This has somewhat been covered in other threads, but the following is what worked for me.
My RV-4 kit/project is probably from the late 90's. I hauled it home in 2006 and it had already been through multiple owners. So we are talking about a 15 - 20 year old canopy.
The canopy was protected by some layers of film or coating. I applied a layer of Discoat (ACS) over the existing film in the hope that it would bind and help pull off the old protective layer. No such luck. (BTW, the secret to easily remove Discoat is a thick layer of it.)
After spending hours scraping enough of off the old layer to reach the adhesive that is relatively easy to remove with mineral spirits, square inch by square inch on the rear area, I tried a combination of what had be previously suggested:
I put rags soaked in mineral spirits over areas of the canopy, then covered those with plastic and let sit in direct sunlight (Florida, August) for maybe 20-30 minutes. The plastic prevents the mineral spirits from evaporating and helps heat up the canopy/film.
The film will crease (bubble) and can easily be rinsed off with water or wiped off with a rag (in non-important areas). (One could assume that the film may include or cover dust or other abrasive particles, so rinsing with water is probably safest in optically important areas.)
The important factor here is the heat. Where it felt really hot to the touch I could rinse it right off. Cooler areas required rubbing with a rag or a fingernail, or reapplication of rags, plastic and heat.
A heat gun should work, but I don't trust myself with it
The option of using a steamer should also work, but I currently have the free sunlight
Anyway, works for me. Couple of hours for about 3/4 of the canopy. A lot better than weeks of scraping with nails or a plastic spatula.
Finn
My RV-4 kit/project is probably from the late 90's. I hauled it home in 2006 and it had already been through multiple owners. So we are talking about a 15 - 20 year old canopy.
The canopy was protected by some layers of film or coating. I applied a layer of Discoat (ACS) over the existing film in the hope that it would bind and help pull off the old protective layer. No such luck. (BTW, the secret to easily remove Discoat is a thick layer of it.)
After spending hours scraping enough of off the old layer to reach the adhesive that is relatively easy to remove with mineral spirits, square inch by square inch on the rear area, I tried a combination of what had be previously suggested:
I put rags soaked in mineral spirits over areas of the canopy, then covered those with plastic and let sit in direct sunlight (Florida, August) for maybe 20-30 minutes. The plastic prevents the mineral spirits from evaporating and helps heat up the canopy/film.
The film will crease (bubble) and can easily be rinsed off with water or wiped off with a rag (in non-important areas). (One could assume that the film may include or cover dust or other abrasive particles, so rinsing with water is probably safest in optically important areas.)
The important factor here is the heat. Where it felt really hot to the touch I could rinse it right off. Cooler areas required rubbing with a rag or a fingernail, or reapplication of rags, plastic and heat.
A heat gun should work, but I don't trust myself with it
The option of using a steamer should also work, but I currently have the free sunlight
Anyway, works for me. Couple of hours for about 3/4 of the canopy. A lot better than weeks of scraping with nails or a plastic spatula.
Finn
