Fellow Aerobats,
In keeping with the spirit of information sharing on this forum, I offer my recent discovery as my contribution...
I just finished my 28% Extra 300 (87" WS) and noticed that during storage my canopy had a wealth of scratches on its surface.
Following an earlier post, I tried toothpaste and rubbing compound with OK results. I still was not satisfied.
I happened into WalMart and saw a product (tall yellow bottle) called "Scratch-Out" from Kit. The label calls it a
scratch and haze remover. A 7oz bottle cost me around $2.
I took it home and applied liberal amounts on the canopy with gauze in a circular fashion and was amazed with the results.
Encouraged by these results, I tried Scratch-Out on my Monokote-covered 1/12-scale Bearcat and it got rid of much of the little
swirl marks and left a mirror-like finish. I got the same results with Ultracote. The added benefit of applying it on Ultracote is
that is greatly improves the finish making it much less dull. Going for broke, I used it on paint (cowl/wheelpants) with similar
results acting as a very fine polishing compound. The results can be accentuated with the use of a spray wax such as "WET".
I do not know what long term effects it may have on these finishes, or what happens over repeated uses. If I find that the product
has other benefits or causes damage I'll report the findings here as well. I'm sure that there are similar products and compounds that
can do the job, but for $2 - Scratch-Out gets my vote!
Be Well, Fly Better,
Marc Spicer
mdspicer@mindspring.com
co-CD, 3rd Annual Capitol IMAC
Solko Field, Bowie, Maryland
July 17-18, 1999