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what does it mean to mask a car for paint?

Masking Techniques & Short Cuts past Pat Army camp

Masking a model for painting can be a real drudge. Y'all might spend what seems an age getting everything ready and and so find applying the pigment takes just an instant and the next thing you know you are removing all that material that you had put so much time and effort into applying. And so anything that cuts down on this is bound to be useful. I'll write equally if we are talking virtually masking an aircraft model, just obviously the techniques tin can be applied to any subject, including figurines.

Let's start with the masking of cavities in the aircraft, such equally cockpits and wheel wells, before applying the principal colour to the model. Pieces of sponge cream, such equally that used for packaging, can be pressed inside. My preference, yet, is moistened Kleenex tissue folded up to fit in place. I then employ some diluted white PVA glue to the surface to house it upward and end information technology from falling out in one case the tissue dries. (When yous come to remove the tissue, wet it first then information technology will come up out hands). Y'all may sometimes want to shut the gap around the crenel, so a piece of card can be trimmed to fit the opening and pressed in, on acme of the tissue, I have also used micromesh, rather than card, and information technology has worked well. Y'all may demand to terminate off by using liquid masking fluid to get a neat edge.

Small details tin can also exist masked off using masking fluid. Humbrol's Maskol is the about mutual variety, but note that it contains ammonia that will act to dissolve Johnson's Klear, so avoid using this fluid over transparencies that take been treated in this way. I also have some Ambroid E Z Mask (which, unsurprisingly, is American), a bluish coloured liquid mask that tin be trimmed to shape with a scalpel blade when gear up. I have had big problems using this over large areas, simply it is okay for masking pocket-sized areas so long as they practice not accept delicate details as you may have to get barbarous in removing the mask. I have also purchased some Microscale Micromask that is supposed to practise much the same equally E Z Mask, but have non yet given it a endeavour. Annotation that liquid masking fluids can be useful for sealing up any gaps you may accept inadvertently left (or tin arise later as sometimes the tape starts to lift off) with masking tape (or any other fabric we will be talking about later). So information technology tin exist useful to slap some of this stuff over your masking to make certain everything is sealed up before applying pigment.

Blu-Tack (or similar product) is also useful for masking purposes. Makes that do not leave a stain are best suited to our needs. It can be applied to small details and teased into position using a cocktail stick. Information technology can also be rolled into "sausages" and applied to the model at the edge of camouflaged areas: the diameter of the sausage controls the amount of feathering you get along the edge. If you want a abrupt edge, so it is amend to use record or liquid mask. Y'all volition then need to fill the spaces betwixt the sausages that are not to be painted and there are some options here. You could employ liquid mask. For flattish areas you could use paper masks, and this includes copying out the cover-up blueprint from the kit instructions (correcting for size) and cut pieces out from this. Frisk Film is a transparent or tinted film with a low forcefulness tack agglutinative that is specifically made for making airbrush masks or stencils (I discover the edge of the film – where it has been exposed to air – often lacks any stick and so information technology is best to trim the edge abroad). Another choice is "Dizzy Putty" that tin can be teased into shape and does not exit any residues behind (whereas materials such as Plasticene can leave oily marks).

Click here to view larger imageAll of the above are "stock-still masks". "Loose masks" are also valuable, and these are intended to be moved from place to place or where you are working on a localised area. "Post-It Notes" are one of the most useful, only even a piece of card held in place by hand or Blu-Tack can exist used. Annotation that the sharpness of the paint border relates to the distance the mask is held higher up the model, which in some instances is useful and in others a nuisance. The mask can be cutting to a particular curve (I ofttimes do this during an airbrushing session: you don't have to set up everything in advance). You lot tin also tear the loose mask to go a feathered edge which can be useful. A related idea is to pierce holes in newspaper and employ this as a loose mask when applying a mottled camouflage scheme.

Quite ofttimes you may have practical the main color to your model and at present want to paint some item (such as the olfactory organ of a jet) and need to mask off most of the model. A quick and easy way to practice this is to use a polythene bag (sandwich numberless are specially good). Cutting away a corner and put the model in the handbag with the olfactory organ protruding from the cut corner. Seal around the hole with masking tape. Another useful material for this is Clingfilm. Utilize either in large pieces to cover an entire wing, or in strips wound around the fuselage. Tape downwards the end of the Clingfilm to terminate it unwinding. This technique is particularly useful for figure painting, every bit you can mask off modest awkwardly shaped pieces (bent artillery and legs) quite hands and without leaving behind any adhesive residues on the surface. However, definitely slap some liquid mask over the top to make sure all gaps are sealed off.

Terminal, but past no means to the lowest degree, we come to the art of masking canopies. The easiest solution (I hope, having just purchased some, only non nevertheless tried them) is to use pre-cutting masks. Eduard are the virtually well known, but Montex and Black-Box (Meteor Productions) also do them. Y'all may have to use a liquid mask to fill in parts of the glazing, and so note the indicate made before if you take used Johnson's Klear. Talking about Montex, annotation you tin now obtain masking sets for detail kits that include national markings, serial codes and bicycle masks so you can paint these on. I think that is a terrific idea, and have purchased a set of USN national markings to endeavour out on a 1/48 scale F4U Corsair (these ones actually came from Eduard).

Tamiya Masking Tape 6mmYou can also use masking tape to cutting your own canopy masks. 1 method is to place the record onto the canopy and mark effectually the frame border before removing the record, cutting information technology to size, and then reattaching it. That's not my style, though. I adopt to cut it in-situ (so long as the frame edge is sufficiently well defined). Use a new scalpel bract (Swann Morton 15C is especially practiced for this) and lightly cut through the tape. Curved edges can be tricky, so you may have to resort to liquid masks in these areas. If the glazed surface area is curved, I prefer to use a number of pieces of record to avert the need for the record to be stretched to fit: this often results in mucilage residues existence left on the canopy after the tape is removed. I would normally use Tamiya tape, only Bare Metal Foil is also worth a try. Apply the tape lightly to the office. Use a chisel edged cocktail stick to press the tape down along the edge of the frame and to leave a guide for the scalpel bract to follow. When the fourth dimension comes to paint, it may be worth applying some Humbrol Satincoat first of all (noting concerns about Humbrol products mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter) to seal the edges so that no coloured paint can creep under the mask onto the glazing. Then apply the colour of the internal framing before you proceed to requite the model a coat of primer. Your canopy masks will more often than not stay in place right through the model painting procedure, beingness removed every bit ane of the final steps. Before removing the mask, lightly run your precipitous scalpel bract effectually the edge to cut through the paint film: this should reduce the gamble of peeling away the paint from the frame when yous remove the tape.

Note however, that you may elect to mask the entire canopy and add the framing afterwards by applying strips of articulate decal picture show that has been painted firstly the colour of the interior and and then that of the outside. Curved corners will and then demand to exist touched in by hand.

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Source: https://www.romseymodellers.co.uk/tips/masking-techniques

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