Painting and masking canopies

[Devilleader501]

Can someone explain how the perfectionist gets the perfect canopy. This has been asked a bunch but I would really like someone to post a how to and get it on a sticky. There are many different ways of masking but I still have not found a good one yet. Has anyone used the liquid laytex mask yet? Masking tape no matter how much I burnish Tamiya tape never does what I want it to.

Would it be too much to ask for the Pro's to maybe start posting how they achieve such good results. Lets get some more sticky's out there so these questions don't have to be asked over and over. Chuck did an awesome post about Salt weathering. Is there any way more people can contribute in that way. Please

Thanks everyone JOSH

[Kaibutsu]

I have no advice for you, but thanks for asking this question Josh!

I'm gonna follow along.

[I.Illes]

What I do before I mask the canopy: clean it properly so there is no fat or other residue on the surface. Any dish washing detergent will do,

only thing is most of them these days have refatting substances in them to protect your skin. That's the thing you need to look for as it ruins the effect.

Next is (you need good light for that so you see what you do)I use an old scalpelblade and lay the edge flat onto the surface that is going to be painted

and scratch with almost no pressure until the part is has a flat texture. This makes it also easier to mask from the inside, too, as you can clearly see

the demarkation when clear parts don't have any raised detail on the inside. Tamiya tape never failed here. Only then, I start to mask.

From my experience, Liquid masks leave an edge in the paint or even rip some flakes of, which can look good if desired.

Polishing and a Future bath? As needed. Sometimes, I do my paintjob first and only then seal he unpainted clear areas with Future,

but if you want to be safe, Future also protects the canopy so if paint goes under the tape, you can simply wipe it off with a mild thinner.

I know some guys mask with some selfadhesive silverfoil, but that's rather for ultracomplicated WW2 bomber windows etc. If Tamiya

tape fails, one day, I might try that.

Interesting topic, btw. Will follow too in order to pick something new up :)

Edited September 9, 2012 by I.Illes

[The Keeper]

First thing I use is The Visor of Vision. Any type of optical enhancement is the first step to success, even some cheap reading glasses from the discount store. Now that you can see what you're doing, burnish your favorite tape across your pane, not real hard because you'll want to get it off at some point. Then you get a sharp knife and cut the excess off. I use a swivel knife which comes in handy for the curves. Sometimes another burnishing is a good idea but the best technique is to lightly clearcoat it. This seals the tape and then you can spray your color coats.

hth

[jfmajor60]

Also after your done spraying use a very sharp blade and draw it very lightly along the edge of your mask to prevent your paint lifting with the tape.

[Air-Craft]

I've never bought a pre-cut mask, so can’t comment on them, I’ve not used bare metal foil, so can’t comment on that (although I’ve seen a few comments about adhesive residue being an issue), I've used liquid mask & didn't like it very much - I just couldn't get good enough straight edges (although it can be good for filling in between taped boundaries).

Tamiya / Kamoi type tape is the best material I have found for the job & there are a few ways of applying it;

Cut thin strips for each edge & build up a mask working from the boundary of the transparency inwards - the only issue I've had with this method is where the ends of the outer strips meet each other at the corners - it can be quite hard to get them sitting together perfectly.

Or

Mask over the canopy & cut to the edge of the canopy / frame leaving a perfect cut to size mask - not bad, but you need to be pretty careful that you don’t score or mark the transparency.

Or

Fix a piece of paper temporarily over the canopy (if it’s complex or awkwardly shaped, use multiple pieces) & take a rubbing of the canopy /frame. Lay some tape down on a sheet of glass & fix your rubbing down over the tape & then use a sharp scalpel of low angle blade to cut your own "pre-cut" mask out. If the canopy in question is broader than your tape, you can just overlay multiple strips to get the required width or use masking sheets. The "pre-cut" masks can be easily removed from the glass without damage or distortion & then stuck to the canopy & burnished at the edges with a tooth-pick or whatever. Perfect shape, perfect edges & perfect corners.

The last method of cutting your own masks can be a bit tedious & isn't suited to all jobs, but it does give surprisingly good result. I usually work in 1/72 & so far it's done a fine job of capturing shape well, giving clean corners & sharp edges - After having messed about with various methods I’ve found by far the easiest & most consistent way of canopy masking, but as always, it’s “horses for coursesâ€Â.

[Rdrunner]

I have used this technique with good results, here is the link Spruecutters video tutorial and also had good results using BMF and Parafilm, the latter takes some getting used to, as you need to stretch Parafilm first, for it to adhere.

HTH

Ken

Edited September 9, 2012 by Rdrunner

[Netz]

I use 2 layers of Para-Film, and a curved blade.

Curt

[NJJK]

I am by no means an expert but I can tell you what has worked for me. I have used the Eduard pre cut masks and have gotten excellent results. Unfortunately most of the time I forget to order the masks so I end up doing it by masking with Tamiya tape and the bright green 3M tape. I cut it into 1/16" - 1/8" strips. I use the factory edge (not the edge I cut) and run that along the canopy framing. The side I cut goes toward the glass part of the canopy where you do not want the paint. After I have the framework masked, I fill in the area to be covered with more tape if it's a large area or with Micro Scale liquid mask if it is a smaller area. Normally I will do two coats if I use the liquid. If I mask the inside of the canopy I use the same technique. When I pull off the tape the liquid mask comes with it. It is tedious and time consuming but you end up with nice sharp lines. I recently masked a 1:48 S-3 Viking canopy. It took me an hour and change to do it but it came out perfect. Just my two cents. I used to rush through masking before and was never happy with the outcome. I guess I have more patience now. LOL.

[J-10]

I cut tamiya tape into thin strips(~1mm) and mask along the frame. With thin strips you can manipulate along curves.

[chuck540z3]

I cut tamiya tape into thin strips(~1mm) and mask along the frame. With thin strips you can manipulate along curves.

Josh, what J-10 said (and a few others). By putting very thin strips on the edges, you can cut the corners perfectly and do curves. Once that outside edges are laid down, mask the interior portions, typically with more tape.

For really complicated canopies like WW-II bombers, I use liquid mask for the interior masking because cutting up bits of tape is way too much work and the liquid actually seals the edges of the tape better than more tape. Here's the proverbial "Before" shot of a 1/48 scale Tamiya Lancaster......

And the "After" shot of the same complicated canopy. Not bad at all......

[Neo]

+1 for J-10 and Chuck

But ive stated using scotch tape(the whitish one not clear) for masking with the same thin stip technique for coupple reasons

1- you can see the framing treu it

2- is thinner that tamiya tape and leaves a thinner edge

3- very easy to burnish

4- its dirt cheap so i dont care i need to restart more than once

5- once burnished it DOSENT lift EVER

[Devilleader501]

All very good tips. I will have to try the thin strips and liquid mask. That stuff is expensive. If that doesnt work then I may try the scotch tape. Thanks for the tips guys.

[admiralcag]

+1 for J-10 and Chuck

But ive stated using scotch tape(the whitish one not clear) for masking with the same thin stip technique for coupple reasons

1- you can see the framing treu it

2- is thinner that tamiya tape and leaves a thinner edge

3- very easy to burnish

4- its dirt cheap so i dont care i need to restart more than once

5- once burnished it DOSENT lift EVER

Do you mean Scotch Magic Tape, in the green package?

Vern

[majortomski]

I might as well add my two cents, since it hasn't show up here yet. Scotch makes a low tack tape in a blue box:

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/office/office-supplies/tapes/scotch-removable-tape-811-3-4-x-1296-boxed-1-core-1-roll?utm_source=google_pr&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Office-Tapes-Dispensers-google_pr&infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CIDo46rMrbICFQYGnQodVBMAkw

I've used the regular tape as mentioned above and had multiple cases of the tape leaving a nasty residue on the canopy.

I'll take a piece of the tape and lay the factory edge along the long axis of the canopy, then burnish that edge down on to the canopy. Then I'll work my way up the curved surface. If the tape starts to wrinkle I'll slit the tape at the wrinkle up to the other edge and let the two flaps over lap. Then burnish the other edges that run upagains the frames with a wood tooth pick followed buy cutting the tape away at the frame edge with a new blade.

Be sure to reburnish before painting. This has worked well for over a decade now.

[drhornii]

I use 2 layers of Para-Film, and a curved blade.

Curt

Ditto....check this out

[Netz]

Ditto....check this out

I noticed in the tutorial that he only stretched the Para-Film in it's length, you really need to stretch it in both directions, length and width.

Curt

[Neo]

Do you mean Scotch Magic Tape, in the green package?

Vern

It looks like it but im a cheap bas terd so i have the dollar store frosted invisible tape (that a weird lable! invisible and frosted no wonder its at the dollar store!)

[Eric2020]

I use various masking tapes, but also have mix which is working verywell when an f-16 canopy or other difficult canopy has to be masked.

Take dishwashing soap and whiteglue.

Whiteglue on the plastic will shrink, so not possible to use for masking.

Mix 1 on 1 Dishwashing soap and the white glue and paint it on to the part to be masked. let it dry for few hours and you can start painting on the model or airbrush the paint on the model. After all has been done with the varnishes the making can be easely removed with an toothpick

give it an try!

[Piker38]

Returning to the hobby after a good few years away, last night I finally reached the stage of masking my first canopy for a long, long while.........

I plan on using an Eduard pre-cut mask for this first job, so I read through the instructions last night and got myself mightily confused (not difficult, I know) about the sequence of painting the inside of the canopy...

According to the Eduard instructions, they suggest spraying the 'inside' colour first, then the 'rubber' colour.

Surely this should be the other way around ?

regards

Keith

[zeus60]

Returning to the hobby after a good few years away, last night I finally reached the stage of masking my first canopy for a long, long while.........

I plan on using an Eduard pre-cut mask for this first job, so I read through the instructions last night and got myself mightily confused (not difficult, I know) about the sequence of painting the inside of the canopy...

According to the Eduard instructions, they suggest spraying the 'inside' colour first, then the 'rubber' colour.

Surely this should be the other way around ?

Most modelers do not paint the inside of the canopy. All painting is done on the outside of the canopy. However, the first color you paint will be the color of the inside of the cockpit. The top coat is the exterior color. This way, when you look from the inside, the color you see is the interior color (which simulates the inside of the frame), and when you look from the outside, you see the exterior color.

Note that there are a few advanced modelers who paint the inside of the canopy, but I believe that's pretty rare, as it takes a lot of skill and patience. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Hope that's clear.

Stacey

[majortomski]

I think the reference to the "rubber" color might be one of those cases like the early F-15 where the sealant around the edge of the canopy was a distinctive red color so it stood out rather prominently. You'd have to do some creative double masking to get that effect though. The sealant rests on the outer edge of the frame. So the inside of the frame would be the inside color (black in most cases) then the sealant color. Then mask the sealant collor then shoot the outside color to replicate the outside metalic frame.

Edited September 13, 2012 by majortomski

[Piker38]

Aha ! Thanks guys. I think I understand now.

BOTH sets of masks are to be applied to the outside of the canopy in turn....... so the first colour sprayed (internal cockpit colour) will be visible through the canopy when viewed from the inside.

Then the sealant colour is applied over that, then finally the second, slightly larger set of masks is applied

to protect the fine outline of the sealant when the final camouflage colour is sprayed.

http://www.eduard.com/store/out/media/ex104.pdf

At least I'll be able to sleep tonight, having finally got that sorted in my head !

regards

Keith

[majortomski]

By Jove! 'e's got it! I saw that light bulb snap on all the way over here. The instructions you posted are just a bit confusing.

[The Keeper]

BOTH sets of masks are to be applied to the outside of the canopy in turn.......

Thanks for that! Being a 'prop n gun' guy I don't usually run into that but that'll come in handy at some point...