Masking cockpit interiors

[RITom]

What methods are best to mask a cockpit interior so you can airbrush the exterior?

[Stan in YUL]

Mask the canopy, install it, and go!!

Actually that is one way of doing it and if you intend to use the kit canopy in the closed position, then its a pretty efficient method.

Some will take smallish pieces of facial tissue, dip them in water, and fill the cockpit opening. After your done painting, its just a matter of tweeser work to remove the tissue. Sometimes wetting the tissue again helps.

Taping over the opening is a viable option as well.

It all depends on whats facing you at the moment. Personally, I've done all three and I tend to use the facial tissue method, although you might want to leave delicate details link control columns out until your done (don't forget about them like I have on occasion or two!).

hth's

stan in yul

[RITom]

Mask the canopy, install it, and go!!

Actually that is one way of doing it and if you intend to use the kit canopy in the closed position, then its a pretty efficient method.

Some will take smallish pieces of facial tissue, dip them in water, and fill the cockpit opening. After your done painting, its just a matter of tweeser work to remove the tissue. Sometimes wetting the tissue again helps.

Taping over the opening is a viable option as well.

It all depends on whats facing you at the moment. Personally, I've done all three and I tend to use the facial tissue method, although you might want to leave delicate details link control columns out until your done (don't forget about them like I have on occasion or two!).

hth's

stan in yul

[RITom]

Thanks. I'll probably go with the wet tissue. I'm building a P-61 so there's a lot of glass plus there are two crew access hatches that I want to leave open on the underside of the fuselage.

I thought about masking all the openings (7) and doing the canopies seperately but I think that will only make more difficult.

[jrallman]

if the opening is deep enough (like a crew access hatch) you can use dry tissue. just take a decent size piece and stuff it in. the tissue will naturally expand once you let go of it and fill the opening. much easier to get out than wet tissue.

[trojansamurai]

You can get these nifty sponge wedges at your local pharmacy. I believe they're in the nail polish section, as ladies use them to wedge between their toes when manicuring. They're the perfect size and softness to wedge inside a cockpit opening without damaging parts, but resilient enough to seal off all the edges. The foam is also an extremely dense material (unlike kitchen sponges), so the paint doesn't run into pores or create any kind of mess.

[pingu1]

If you use either the tissue or the sponge methods, it's a good idea to seal the edges with Maskol, Copydex, or some other masking liquid. If your family are around when you remove the masking, and find that you've got paint on the inside of your windscreen, chances are, they'll learn a new word or two....

Cheers,

Chris.

[P47ACE503]

I was wondering why you just could not, mask the canopy attach it and spray if the color of the canopy is the same color as the exterior? Will this work?

Bill

[trojansamurai]

I was wondering why you just could not, mask the canopy attach it and spray if the color of the canopy is the same color as the exterior? Will this work?

Bill

Yes, this is a very common and effective technique, but there are occasions where it gives you more flexibility if you leave the canopy parts off until all painting is finished. For example, I don't install the seats and control stick until after the model is completely painted.

Another good method is to glue the canopy parts down with white glue (PVA glue) and seal all the seams with white glue. Once the paint is applied, the canopy parts can be easily pulled apart, as the white glue does not permanently bond.

[Yellowbelly]

I mask the canopy with Badger clean mask trimmed with scapel blade, airbrush black and then attach it with thin blutac along the edges to the cockpit and front windshield. Trim the squeezed blutac for airbrushing and there you have it. This technique is real useful especially if you are spraying a camo pattern and the canopy is big or long. Once you've done your airbrushing you can remove for decaling or keep on till you clear coated your model. As long as you are careful with your airbrushing you should have any problem with paint getting inside.

YB

[Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy]

I use dry tissue, with liquid mask brushed on the edges to get it all masked right up to the edge and also to seal it all.

[karlwb]

My usual method that so far has not let me down is to use dry tissue inside the cockpit cavity, then seal it up with Tamiya masking tape across the whole of the opening.

Works ok for me.

Karl

[Andy Mullen]

On my Tomcats I usually mask the canopy and windshield, glue the windshield in place, then fix the canopy with thin sausages of blutac. The blutac holds the canopy in place and also seals the gaps to prevent spray getting in the pit. I do this for both open and closed canopies.

HTH