[AIR]: Help with masking
Ron Headon
the dining room table (which was covered in modelling paraphernalia) with
the bottoms of various plastic flower pots cut up and distributed liberally
over the floor. Why? Because I was trying to airbrush the front half of the
spinner on my 1:72 Hurricane - and the plastic flower pots had various sized
holes in the bottom which I was trying for size over the front end of the
spinner to try and mask off the rest of it. Was I successful? Well, what do
you think?! That's right, bits of paint managed to squeeze their way between
the bit of plastic flower pot and the spinner and instead of a nice crisp
straight demarcation line I've got a Hurricane with an unsightly blob of
orange on the nose. So how do I do this? Wrapping a thin strip of masking
tape round it doesn't work because the spinner is conical in shape. Oh, and
the whole exercise is complicated by the fact that the propellor blades are
already in place so anything I place over the spinner is obstructed by the
prop. What do the rest of you do? The only way out I can see is to
hand-paint it - but I'm sure there must be another way if only I knew what
it was.
Please help before I lose patience!!!!!
Thanks in advance as always
Ron Headon
Swindon, England
Frank Koval
One method which I've used successfully is to paint the base color as
usual then to paint the tip color chuck the prop/spinner mounting pin in
a drill press and dip the tip into a bottle of paint. You get even
coverage and a perfectly straight demarc line. Just make sure your
press is level. If you don't have a drill press--improvise. Maybe some
brass tubing through a pair of wooden/plastic guides. This jig could
also be used to paint stripes on your underwing ordnance or whatever.
Good luck.
Frank
rv_r...@yahoo.com
by using the tiny rubber bands used on kid's braces to get a sharp
demarcation line. I don't have any idea where to get a supply of these
rubber bands, but I thought about trying the technique using a small
rubber o-ring instead (I haven't tried it yet, though). Possibly this
could work for masking spinners too. Good luck with your project.
R. V. Russo
In article <8aragd$i04$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk>,
--
R.V. Russo
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Al Superczynski
<ron_s...@headon8.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>I was trying to airbrush the front half of the
>spinner on my 1:72 Hurricane...
<snip>
>So how do I do this?
Try poking a small hole in a piece of plastic cling wrap and
using that to mask off the tip.
HTH,
Al Superczynski, MFE
IPMS/USA #3795, continuous since 1968
Check out my want and disposal lists at "Al's Place":
http://www.up-link.net/~modeleral
"Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to,
and the critics will flame you every time."
Jesús Alvarez
I know that feeling!
About 2 o 3 years ago, Art Murray gave me I think one of the best tips for
masking small curvature surfaces (Compund curves) I've ever used when I was
trying to paint a couple of yellow bands (1/32") for 12 bombs in 1/72nd
for the A6-A Intruder.
The trick is very easy:
1. Paint your line color, let it dry,
2. Cut the masking tape (I use Tamiya) of the proper width.
3. And the trick goes here....
make small transverse cuts where the tape is going to be wider (not to cut
all the way the tape), the secret here is to allow the tape to conform to
the wider radious without deforming the straight line. (Sort of difficult to
explain... I´m a spanish speaker)
4. carefully aplly the tape,
5. If there is some blanks where the cuts are, fill them with some liquid
masking material
6. Paint the color of the base (In this case the spinner), let it dry,
7. Remove the tape
8. Admire your work!, I´ll bet you everyone is going to ask you how it was
painted.
I hope you use this tip as much as I used it!
If you have further questions, please contact me, I´ll try to make myself
clearer.
By the way, Art, this tip you gave me, is one of the most used by me (and
had save me tons of work and time and save my family from indecent language
in spanish & english of course) , thank you again.
Art if you are around, Could you better explain in a more undestandable
english the technique? (I think I've did not explained it very clear).
HTH
Regards
Jesús
"Ron Headon" <ron_s...@headon8.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8aragd$i04$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
> You wouldn't believe the trouble I've had with this one. I was sitting at
> the dining room table (which was covered in modelling paraphernalia) with
> the bottoms of various plastic flower pots cut up and distributed
liberally
> over the floor. Why? Because I was trying to airbrush the front half of
the
Mike
>
What do the rest of you do? The only way out I can see is to
> hand-paint it - but I'm sure there must be another way if only I knew what
> it was.
>
> Please help before I lose patience!!!!!
As Al has said you can try punching a hole through cling wrap or
plastic(I like using plastic shopping bags myself). It only needs to be
a small hole, you then force the spinner through it, stretching the
plastic tightly around the spinner. Just make sure the spinner goes
through evenly, you may need a few attempts but at least it's a cheap
technique.
Another technique I use, especially when doing multiple stripes is to
glue a piece of sprue into the spinner so that I can spin it evenly.
Spray the spinner the base colour(lightest first usually) and once it's
dry, cover the whole spinner in liquid mask. I then mount a sharp(read
new) blade onto a series of washers until I get it to the height I want.
By placing the tip of the spinner on my glass and pressing it against
the blade as I spin it I can cut an even line through the mask, the add
or remove a washer to finish the other side of the line. I finally
remove the mask in between the two cuts and spraying that area. Here's a
diagram:
* * - sprue
* v - spinner
v * v __ - blade
v * v _______ W - washers
v v WWWWW X - glass(or any flat smooth surface)
v WWWWW
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
--
Mike Dougherty
Toronto, Ont.
Canada
IPMS C4928
low guy on the pole at
IPMS/"Buzz" Beurling
http://HedgehogHollow.COM/ipms/
Art Murray
>
> By the way, Art, this tip you gave me, is one of the most used by me (and
> had save me tons of work and time and save my family from indecent language
> in spanish & english of course) , thank you again.
My pleasure!
> Art if you are around, Could you better explain in a more undestandable
> english the technique? (I think I've did not explained it very clear).>
I think you explained it very well.
> Jesús
In the case of spinners, there is another way to do it:
Simply reverse your process. Paint the tip first, covering an
area slightly larger than needed. Let it dry. Then wrap a piece
of drafting tape around the tip at the point of demarcation.
Extend the tape in the direction of the nose of the spinner.
Because the tip is a smaller diameter than the area where the
tape makes contact, there is no deformation of the tape. It even
provides a "handle" to hold onto while you paint the base of the
spinner and the prop blades.
Hope this helps.
Art
Jeff Garbutt
> Ron,
>
> One method which I've used successfully is to paint the base color as
> usual then to paint the tip color chuck the prop/spinner mounting pin in
> a drill press and dip the tip into a bottle of paint. You get even
> coverage and a perfectly straight demarc line. Just make sure your
> press is level. If you don't have a drill press--improvise. Maybe some
> brass tubing through a pair of wooden/plastic guides. This jig could
> also be used to paint stripes on your underwing ordnance or whatever.
> Good luck.
>
> Frank
>
Now this is a cool idea! I am definitely giving this one a shot.
Frank, how would you go about making those crazy stripes that you see
occasionally on WW 2 Luft? You know the ones where if you looked at the
spinner you would find yourself "growing sleepy, very sleepy etc." I
wanted to do this style on the spinners for a HS 129 B-1.
Jeff
Frank Koval
Remember those things we used before CD players--turntables? Attach
your spinner to the center, spin, and add color. You'll need to fill
the prop cutouts with milliput or a thin plug of CA--these are
relatively easy to punch out afterward. Paint the spinner flat white.
On the turntable add the black. I'm a big fan of ink for black and use
a drafting pen to drag the black down the spinner--lots of control and
no paint build-up. Repeate until you have the width you want. The slow
speed of the turntable will prevent your ink migrating from centrifugal
effects. Your final top coat, clear flat or gloss, will get rid any
prism effects in your ink coat. Also, you will need a platform on which
to rest/steady your hand--a shallow table will do. Be creative! Have
fun!
Frank
Frank
Tom Gourlie
a shaft for mounting to the airplane, try holding the paint brush to
the area to be painted, while turning (spinning) the prop in the other
hand, sort of a lathe action. If it has a hole for mounting, try
inserting a round toothpick or other suitable object into the whole,
and do the same thing.
Some folks like to do something similar using a motor tool,
but I find that that's a bit too fast for me.
Hope this helps,
Tom Gourlie
Jeff Garbutt
> Jeff,
>
> Remember those things we used before CD players--turntables? Attach
> your spinner to the center, spin, and add color.
Thanks Frank,
I'll try this
Regards,
Jeff
Ron Headon
responses and great ideas. My Hurricane no longer has an unsightly orange
blob on the end of it's nose and is now in a far happier frame of mind. So
am I !!
Kind regards
Ron Headon
Swindon, England
Ron Headon <ron_s...@headon8.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8aragd$i04$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
> You wouldn't believe the trouble I've had with this one. I was sitting at
> the dining room table (which was covered in modelling paraphernalia) with
> the bottoms of various plastic flower pots cut up and distributed
liberally
> over the floor. Why? Because I was trying to airbrush the front half of
the
> spinner on my 1:72 Hurricane - and the plastic flower pots had various
sized
> holes in the bottom which I was trying for size over the front end of the
> spinner to try and mask off the rest of it. Was I successful? Well, what
do
> you think?! That's right, bits of paint managed to squeeze their way
between
> the bit of plastic flower pot and the spinner and instead of a nice crisp
> straight demarcation line I've got a Hurricane with an unsightly blob of
> orange on the nose. So how do I do this? Wrapping a thin strip of masking
> tape round it doesn't work because the spinner is conical in shape. Oh,
and
> the whole exercise is complicated by the fact that the propellor blades
are
> already in place so anything I place over the spinner is obstructed by the
> prop. What do the rest of you do? The only way out I can see is to
> hand-paint it - but I'm sure there must be another way if only I knew what
> it was.
>
> Please help before I lose patience!!!!!
>