What Is Liquid Masking Fluid?

[BetaSingh]

Hello all

I have been watching a few modelling videos and found people using Liquid Masking Fluid. At first I thought it was amazing. A paintable masking fluid that does the same job as a masking tape but goes around curves? Excellent! But I do not know whether it is a worthwhile investment or not, as I don't know how it works or how to peel it off. So what I am basically asking is that anyone who has used any sort of liquid masking fluid can kindly answer any of these questions.

1) How do you use Liquid Masking Fluid, and how is it applied

2) What do you do if the masking fluid goes wrong, and how do you fix it

3) How do you peel off the masking fluid

4) How long does it take to dry, and what does it look like when dry

5) Is it a worthwhile purchase to make, and is it worth the money. 

All replies greatly appreciated

BetaSingh

[malpaso]

I have used Maskol in the past, but now use copydex.  Miles cheaper, available in ordinary newsagents, less likely to affect paints.  You can paint over it in 15mins or so, but I wait till the next day to peel off. Any bits that don't pull off can be picked up with cheap masking tape.

Cheers

Will 

 

 

[Gorby]

I occasionally use Humbrol Maskol.

1) apply with a brush.

2) peel off and start again.

3) comes of very easily (too easily at times) usually get it off with your fingers.

4) takes about ten  to fifteen mins to dry depending how thick you use it.

5) I still use tape to mask canopies etc because just as painting canopy frames with a brushing isn't ideal, if you mask with maskol it will be just as wobbly. Masking camouflage would work out expensive. I use it for small areas such as navigation lights. 

[pigsty]

Amplifying malpaso's reply:

 

1  Generally with a brush.  Liquid masking is basically rubber dissolved in ammonia, so it will quickly ruin the brush; be prepared to sacrifice one or two.  It's also pretty coarse, so it's tricky to make straight lines, clean angles, small shapes or narrow areas.  You'll want to practise with something like a cocktail stick.

2  If it's in the wrong place, wait a bit then left it away.  It's chemically safe so nothing underneath it should be damaged.

3  It will indeed peel away - an ordinary pencil eraser is fine over large areas.  Smaller bits can be plucked off with tweezers as well as with tape.

4  As malpaso says.  It will often lose a bit of colour, but otherwise the way to tell it's dry is by touch.

5  It depends on what use you plan for it.  Personally I wouldn't rely on it for straight or precise lines, but it's a quick way to cover areas and (if you can master the cocktail stick) a lot quicker than mucking about making masks for canopies.  Copydex is good value; many artists' masking fluids aren't a bad price either.  Humbrol's Maskol differs really only in that it's purple and that it's a swizz.

 

One other thing to watch for: if you don't use your bottle a lot, it can go off very easily.  The neck will bung up with rubber, and the rubber and ammonia can separate.  If they do, they'll never mix again.  A handy tip is to give it a shake every few weeks to keep things proper.

[LotusArenco]

I used to work with artists masking liquid by the barrel load (quite literally).

 

As pigsty said, most of what you can get is just liquid latex + ammonia + colouring. If you are using it to mask over acrylic paints, there may be a chance the ammonia in the masking liquid might affect your paint finish. If your masking fluid smells like pee or fish, it’s probably got ammonia in it!

 

You can get ‘ammonia free’ masking liquid (Schmincke liquid frisket is one of the best), I’ve not tried it, but it may be better suited for using over acrylics.

 

Mart

[Greenshirt]

On 4/20/2017 at 4:14 PM, BetaSingh said:

1) How do you use Liquid Masking Fluid, and how is it applied

2) What do you do if the masking fluid goes wrong, and how do you fix it

3) How do you peel off the masking fluid

4) How long does it take to dry, and what does it look like when dry

5) Is it a worthwhile purchase to make, and is it worth the money. 

1) applied with a hairy stick. I use old paintbrushes, about a #0 works best for me. Cheap/stiff brushes don't work well at all, I discard the "free" brush that comes with the fluid. I use for masking...for airbrushing. 

 

2) Two problems seem to occur when I use masking fluid. First, it sometimes goes where I don't want it. Fix: after it's all pulled off and the paint is dry, I reapply and repaint (spot only). Rarely happens. Second, some fluids contain ammonia, which can discolor the underlying acrylic paint that I'm masking. Fix: apply fluid in thin layers. Ensure each layer is fully cured before applying the next. 

 

3) cocktail stick, cotton bud, fingers. I rotate the cocktail stick on the dried fluid and let the friction bring up the rubbery fluid. It then sticks to itself and makes it easier to come up. Same with cotton bud and on broad areas like a wing my fingers work. 

 

4) it cures in about an hour, quicker in a dry climate. Depending on the original color, usually darker and opaque. It'll be rubbery to the touch. 

 

5) I have 3 different makes. Humbrol, Tamiya, and an art store brand. The Humbrol and Tamiya both seem to have a bit of ammonia in them, and can affect Tamiya and Gunze paints; they likely are expected to be used with enamels or lacquers. The art store brand specifically states it is for acrylics and does not have ammonia but is harder to work with as it cures very fast and while opaque it is nearly clear when dry and hard to see on the model. 

 

Yes, I think it very useful for all my disruptive camouflage schemes that are not angles, but I only work in 1/72 and believe the soft edges on the real thing effectively look hard edged in that scale.