward) in the hydraulic press, it deformed a lot before spring back to shape. You will have to grit your teeth and force it to bend, carefully measuring each time, or use body filler. It depends on what you are willing to tolerate. I was going to fix it or else. Or else replace it. It bent, what else could it do?