I have been having problem with paint coming away with the Tamiya tape I use for masking on my 109. I even try to remove most of the stickiness with my fingers before I use it.
Now, I do not use a primer- I’m afraid of using too many layers of paint and filling in the fine engraved details (maybe this is not even an issue), and this may be the problem.
I have read somewhere about washing the model in ? dish soap? while still on the sprues.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Rob
I always wash the model before I start on it, dish soap, air dry, usually the night before I am going to start.
How are you painting? If AB, you would probably be fine putting a nice primer coat on to give the paint something to grab without sacrificing detail.
I always take a strip of tape and really burnish it onto my forearm, sometimes twice it it’s really sticky, then rip it off and put it on the surface. I have even taken to doing this when I am painting baseboard, etc.
HTH
Bill
I am using an airbrush with Model Master paints. I’ll try using a primer next time- although I wanted to avoid this extra step, but I have wasted so much time re-painting all of the peeled of areas it will probably be worth it!
Thanks
Rob
Ya know…in the field the paint did peel and chip, and it was touched up. So in essence when you fix your masking woes, you are actually recreating real weather.
I’ve been having the same problem with the Tamiya masking tape pulling up my MM acryl primer. After reading these suggestions, I suppose it’s probably a combination of not properly washing my model right before painting, and not “destickifying” the tape. That, and the fact this is my first model after a 18 year hiatus. So, thank you guys for your suggestions. It has saved my model from the wrath of a claw hammer…for now. [:)]
How long are you waiting before masking the already painted area?
I actually use an old roll of blue 3M masking tape from the hardware store and so far haven’t had too many problems with it pulling paint off. It does happen occasionally, but not often. I usually wait a minimum of 24 hours before masking a painted area using MM enamels. Sometimes it’s days after its cured that I mask just to make sure. I also don’t keep the masks on any longer than I need to.
And if some paint is pulled off, oh well - touch it up.
I had the primer sitting on my model for 4 days before I even touched it. As for the mask, I had a feeling my primer wasn’t sticking very well, so I layed the mask on there for 2 seconds and removed it, along with all the primer.
That doesn’t sound like a tape problem, more like a paint problem. List the type of paint, thinner, the ratio, surface preparation, temperature, etc so we can maybe see what’s going on.
First and foremost, thanks much for your help and quick replies.
I primed my model with Model Master Acryl gray primer #4680. I thinned it 2 parts primer, 1 part regular tap water (maybe a problem?) I’ve heard some people spray acrylic paint right out of the bottle, but since it was the first time I used my airbrush, I was too worried about clogging it up right out of the shoot. Not that I have much experience, but the paint flow seemed good. Not watery, no runs, etc. Maybe I laid it on too thick?
I washed the model when I first got it with soap and water, before any assembly. I did a fair amount of fitting and sanding, so I probably should have washed it again before laying the primer. I did, at one time, brush water all over it and pat dry to remove any sanding dust. Still, I would say I handled it a fair amount, so maybe it was too oily.
Temp in the house is 79 degrees. I live in Arizona, so there is negligable humidity.
I have full confidence it’s due to my lack of experience, so any help you could give would be much appreciated.
Don’t thin paint with tap water
Tap water has chlorine, minerals and all kinds of stuff in it. Use distilled water instead
I also wash the model with hand type dish soap and luke warm water before each major paint coat.
Great! Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll give it a shot tomorrow night and post an update.
You might also want to try a product call “Plastic Prep” available from Testors. It’s great for preparing models for acrylic paint. If you don’t want to buy “Plastic Prep”, you can try wiping your model with alcohol before painting.
Also, don’t thin Model Master Acryl paints with water. The manufacturer recommends Model Master Acryl Thinner. I’ve used water and Acryl Thinner and the Acryl Thinner is far better. You only need a couple drops.
-Jesse
I will second that, washing down on the sprue may help during construction or for cleaning hard to get to areas that require to be painted, but wont stand much ground when it comes to overall painting - as by then you model will probably have fingerprints & sanding dust all over it. Give it a blow over & than a wipe down with alcohol or meths & paint as soon as its dried.
I have used acrylic straight onto a kit & while it has worked ok, there is no doubt that a non-acrylic primer (such as Mr surfacer) will grip the plastic like there is no tomorrow in comparison, whereas acrylic is easily scratched, rubbed or scuffed of very easily. Using a primer like this gives the acrylic paint something better to hold onto as opposed to bare styrene.
Great! Thanks for the tips. I’ll look into getting the plastic prep and the correct acrylic thinner. Do you think Testors Acryl airbrush cleaner would work for the time being? I don’t have any hobby shops near me, and the ones that are within driving distance don’t seem to stock a wide variety.
I haven’t used this product personally, but I would say No.
The airbrush cleaner is formulated to dissolve dry paint in your airbrush by dissolving/breaking down the binders in the paint. Using this as a thinner may even further reduce the adhesion of your paint.
Roger that. Thanks for the reply. I ordered acrylic thinner, as well as some plastic prep, etc. today, so hopefully early next week I’ll give it another shot. At least I’m still having fun! I’m excited to get this first model finished, but thankfully, I’m a patient builder.
I figured I’d post some pics of the awful state of the model, a Revell BF 109G-10. That way, once it’s done, you can see how much you guys have helped!
I haven’t had the best luck with acrylics myself. I tried using Testors old formula of acrylics and found the paint lifting off very easily. I haven’t yet tried to use their new “Acryl” paints but heard they are improved over the old.
Also once tried using an acrylic clear finish and ended up with a pebbled surface that ended up with me stripping the model to start again.
Have you considered doing the whole painting process on some scrap plastic before commiting to the kit?
Before I started airbrushing my first kit, I got some scrap plastic, primed it, colour coated it & clear coated it - several times before getting it right(ish). This allowed me to get to grips with the airbrush & the paints I was using, so I could hit my first kit with some level of confidence.
May save several frustrating wash-down’s on your 109?
That’s a great idea. I wish I would have thought about it before, but I’m just getting back into the swing of things. I stripped the primer off the 109 this weekend so I have a clean slate. I also ordered a duplicate kit, since I messed up the canopy pretty badly trying to apply a mask to that. So, one way or another, I’ll have some scrap plastic to practice with.