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June
2000 |
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To ensure clean color separation
when hard masking a color demarcation line, be sure the edge of
you tape is burnished down well. Another trick is to put a
little Future on a brush, and "paint" along the
demarcation line. This seals the paint line and will ensure that
absolutely no paint will seep under the mask. |
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Try using WhiteOut to fill hairline
cracks in seams. When the WhiteOut is dry you can very gently
sand it with 600 grade paper. |
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Called by various names, Blu-tac is
an very elastic, putty-like material, which you'll find in the
office supply section of your local grocery or department store
(I found mine in Food Lion). You might recall your 3rd grade
teacher sticking this stuff in little chunks on the back of
posters and drawings to temporarily mount them on the classroom
wall. I have found the slightly tacky quality of this material
useful for a number of modeling tasks. First, it can be used to
create soft-edge camo demarcation lines. Roll it out in small
pieces the about the size and shape of a stirring straw. It can
then be lightly pressed onto the surface of your model along
your proposed color demarcation line. Fill in any areas you
don't want painted with a liquid mask, then spray your color.
When you remove the Blu-tac and the masking medium, you'll find
a nice soft edge with minimal overspray. A second use for this
stuff is picking up and holding minute parts such as pitot tubes
or photoetch parts. Put a little ball of Blu-tac on the end of a
toothpick and voila, you can retrieve and hold even the
smallest, most delicate fiddle-de-bits without worrying. |
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May
2000 |
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When using Model Master enamels, and
you want a fine line without overspray, try mixing 2 parts
paint, 1 part lacquer thinner and a touch of clear gloss enamel.
(from Pete Peterson) |
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To remove excess putty from around a
seam or gap, use isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol before it fully
dries. (from Pete Peterson) |
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For more brilliance in gloss color
coats such as yellow, read, and orange, first put down a base
coat of flat white. (from Pete Peterson) |
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February
2000 |
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From time to time I come across
products in the local hardware store which I find a use for on
the modeling table. My latest discovery was found at Lowes. It's
a masking tape called KleenEdge.
This stuff is a smooth thin paper tape with a very low tack
adhesive which is specifically designed for delicate painting
jobs. The adhesive reminds me of the stuff on PostIt notes. Give
it a try. I used it to hard mask the camo colors on the upper
wings of my Albatros.I think you'll like it. |
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I happened across a bottle of
Floetrol while cleaning out my garage. Floetrol is a paint
additive which improves paint flow and reduces brush marks with
Latex house paints. I decided to try mixing a little in with
some PollyScale paint I was handbrushing and found the results
to be promising. It seemed to increase drying time slightly
(which meant that the paint did not dry out as fast on my
brush), and definitely reduced brush marks. I also tried
airbrushing the PollyScale/Floetrol mix with good results. I
haven't tried this with Tamiya or Gunze paints, so be careful if
you decide to try it with these
paints. |
