Just curious how each of you perform this… most pleasant task.[+o(] I tried something very risky this time and placed masking tape over parts of the canopy and cut along frames with a #11 blade (since I could see through the tape). I’m looking forward to pulling all the tape off, only to find all the canopy “glass” comes along with it!!!
I have tried it all. The best way I have found is precut mask…when you can get them. I have tried Taymia tape with sucess(even if it takes for ever), I have tried the parafilm…worked great except one are where it peeled. The way you describe will work if you are spraying but can lead to leaks under the tape if you use a brush.
Let us know how it worked out for you when you peel her back.
You mean to mask canopies? I learned the hard way… I mostly Go with pre cut masks from eduard. the results are flawless. A nicely done canopy just draws attention to the model, and really makes it stand out IMO. i could never get that good freehand. Some canopies are easy to do yourself though, such as a fw 190/mustang, something with square/rectangle frames and a bubble canopy can be done using tamiya masking tape, a good light, and score along the frames with a good blade. on vac canopies, i dont chance using a hobby blade cause each score mark shows through too easy. So i use small strips of tamiya tape and mask vertical frames first, then fill the rest in with more tape, paint, then mask horizontal lines, fill the rest in, then paint. It is tedious but you avoid razor blade mistakes. But again all this is when you arent’ buying canopy masks.
Nathan
Most often, I use the same method. For square/rectangle windows, I’ll cut the tape at a 90, so I only have to cut along 2 lines. Occasionally, I’ll cut a bunch of little squares, rectangles, triangles, and put em in place. For very fine frames that are hard to see through the tape, you can hold it up to a light and the frame line will shadow through the tape, making cutting a little easier.
I love Bf109s… and I hate masking the canopies on Bf109s! I have tried using pre-cut squares of masking tape, usually works alright on 1/48, not so well on 1/72. Liquid masking film, so-so results, depending on how easy it is to find the edge of the canopy frames.
I’ve never tried the Bare Metal foil that others have mentioned.
I’m trying something else on a couple of spare 1/72 canopies - taping around all frames that run in one direction first, give them a coat of the interior colour. Take that tape off & tape the other direction. Once the inside colour is on it should be easier to mask the glass in one sitting & apply the outside colour.
I hope!!
I use Tamiya tape, apply to canopy along the frame lines where I can, and use a SHARP #11 blade to cut others, with as little pressure as possible. And in odd cases, I use MicroMask liquid masking. It all depends on the situation. I have had good success with my method, and little cheaper then forking out for the pre-cut masks.
I should also not that I coat all "glass peices in Future and let dry before I start.
Rubbing a relief of the canopy lines on paper, then placing it over the top of Tamiya tape on a flat surface, securing it & then cutting can give results as good as ready cut masks, or even better if no ready cut masks exist!
Be sure to remove the tape as soon as is feasible, as this will help prevent cracking / lifting around the edges of the paint.
I use Blue painters tape. I first pull off a piece of 2’ tape about 5" long, place it on a mirror or piece of glass, next I cut it into 1/8 or thiner strips using a metal ruler as a straight edge the entire length of the tape, making several rows but not all the way across as I use the leftover big area later. I use a New and sharp No. 11 for this. then I cut it to length of frame or close and do this all the way round overlapping the corners to give crispness, then fill in the rest with bigger pieces cut from other parts of tape. I also use this method to mask camo patterns, when it is this thin it curves easily and you can fill in the area with paper instead of tape. I think of it as a "Scale Way"of taping a 1:1 car using 3/4 tape and paper to mask. I use my tweezers to manipulate the tape as needed so my finger oil doesn’t foul tape.
I’m getting to do this on a Ju 88 and He 111 so I’ll post pics soon.
James
I use pre-cut masks when I can get 'em. IMO they’re worth the five bucks or whatever they cost.
For the few kits that Eduard doesn’t cover (cough…Zvezda La-5), it depends. Rectangular surfaces get thin strips of tape placed along the edges, then I fill in with more tape. Weird angles and curved frames such as the forward portions of windscreens, I use bare metal foil. Put it on, burnish it down, then trace the borders with a fresh scalpel blade. Go slow and get ready for some serious eye fatigue!
When all possible pre cut masks…if not frosted scotch tape…clear enough to see thru makes for easy cutting with a new blade…make sure you dip in future first…
carlos
I either free-hand or free-hand with a tape or Post It! Note guide-edge… Paint a couple lines, let it dry, go back and paint a couple more later, etc, until it’s done… Nowhere is it written a canopy must be painted in one step, lol…
I didn’t even use the pre-cut masks that came with a free Eduard kit, and I damned-sure ain’t buying anything that I get to use only once and costs more than two rolls of tape… Painting skills are like mraksmanship skills: Perishable, so you either use or lose 'em…
I get why some folks buy them, those that have shaky hands and the like, but there ain’t no way as long as I can drag a rigger or liner across a canopy frame that’ll spend five bucks on two-square-inch piece of tape… The manufacturers are getting us at both ends… Just use the right brush and take your time… Get away from the “5-0” brushes and get a good, sharp liner brush… It’s the point and the amount of paint the brush holds that matters… You have to have a brush that holds enough paint to do an entire frame-section in one pass… Otherwise, it’s like trying to write a letter with pen that’s low on ink… Looks like crap when you gotta stop and shake it every few letters, same-same with a brush on a canopy-frame…
I use Tamiya tape. If I get pre-cut masks with a kit Ill give em a shot. Ive also used Fast Frames...self adhesive pre-cut strips that you paint 1st then then stick to the canopy framework. I had a 50% success rate with them...dont like to stick on curves.
So, with all this great masking advice, then what? Do you airbrush the canopy or just hand brush it. I am about to do my first canopy (P-40) in many years!
Interesting how each has their own technique to skin this cat. Leave it to Hammer to be the one to freehand it [:)], I’d give that a try but the way I shake at times it might require a few [B] to calm things down but that also hits a point of diminishing returns, not to mention my eyesight. It would be kind of cool if the clear parts came with a clear film on them the way some windows do. Of course, that would make things easier and take the sport of it.
I’ll always go precut eduard masks but if none are available BMF is my next choice…
The P-40 canopy is one of the easiest to do free-hand, IMHO… I brushpaint 90% of the canopies, yeah… Ones that are built-in, like the He 11, B-29, B-17, etc, I still install them as per the instructions, but since they need puttywork more often than not, they get brush-painted too, once they get all nicely faired-in… If the paint is a shade I can’t match from the rattle can, then I just decant some into a jar…
Yeah, lol… Anyone can do it the easy way, eh?
With lots of little squares. Burnish down with a too’pick. Then I run a knife around the tape edges after painting, before I pull em off’t.
I use low tack blue painters tape.
Place a piece on the canopy, burnish it down with a wooden stick.
Cut GENTLY along the frame lines, re burnish.
The trick is to spray a light coat on the frames first as you’re painting, then go back and fill in the color to a more opaque level.
If it works for me using rattle cans and paint brushes, it’ll work for an airbrush.
(Hans, I chopped up your quote a little!)
- I agree, doesn’t need to be done in one sitting. A canopy can turn into one of those “while I’m waiting” portions of the build
- I’ve only ever had masks included on one kit - Tamiya’s Storch. I used them with alright results. Better than taping it up myself?? dunno.
- I try to spend my $ on kits, or supplies and have a hard time paying for a chunk of tape as well.
- Good tools are needed if you expect good results. I found some small (double-0?) brushes with a bend just before the tip that work great for details & canopies.
Wow - I’m 75% in agreement with Hans! Now if I could assemble these kits with 75% the skill, I’d be happy! [;)]
I mask the canopy, then attach it to the fuselage & do any filling /sanding around the edges thats required, airbrush the interior frame color on (if required) & then just proceed like its any other part of the aircraft - airbrushing it when I airbrush the fuselage.
When removing the masking I use a wooden toothpick to pull one of the corners away from the frame & then peel - saves any scratching or chipping with a blade.
Obviously this wont work for an open canopy.