Painting teensy-tiny lettering
mike hardy
I have a 1/20 auto with engine valve covers that include raised lettering
that I want to paint.
Valve cover (aluminum enamel):
----------------------------------
| |
| ---------------------------- |
| | | |
| | Raised Lettering |<--- 'Field' (black enamel)
| | ^ | |
| --------|-------------------- |
| | |
-----------|----------------------
|
Lettering (yellow enamel)
There's no way I can take a brush to the lettering because I'm not that
good (plus I don't have a brush with that fine of a tip; the lettering is
maybe a dozen or so brush hairs in width). What I was thinking was
slopping yellow all over the letters, letting it dry well then spraying
Metalizer Gun Metal over the lettering and field. Once that dries I'll
use ? to rub away the Gun Metal on the highest parts of the raised
lettering exposing the yellow underneath. The only problem is that I
would prefer to have the field black but I guess I can live w/Gun Metal.
There are other obstructions on the field that will prevent me from
applying the yellow to a smooth surface and then pressing that damp
surface against the lettering (which would be much better but will not
work in this case).
Can anyone give me some advice/tips for a better method? Or maybe advice
on my method so it will turn out better? Is there any kind of mask I
could apply over the raised lettering and then rub away so that only the
highest parts of the raised lettering are exposed? Would that be better
than my method (besides allowing me to us black for the field)?
Thanks...
Mike
--
------------------------
mhardy_mail@NO_SPAM@yahoo.com
Auntie Em: Hate you, hate Kansas, took the dog - Dorothy
jerry 47
off on a towel or rag. Then, lightly drag over the raised letters. Do it a
time or two and you'll get real good at it.
Jerry 47
"mike hardy" <no...@m.for_me.org> wrote in message
news:jbpu25j...@analog.net...
Bill Banaszak
on your covers. That works for me.
Bill Banaszak, MFE
Wayne C. Morris
wrote:
> I have a 1/20 auto with engine valve covers that include raised lettering
> that I want to paint.
...
> There's no way I can take a brush to the lettering because I'm not that
> good (plus I don't have a brush with that fine of a tip; the lettering is
> maybe a dozen or so brush hairs in width). What I was thinking was
> slopping yellow all over the letters, letting it dry well then spraying
> Metalizer Gun Metal over the lettering and field. Once that dries I'll
> use ? to rub away the Gun Metal on the highest parts of the raised
> lettering exposing the yellow underneath. The only problem is that I
> would prefer to have the field black but I guess I can live w/Gun Metal.
Dry-brushing is the traditional way to do it. Paint the background
black first and let it dry. Dip a fine paint brush in yellow paint,
then wipe it on a tissue or rag to remove most of the paint. Gently
drag the brush along the top of the raised lettering. Some of the
yellow paint will stick to the raised areas. Continue dry-brushing with
the yellow until the lettering is all done.
Another technique you can try is to paint the area with yellow *enamel*
or *lacquer*. Let it dry a few days, then paint over it with black
*acrylic*. Give it an hour or so to dry, then use an eraser to rub the
raised lettering; this should remove the black paint, exposing the
yellow.
CSRZ28
>I have a 1/20 auto with engine valve covers that include raised lettering
>that I want to paint.
>Can anyone give me some advice/tips for a better method? <...........>
As far as masking, you could paint the metal, then the field. After it all
dries, use BMF to cover your work, burnish very well and trim the lettering out
then apply the yellow.
I had a similar problem with script and logo on a 1/25 Viper. I took my
draftsmans eraser and trimmed the tip to use as a stamp. touched it to the
paint, patted it on paper a couple of thimes, to remove the excess then dabbed
it on the detail. Looks fine to me so in 1/20 it might/should be easier.
HTH
Chuck Ryan
Springfield, OH
the Legend of LAX
mike hardy wrote:
>
> I have a 1/20 auto with engine valve covers that include raised lettering
> that I want to paint.
--
Dale G Elhardt
Lakewood Ca
"A chicken coop has two doors because if it had four,
it would be a chicken sedan"
http://home.attbi.com/~laxet/
mike hardy
Thanks all.
I tried this too but after letting the final drop fall off the toothpick
before starting there was nothing left to paint with (or so tiny an amount
it would take forever). I thought about putting a small slit in the end
of the toothpick where a small amount of paint could wick into but gave
up...
Norm Dresner
>
> Nostradamus foretold that on Sun Mar 17 2002, the Legend of LAX would
write:
>
> > I use a toothpick with very little paint on it.
> >
> > mike hardy wrote:
> > >
> > > I have a 1/20 auto with engine valve covers that include raised
lettering
> > > that I want to paint.
> >
> > --
> > Dale G Elhardt
> > Lakewood Ca
> > "A chicken coop has two doors because if it had four,
> > it would be a chicken sedan"
> > http://home.attbi.com/~laxet/
>
>
> Thanks all.
>
> I tried this too but after letting the final drop fall off the toothpick
> before starting there was nothing left to paint with (or so tiny an
amount
> it would take forever). I thought about putting a small slit in the end
> of the toothpick where a small amount of paint could wick into but gave
> up...
>
> Mike
Your slit toothpick is on the right track. What you need to do is:
1) use a very smooth material
2) use a very thin material
If you doubt that this will work, take a look at the quill of a
fountain pen.
Norm