Noni Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I need help on masking canopies! Are there any handy tutorials with pictures to help me? It would help me loads! ;) I cant find anything in the Tools 'n' tips section. So please dont use that as a reply :D Thanks in advance! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Noni Posted October 16, 2003 Author Share Posted October 16, 2003 is masking tape an option? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ivanho4 Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I agree with Colin that Tamiya masking tape is excellent on canopies. I don't begin painting until after coating the canopy with Future. This will provide a decent surface for the tape and lessen the possibility of scratching from all the handling normally associated with canopy painting. Bare metal foil can be tricky, but the results can be dramatic if you take your time. As to residue, Goo Gone also does a great job. Finally, you might try finding peel off masks designed specifically for the aircraft canopy you're working on. Black Magic from Cutting Edge are pretty decent. HTH, Ivan. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaysersoze Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 i found out by accident the other day that Scotch tape ( a fairly low tack stationary tape here in the uk, slightly opaque in colour) works brilliant. leaves no residue on the canopy, cuts easy too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Delta182 Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I have had good luck using Future as a base and Para-Film as a mask Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jarda Hajecek Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 What works for me is strips of Tamyia or regular masking tape along the sides of the canopy frame, and the rest covered with COLOR-STOP (I think that is Revell Brand and I believe that humbrol calls it MASKOL). This liquid is usually creamy substance of either white, pink or grey color (at least the ones that I have seen so far). Although this technique can be used on jets and bigger canopies, I woul dnt recommend it for WWII bombers with their milions of little windows :) . For those I do strongly recommend tamyia or masking tape cut to size. Anoying :P , but surely worth it. Maybe this helps. Regards, Jarda :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grey Ghost 531 Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 i found out by accident the other day that Scotch tape ( a fairly low tack stationary tape here in the uk, slightly opaque in colour) works brilliant. leaves no residue on the canopy, cuts easy too. Scotch "Invisible" Tape does work pretty well. You can see the framing to trim easily. It doesn't do compound curves as well as Tamiya tape though. If it does leave any residue you can pull it up by sticking tape to it and yanking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uni-Brow Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I use scotch tape as well and it works pretty good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
big josh henderson Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 i use micro mask brush it on let it dry trim it paint away!! and no bleeding josh Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MaRiO FDZ Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 A Steady Hand duude :P Take Care Quote Link to post Share on other sites
messy60 Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I've used Elmers white glue on several canopies. I just put gobs of the stuff on the canopy , completely covering it, then let it dry for about an hour or so.(until it is clear) then I cut out the framing. It seems to work pretty well. After your paint, then just peel the rest of the glue off, no residue. I also like using Eduard's canopy masks. They work great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
D_IcarUS_ Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Hi I use bare metal foil for masking the canopies. Great results happy modelling Jose Luis Portugal Quote Link to post Share on other sites
amflores Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Masking Canopies I mix white glue to water tinted w/watercolor (to make it more visible) and apply it only to the clear parts of the canopy (not the frames) Let it dry, and paint the frames (I use enamels). Don't need steady hands. When dry, I dip the canopy in water mixed with a few drops of dishwash and, presto, .... the white glue comes off. When dry, I dip the canopy in Future. HTH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kuma Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Hi Noni! I mostly use Tamiya tape to mask canopies. But.... If I encounter mostly straight canopy frames I use decals. At first you have to airbrush the inner frame colour on a clear decal sheet and then some really opaque colour, like a silver tone as a "shine-through-stopper". This step is really important if the inner colour is black or dark grey and the outer colour is white or something equally light. The last colour is the camouflage colour of the rest of the airframe. These homemade decals are then cut to strips of the desired width and applied on the canopy. It gives perfectly straight and sharp edges. This technique even works if feathered camouflage edges (eg. as seen on RAF planes) are needed. You just have to spray two camouflage colours as the last colours and make sure that the demarcation line is where you need it when you cut and place the decal. The important point is that you mustn't use heavy coats of colour. If the colour builds up too much, the edges of the cut decal tend to be a little jagged as the paint could crack and this spoils the effect. Martin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Old72s Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Chalk up another one for Elmer's (be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits!). I don't even bother waiting for it to dry completely -- just enough that it doesn't run anymore. Works like a charm! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zosh Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Lol,just for your information guys, noni's no longer visiting the site Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BZZBZZ Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Tamiya masking tape, a fresh blade, patience and eye of the eagle thats what I use, don't forget steady hands, that WD40 as a residue remover is a great idea, will it affect the clearparts afterwards ? :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmike Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Tamiya masking tape, a fresh blade, patience and eye of the eagle thats what I use, don't forget steady hands, that WD40 as a residue remover is a great idea, will it affect the clearparts afterwards ? :) Tamiya tape and a fresh scalpel blade works for me...Large areas of masking infill are hit with Humbrol Maskol! I have not used WD40, but a goo-gone product works for me :) MikeJ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 I use WD-40 all the time for removing BMF adhsive residue from canopies, and it never seems to have any effect on the plastic at all. Just don't overdo it - a Q-Tip dampened with WD-40 should remove all the goop off of most any canopy. As for me, the type of masking depends on the circumstances, and the aircraft modeled. I use a variety of masking techniques, including thin tape/Ambroid EZ Mask, Tamiya tape, Scotch 'invisible' tape, Parafilm, and BMF. I'm finding that I tend to get the sharpest demarcations with BMF, so I'm using it more and more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BZZBZZ Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Guys, I wonder if you ever encountered this problem before, I masked my canopy (HE 111) as usual using my "formula" :) , prime the model using white paint, apply the base and camo, and strip the masking tape, but the primer shown on the canopy , is there any way to remedy this disaster ? :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn C. Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 BZZBZZ, If you do get some paint bleed through, you can get rid of it using a toothpick. Just use your hobby blade and sharpen the toothpick to a chisel. No need to be perfect doing it either. Then you can scrape away the excess paint. The wood is softer than the canopy plastic so it won't scratch. Consult Moh's hardness scale of modeling products! :) For prevention maybe you could spray your first coat of primer very lightly and/or make sure you are burnishing the edges of your tape (a toothpick works good for this too). I have used Scotch Magic Tape with great success up until my last model where the tape peeled off the future in some horrible looking patches. And yes, the future cured for about a week prior to masking. So, I'm going to try Tamiya tape on my current project. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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