I love building 1:72 scale aircrafts but 1/3 of the time is consume in masking the canopies. I’ve gone to using vatious masking tapes and liquid maskings but it always ends up getting messy.[%-)]
You might want to try the pre-cut masks, which are available for many aircraft. Just peel n’ stick.
The fastest and most effective way to mask canopies is to lay a piece of masking tape larger than the pane, rub it down around the inside of the frame, and take a brand spanking new No. 11 blade and carefully and slowly cut along those lines just enough to make a clean cut through the tape.
Many use Bare Metal foil, but I find the resulting residue left on the masked eras a real pain to remove, so I use low tack drafting/masking tape instead. Much more economical that way too.
Some commercial, pre cut masks are wonderful, and some don’t fit the intended kit worth jack.
I prefer to take the cheaper, DIY approach anyway.
I’ve just started masking, using Tamiya tape that I make less tacky by sticking it to my hands a few times prior to using it on the plane. I place a piece over the canopy and rub/burnish it with a toothpick to the ridges of the panel lines of the canopy until it’s well conformed, then I use a new knife blade (a dull knife will pull the tape and tear it loose) and cut it as close to the raised panel lines as I can. Then I carefully pull the tape strips off the canopy. The results are very good, but it does take a bit of time. I’ve tried the liquid mask but never had success. Painting by hand will work if you use a very sharp brush and barely touch it to the raised panel strips as you move along. It is easy to clean up if you go off the line, provided you have coated the canopy in future first. I just run a toothpick along the raised line and it picks up the unwanted paint. If you take your time, this will look good as well. But to really make it stand out, you have to go over it about three or four times (or perhaps mix a little black with the canopy panel color to darken it). Just some thoughts about things that I’ve tried.
Bob
I’ve also been using pre cut masks of late because they were provided for the build. However, most of the time I’ve been using Aluminum Trim sheets made by Monokote and others. Works as well as Bare Metal Foil and costs a whole lot less.
My 2-pennies:
After pre-cut masks, I’ve had the best luck with Bare-Metal foil. What Mike S. says above is true about foil, especially if you use solvent based paints. But, if you use acrylics, after you remove the foil, take a q-tip with “Goo Gone” on it, rub on the residue, and it’s gone, easy-peasey. This is my favorite technique now, and I’ve had real good luck with it. Just remember to use a sharp, #11 blade to cut the foil and burnish the edges well.
I’m not a big fan of masking tape, low tack, high tack, medium tack, thumb tack, as I think not only do you still get the residue from the tape glue, but, the risk of bleed under the tape edge, is increased. I’ve had a lot more failures of the edges not staying burnished, then with foil.
my half cent’s worth…
If you dip the canopy in future and let it dry overnight, the BMF will leave some post spraying residue, however… a cutip dipped in good ol WD40 will remove the residue and leave the paint intact… at least with model master enamels it does… The above stuka was done in this manner and it got pretty good results I think…
Clear canopy parts are the ‘weakest’ link in modeling. They’re a pain. Thickness is not scale… glue and ‘glue-gas’ wrecks 'em… white glue has to be used with strict protocols such as ‘scoring’… canopies are conundrum!
The easiest deal is NOT to mask at all!
…a little thinking outside the box has produced dividends…
I’ve had terrific results as of late using frosted scotch tape. Take a strip of tape, affix it to a piece of ceramic tile or glass, paint it the color of the canopy frame. When the paint is dried, use a straight edge and new x-acto blade and carefully cut strips the width of the canopy framework. Now you’ve got ‘stickers’ that are your canopy frame! Stick’em on over the canopy, following the structure represented on the original part. When you burnish them down nice and firm, use a protector layer such as a scrap of paper between your burnisher and the framework. This works really great when the canopies have mildly raised framework lines on 'em. On cone shapes and odd curves, you can strategically make nips in the tape to conform under certain junctions. I did a Japanese Betty bomber in 1/72 scale that way and I was stunned on how great the frame work looked. It’s realistic because it’s so similar to how frames are over the top of the glass.
The best part is when you mess up, just peel it off and do it again. It’s so easy you’ll feel like you’re cheating!
I use Bare Metal Foil and residue can be removed easily with WD-40. [:)]
What is “bare metal foil” ?
bare metal foil is a thin metal foil that comes in sheets and has adhesive on one side. It has a myriad of uses. Some people use it as it was intended : to reproduce shiny metal surfaces on cars and planes.but it can also be used as a masking material.
Thanks for that, Bro. Do you find that it’s superior to masking tape?
Easiest way?
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Have somebody else do it.
(Couldn’t resist. Sorry.)
As far as masking adhesion and aility to conform to curves… i.e. drop tanks, teardrop canopies, malcolm hoods etc I find the BMF to be superior. I generally use painters tape ( the blue masking tape) to hold down parts as I airbrush them ) for most everything and the BMF strictly for complex masking or canopies.
Go to Swanny’s web page! It worked well for me
Zip
How about a link, Sparky…
I have tried various masking methods. Painting them free hand still works the best for me. At age 70 I still have steady hands. If I goof and get paint where it shouldn’t be, I scape it off very carefully with a round toothpick.
Sorry I thought everyone knew Swanny’s web page. Here ya go…Sparky
http://www.swannysmodels.com/Canopies.html
Zip