Cleaning Paint Seepage

[Finnish]

Hi all I'm a new member and a beginner modeller, still brush painting (aircraft) and wondering how you guys would clean paint seepage through masking tape off or whether it is best to just paint over it in the original color?

Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated

[louiex2]

First off, welcome to the Brit Modeller (BM) forums. Everyone here is very helpful and feel free to ask questions.

Second, don't feel bad about paint leaking through masked edges. Just like having small parts "eaten" (lost) by the "Carpet Monster" Paint seepage happens to even the most experieced modeller and learning how to fix it is one of the skills you'll need to learn.

So, here is how I address the problem and it depends on how much the paint has leaked through. One thing you did not mention is if you' are painting with a brush, spray can or airbrush.

If you're not too far along in your painting and a lot of paint has seeped through, you may just want to strip all the paint off and start over.

If there is only a tiny amount and it's not too thick, you may be able just paint over the area. It's not the best fix and certainly you would not want to do this in a contest quality model.

You're next option is to carefully spot sand and repaint the area, feathering in the new paint into the old.

While you didn't ask, since you're new, I'll also address some preventative measures that may help.

There are several methods to try to prevent this from happening. First, use a good quality, thin, masking tape, especially along the edge where the two colours meet. My preference is Tamiya yellow tape, but there are other bands and types of tapes out there that also work, including ones you can get from local auto parts stores. I'm pretty sure one of our fellow BM collegaues will jump in with other suggestions and you can also look in the Tips and Tools sections of BM for other ideas.

Once the tape is down, go along the edge (burnish) with a rounded tool to make sure the tape is completely down. Next, you can lightly paint the edge with the first colour, that way any seepage will be the same colour as the underlying paint; then paint your next colour. Another option is to spray paint with a clear coat (clear varnish) before applying the second colour. In either case the theory is to seal the edge of the pain so the colour won't leak.

These are just my methods and I'm certain others will present their approaches- try them out and see what works best for you. One of the great things about this hobby, and the BM website in paticular, is that we are all continually learning from each other. Good luck and keep asking questions.

Edited June 24, 2015 by louiex2