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Scribing advise


Greg Law

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I need some advice on scribing panel lines.I use a aluminium straight edge that is very thin so it can go around curves. The problem I'm having is holding it in place

while I'm doing a wing panel etc. Is there any tricks to this? The next issue is the Trumpeter scriber I'm using makes a very thin line that disappears when I paint it.

How do you avoid this? 

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I just hold the guide using Tamiya tape (obviously on the side that isn't being scriped).

If the scribed line isn't deep enough I just go over it again. I find the best results are from several light scribes rather than trying to get the desired depth in one pass.

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I think maybe @tank152   made a post where he has some special scribing tape,  I did look it up and it is/was available from HobbyLinkJapan...

 

oh, your in luck, was able to search it up

https://hlj.com/product/HQPCGT-3MM

https://hlj.com/product/HQPCGT-6MM

 

Can't remember all the details,  hope I got the right notification.

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4 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

I think maybe @tank152   made a post where he has some special scribing tape,  I did look it up and it is/was available from HobbyLinkJapan...

 

oh, your in luck, was able to search it up

https://hlj.com/product/HQPCGT-3MM

https://hlj.com/product/HQPCGT-6MM

 

Can't remember all the details,  hope I got the right notification.

Yes thats the stuff, 

Available here,

http://www.hmhobbies.co.uk/carving-guide-tape-3mm-hiq-parts.html

Although out of stock at the moment

6mm in stock though

http://www.hmhobbies.co.uk/carving-guide-tape-6mm-hiq-parts.html

I can also reccomend these scribers

http://www.hmhobbies.co.uk/holly-015mm-panel-line-engraver-shimomura-alec.html

Light passes are the trick, heavy handness will cause your scriber to wonder off line.

Ultimate also sell the above and have the 3mm showing in stock

https://www.umpretail.com/collections/building/products/hiq-parts-scribing-guide-tape-3mm

They also do a bundle of the 2 sizes

https://www.umpretail.com/collections/building/products/hiq-parts-scribing-guide-tape-bundle-3mm-6mm.

Tim.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...
On 8/8/2018 at 6:51 PM, Troy Smith said:

Sadly, hobbylink states the product is discontinued.

 

Just for your info, I found these saws on amazon, they have are very highly rated by lots of modellers, and for 12 dollars, it is a no BRAINER. Mine are on the way.

 

I am just starting my first model in more than thirty years, so I am basically a beginner agaain. Anyway, the kit is the MH-6 stealth. I bought CMK conversions for attack and proper MH-6J since I have two of the kits. Anyway, the first thing I needed to do is remove the doors which are unfortunately molded in place. Since I am new, I am trying different techniques. The first is a simple sewing need in my x-acto handle, scouring over and over again. This worked very well, but I did have the occasional out of line jump.

 

The second method I tried, using a different saw/scriber set from another company. I found the kerf (blade width) was way too big, and the result was less than great. Plus, the frame around the door is very thin once the door is removed, so the saw would often bite into the plastic and deform it dramatically, I am just lucky it did not break.

 

Finally, I raided my wifes make-up kit. She has a "black head remover" that is made of surgical steel. It has a loop on one side, a very sharp point on the other this turned out to be the best tool yet. Scouring again back and forth until the door was removed. I did put painters tape on the side that I didn't want to scratch with limited success.

 

Once that was done, I tool some 1500 grit sand paper to smooth out the edges. The kit probably won't be an award winner, but it will teach me a lot about the new techniques, I am almost ready to begin painting and assembly, probably next week.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Anthony stalker6recon D'Agostino

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I don´t like Dymo tapes very much. They don´t stick so well and don´t go around curves very well.

 

I use floor marking tape. It´s a thick vinyl tape. I slice it on top of a glass surface.

 

img_20180321_214501959.jpg?w=736

 

img_20190406_131207071.jpg?w=736

 

img_20180321_204353317.jpg?w=736

 

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20 hours ago, Marco said:

I use floor marking tape.

Now that is pretty cool, and I am pretty sure I can find that (or something similar) here in the Philippines. I removed the doors of my OH-6 kits as the start of my build, with ok results, I should get better over time. I tried using the blue 3M painters tape as a guide, but it is too soft and unable to prevent the out of line slip, which plagued me the entire time. I still have two doors to remove, but I think I will wait until a get some new tape. I also just ordered new panel line saws from hasegawa. I will probably wait until that has arrived before I finish removing the doors.

 

Thanks for the great tip, I am certain it will make future panel line work a whole lot easier to control.

 

Anthony

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With the dymo tape, you can cut it in half for easier bending on curves, simply mark the non-straight edges by cutting a notch in them.

 

Also as stated, let the tools do the work, but don't do the work for them. So several light passes, till you feel that the scribing tool has a bite (you'll feel what I mean when trying...). Also, when you need to make an angle, start from the corner, never to the corner, to avoid shooting over the edge. When you have two corners, start in one, and stop halfway, then finish the line from the other corner...

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20 hours ago, Stalker6Recon said:

Now that is pretty cool, and I am pretty sure I can find that (or something similar) here in the Philippines. I removed the doors of my OH-6 kits as the start of my build, with ok results, I should get better over time. I tried using the blue 3M painters tape as a guide, but it is too soft and unable to prevent the out of line slip, which plagued me the entire time. I still have two doors to remove, but I think I will wait until a get some new tape. I also just ordered new panel line saws from hasegawa. I will probably wait until that has arrived before I finish removing the doors.

 

Thanks for the great tip, I am certain it will make future panel line work a whole lot easier to control.

 

Anthony

Another thing I do is to apply Tamiya Extra thin glue to scribed lines.

 

Not too much. Just pass an almost dry brush. This smoothens the cut and makes it look much better.

 

I like to practice on leftover/spare drop tanks.

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Main thing to remember in scribing is don't overdo it. We're sensitive to "scale effect" in paint colors, yet we put in panel lines that in reality disappear to the naked eye at more than a dozen feet away. Go for effect, not the actual line itself if you want 'scale'. At most, panel lines look like just that, lines, not engravings. Maybe just draw them in with a very fine pencil point at the end? Just a thought and another way of looking at it. 

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In my experience, Demo tape can be used effectively when taped over a similar length of Tamiya tape.

The Tamiya tape adheres more reliably and the Demo tape provides a strong edge without leaving a sticky deposit.

Hope that helps.

Rog

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28 minutes ago, Marco said:

Another thing I do is to apply Tamiya Extra thin glue to scribed lines. 

Another great tip, I have been copy/pasting the really good ones into a note file on my phone, and that file is becoming a book fast. Thanks for the info!

 

4 minutes ago, gamevender said:

Main thing to remember in scribing is don't overdo it.

That was also a concern, how will I keep the lines uniform and matching the ones on the kit. I also worry about their inconsistencies, where the kit lines are clean, but the rescribed lines are likely very jagged under close inspection. I have a feeling that my first couple of kits will look like they were built by blind mice!

 

The extra thin cement sounds like it will clean up some of that problem, but I know that the best way to have clean lines, will be finding the right tool for the job, and a sewing needle stuck in my x-acto blade might not be the best method. I have seen some kits have U channel lines, others have V channels. Any idea if there are different tools for each?

 

As usual, you guys are awesome at taking someone under your wing and passing along the wisdom you have gained. If my double AH-6Js turn out good, it will be in large part, based on the great tips I have been able to get from the hilltop masters!

12 minutes ago, roginoz said:

Demo

Demo tape? You got me, what is that? I live in the Philippines, so brands are difficult to find and I must try to find a local alternative. Is that the same as floor marking tape? Forgive my ignorance in advance, I am like a baby, starting from scratch all over again. The tools and times have definitely changed since my first snap together kit in 1978. Even then, I was hooked!

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Have a look at the Radu Brinzan scribers - best thing I have found (and I have tried plenty - P-cutter, needle, scriber, bare metal scriber). Olfa P Cutter is good for rough stuff but Radu's is perfect for narrow, u shaped lines that are as deep as you want them to be. Also makes tools for lines up to wing/fuselage joints and around curves. Also not that expensive and easy to ship. 

 

Will

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Dymo label tape:

10064407DymoEmbossingTapeRefillsBlk_.jpg

it is used as a refill for a dymo labeler: 

10064380DymoEmbossingLabelMaker_600.jpg?

 

The extra thin I use it to, but to finish the work. After scribing you have some burrs, then a slight sanding, which fills the panelline again a bit, then a bit of cleaning with the scribing tool, a gentle blow and melt the tiny bits with the Tamiya extra thin (or the like)

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35 minutes ago, Scimitar F1 said:

Radu Brinzan scribers

Checking ebay right after dinner, thanks!

 

27 minutes ago, Silenoz said:

Dymo label tape:

Wow, I was not aware that they made those anymore, sort of old school. I have a p-touch label maker will a LOT of extra refills that I could not use in a lifetime of organizing for the home. I use to work freelance as a network installer and used the p-touch to label the LAN ports, but that was decades ago. Probably not as thick, but I will give that a go before I buy the dyno stuff from ebay. If memory serves, that dyno tape is very rigid, great for straight lines, but probably difficult to move around curve lines. The p-touch is a little more forgiving, layered up, it might work great.

 

32 minutes ago, Silenoz said:

melt the tiny bits with the Tamiya extra thin

What do you recommend I use to accurately put a drop into those tiny lines? Broken end of a sewing needle eye? I have seen a tool called a "looper", used for CA, is that an option as well?

 

I cant believe how much I have already absorbed, but my brain wants more!

 

Thanks all, thats what I love about becoming a member, everyone for the most part is extraordinary helpful, its awesome!

 

Anthony

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  • 1 month later...
On 09/04/2019 at 14:52, Stalker6Recon said:

I still have two doors to remove

A slight drift from the scribing point but if I was removing a door I'd use the pin vice with a micro drill to make a series of holes inside the line of the door. Then cut from hole to hole with a craft knife. Then neaten the doorway opening with a file. Hope I haven't misunderstood your problem.

Mark

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51 minutes ago, MarkH206 said:

Hope I haven't misunderstood your problem.

Nope, you nailed it, thanks for that tip/information, I would never have considered using a pin vise, this certainly would help me keep it in the lines.

 

Unfortunately, my eagerness to get a WIP superceded my ability. When I removee the front and rear door from the starboard side, I realized that it looked really funny to me. My brain cycled back to the sprue tree and the one door that was there for both kits. Then it dawned on me, even though these kits have three doors molded into the fuselage, the last door is inexplicably a separate part. So it turned out that I removed a large section of fuselage! Can you say "idiot"?

 

Anyway, turns out this was a blessing in disguise. The kits I am using for my "little bird" conversions are the academy AH-6 Stealth, which has these awful gold colored canopies. I had previously believed that this was the only kit that worked with the CMK conversion sets, but I was wrong. There are a few other kits with clear canopies that can be used with the CMK set. I have decided it was fate. Now I am going to buy two more proper kits, and use the two I have as test beds for new tools and techniques as I learn my way back into the hobby.

 

All things, good and bad, happen for a reason. Truth be told, if I had known that Kitty Hawk would come out with all new 1:35 little birds w/figures, and the MH-60L as well, I would have waited and bought those kits. The 1:48 Little Bird, is ridiculously small for my big sausage hands!

 

Thanks very much for the tip again, it will come in handy once round two of my build starts.

 

Anthony

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  • 2 weeks later...

For lateral lines along the fuselage and rescribing across the seam, I often use a PE saw. I find it easier to control and align than a scriber. For longitudinal lines or larger (wing) surfaces I take out the scriber.

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