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Brush Painting Canopies


Marvel Onkey

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How do the expert brush painters paint their canopies?

 

1:72 is my preferred scale and I'm struggling to make a neat job of canopy frames.

 

Do you mask up the clear parts like an airbrusher would, or is it a tiny brush and a steady hand?

 

Cheers

 

Adrian

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It would depend on the canopy in question. For something simple like a Spitfire, I'd paint it freehand and then tidy up the inevitable wavy line with a sharpened up wooden toothpick or similar. For something a bit trickier, like a Blenheim or Heinkel III I'd be tempted by a commercial masking set.

 

I'm interested in how the experts do it too...

 

John.

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If you want a good clean line Adrian mask it up.Make sure you burr the edges to the plastic.

 

First coat a satin varnish. Airbrushing the paint is virtually dry when it reaches the canopy. Hand brushing it is wet.

The varnish will seal and stop the wet paint soaking the masking tape and prevent the paint seeping under the tape.

 

Varnish a thin coat concentrated on the edges to seal. Then thinnish coats(ie thin paint) to build up the paint film.

Airbrushing looks good as you get a very thin paint film of the same thickness all over. Try to emulate.

 

Use a flat type brush of good quality sable if possible.

Edited by LaurieS
I am stuoid at times
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3 hours ago, Marvel Onkey said:

Varnish the edges- I've never thought of that.

 

Does the tape still peel off easily or does it need encouraging with a knife blade?

 

No different than paint. But you only need a smidgeon of satin varnish. Just enough to seal the edge.

 

You can use a sharp edge but one slip and the pilot will take you to task. I remove the tape slowly

pulling it back horizontal to the plastic surface. Pulling straight up is most likely to give problems.

 

If you do use a knife best to use an American Razor blade. The one with one side a solid back.

Score gently rather than cut.

 

Laurie

 

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Just thought Adrian --- deeply--- unusual.

 

The best for canopies I have found is Eduard masks. Used to poo poo them--- stupid--- until I thought I would give them a go.

Not sure if you can get them for your model.

 

Just finished a Harrier 1/48. The masks were brilliant no bleeding at all. They use a superb paper for the masks. Easy

to apply sticky yet easy to remove. The Harrier has an in side frame which projects above the out side in a different

colour. Mask were provided for the inside frame.

 

Laurie

 

 

 

Edited by LaurieS
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7 minutes ago, LaurieS said:

The best for canopies I have found is Eduard masks. Used to poo poo them--- stupid--- until I thought I would give them a go.

Not sure if you can get them for your model.

 

 

But do masks actually work for brush painting?  I'm very tempted for subjects like the He 111 but, if paint bleeds underneath them, the results will probably be catastrophic, even worse than my hamfisted attempts at brush-painting the frames.

 

BTW I use transfer film where possible, touching up curved corners etc with a fine brush and using a cocktail stick to remove mistakes.

Edited by Seahawk
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1 minute ago, Seahawk said:

 

But do masks work for brush painting?  I'm very tempted for subjects like the He 111 but, if paint bleeds underneath them, the results will probably be catastrophic, even worse than my hamfisted attempts at brush-painting the frames.

 

BTW I use transfer film where possible, touching up curved corners etc with a fine brush and using a cocktail stick to remove mistakes.

 

If you are using Tamiya masking tape you will find the Eduard masks superior.

 

Laurie

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Laurie has some great gouge. 

 

Ive found that patience is best when painting a canopy freehand. No caffeine that day either. 

 

Dip the canopy in Future first, after you remove it from the sprue and clean it up. Let this cure for a full 48 hours. Advantage is you can simply drop the canopy in ammonia to clean all the paint off if you want to restart. I do this as the first step before I start a build. 

 

Mask your preferred way. Whether AM masks or cut your own, or not at all. If you mask, put a very thin coat of satin along the edges first. It both seals the edge and gives the paint something to bite, paints abhor glossy finishes unless airbrushing. If not masking, try to apply a thin coat of satin on the frame; being clear it doesn't have to be perfect. Take a wooden cocktail stick with a chisel edge along the frame edge to clean up the edge of any satin is on the clear areas. 

 

I like to put my canopies at eye level ever while I paint, so I use double sided tape and attach to old business cards. Then I use a clothes pin or clamp to get it held up securely, and then steady my painting hand with my free hand. I try to apply the inside color first in a thin coat, let it dry, then apply the exterior color in 2 thin coats. If using Tamiya, let the paint cure overnight between coats. 

 

If using a water based acrylic, like Vallejo, I thin with Future 1-1 and put a tiny drop of W&N retarder. The future both helps to smooth the paint and being a resin thins without breaking down the paint. 

 

When dry, use the chiseled wooden stick to clean up the edges. If you push too hard you'll scrape off the Future on the clear part...but don't fret. Just paint on lightly a new bit of Future, taking care not to get it on the frame (unless you want a gloss finish) and it should clean up. 

 

Practice, practice, practice. 

 

 

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54 minutes ago, Greenshirt said:

Laurie has some great gouge. 

 

 

 

Fascinated care to elucidate ?  :please:

 

So interested I collected all these apparent "gouge" meanings.

The closest I came was no.2 as it had something to do with aircraft . :lalala:

So confused !

 

noun  gouge; plural noun: gouges

 
a chisel with a concave blade, used in carpentry, sculpture, and surgery.
an indentation or groove made by gouging.

 

  1. make (a groove, hole, or indentation) with or as if with a gouge.
    "the channel had been gouged out by the ebbing water"
       
     
  2. American informal
    overcharge; swindle.
    "the airline ends up gouging the very passengers it is supposed to assist"
     
    Meaning to force out with a gouge (especially of the eyes, in fighting) attested by 1800.
     
    To make a hole in something in a rough or violent way
     
    To be gouged out is to be stoned. To gouge is to get high.
    He was gouged out of his head He decided to have a gouge.
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4 hours ago, LaurieS said:

Fascinated care to elucidate ?

Sorry, "gouge" is a US Navy term. It means you have the best and critically pertinent information. Typically used by students attempting to pass a difficult class say in nuclear physics. Not to be confused with illegal information, such as a copy of the test. 

 

I've used it before on this and other forums and you're the first to question the meaning. 

 

Of course, I was once told a "green shirt" was negatively viewed in England. I considered changing my handle but decided to stick to my heritage. 

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2 hours ago, Greenshirt said:

Sorry, "gouge" is a US Navy term. It means you have the best and critically pertinent information. Typically used by students attempting to pass a difficult class say in nuclear physics. Not to be confused with illegal information, such as a copy of the test. 

 

I've used it before on this and other forums and you're the first to question the meaning. 

 

Of course, I was once told a "green shirt" was negatively viewed in England. I considered changing my handle but decided to stick to my heritage. 

 

Thanks for the info. I was unsure and thought it may be derogatory but was vice versa : relief thanks.

 

Green Shirt not heard of that one. Black Shirt was a dress which was worn by Oswald Mosley an English Fascist before and up to just after the start of WW11.

Looking it up the Green Shirt seemed to be a Canadian of a similar type to Mosley.

 

Laurie

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  • 2 weeks later...

A bit late - but this is my technique, as used on that Lancaster, and many more.

 

First, use steel rule and scalpel on cutting board to thinly slice some Tamiya masking tape.

About 1mm normally does - I don't actually  measure the width on the canopy.

1-Tools.jpg

 

Next paint the tape in the colours that you need for those frames.

2-Painted.jpg

 

Allow to dry, but not really harden.  An hour or so usually does.

Peel off the board and stick onto the canopy frames.  Press down well.

I usually re-varnish (matt or gloss)  only upto the lower demarcation of the canopy.

3-Application.jpg 

 

 

Did anyone notice - this is a different Lancaster model?

 

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 I used a similar technique on my Airfix Comet having 'smash-molded' a new canopy which left me with no frames. I used some excess decal film instead of tape....and applied as a decal

 

AirfixDH88Cometbetterpics0.jpg

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3 hours ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

A bit late - but this is my technique, as used on that Lancaster, and many more.

 

First, use steel rule and scalpel on cutting board to thinly slice some Tamiya masking tape.

About 1mm normally does - I don't actually  measure the width on the canopy.

TimsFraming001_zps7fb55ef7.jpg

 

Next paint the tape in the colours that you need for those frames.

TimsFraming002_zpsc3022938.jpg

 

Allow to dry, but not really harden.  An hour or so usually does.

Peel off the board and stick onto the canopy frames.  Press down well.

I usually re-varnish (matt or gloss)  only upto the lower demarcation of the canopy.

LancFraming_zps0ad8306d.jpg 

 

 

Did anyone notice - this is a different Lancaster model?

 

 

Tried this myself but the only disadvantage is that the frame inside is the colour of the tape.

 

Laurie

 

 

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