I'm shopping around for the type of mask I'm gonna use for my blackhawk, but I've never used masks before, I've always painted the canopies carefully. I'd just like to hear what some of you use and its pro's and con's. Particularly liquid masks. Thanks.

I have used "masking tape" , carefully cut with an scalpel . Sometimes , i use "horizontal" masks at first , doing "vertical" masks later , when there is any complicated detail . The results are better in relation of using a brush , but the masks must be very "closed".
I don't like use liquid masks for masking canopies , because it´s a kind of "inverted" brush painting , didn´t work for me !!
Tchau!!

I do use liquid mask. I don't recall the brand - its a tall skinnyish bottle. 1.5" tall x .5" wide, the stuff if light blue, it has a screw on lid.
I like it A Lot. I apply it to the entire canopy first. I usually do two layer. (The con is one layer doesn't mask very well or stick very well). It drys to a pretty clear (kinda foggy) color. You can see the framework through it. I go in with a new #11 and cut away the part over the frame leaving the glass masked off. Paint away. Then to remove it I use a toothpick. I cut down the tip to make it a bit sharper to get under the edge a bit better. I pry up a bit of the edge and then peal it all the way off.
The pro is - its easy, you don't fiddle with strips. Good coverage, good masking. Comes off easy.
The con - its another tool/supply you need a bit extra $. I don't build a lot of planes (2 -3 a year) and one bottle has lasted more than 2 years.

I'd recommend liquid.

The liquid mask that slodder is referring to is called MicroMask by MicroScale. I use it too and it is very good. One word of warning, it is water based and some Acrylics will dissolve it and cause bleed through. Microscale recommends using petrolium based paints and avoid water based. If you prime it with a petrolium based paint first you can use acrylics over that. I have done a little testing with acrylics right on top of it. Tamiya paint bled through where the mask was thin, MM Acryl did not bleed through but softens the mask so it doesn't come off cleanly, on both the paint under the mask had a little discoloration after removing where the acrylics were. Water removed most of the discoloration.

Hi Matt.
Take a look over at the Spitfire group build thread, theres a neat discussion about masking canopies:
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/8458&page=2
I'ts worth taking a look at the rest of the thread as well :-)
Mal

I have heard they work well, but if you dip them in future first sometimes the pre-cut masks won't fit anymore. I haven't tried it but that I would pass on what I have hear.

Thanks everyone, does anyone use anything else that they've had good success with? I'd like to try the Microscale liquid mask, but I don't have any time to look it up, about what does a bottle cost?

#:-)

I bought my bottle of Micro Mask for about $4 Canadian....not sure if it would really be a whole lot cheaper than that in the US or not, as I have found that most tools and paints aren't any cheaper buying from a mail order out of the US than it is to get it at my local hobby shop. Personally I didn't think $4 was all that much money for the bottle of Micro Mask. I haven't used it as of yet, but have read that it can be used for more than just canopies......ie you could use it as the leading edge of a hardlined camo pattern.....make it a couple of brush strokes wide...and then fill in the rest with masking tape....you get the desired design you want without having to cut and form the masking tape...and once the paint in dry....the micro mask will most likely lift off when you take off the masking tape anyway.

Check out the April 2003 edition of FSM, the article on the 2 seater F-100.....the guy used micro mask to mask of parts of the engine shroud, as he painted on the camo...the result.....it looks as if the paint for the camo had been burnt off, and the natural metal finish underneath showing through!!!!

I paid $2.50 USD for my bottle of MicroMask.

Try Parafilm M, a laboratory film. Testors sold it at one time but I haven't seen a package of it in a while. I did a Google search for it a few days ago, just to see if it was still available. There were a number of hits with very reasonable prices.

I just did a canopy with it and am very pleased with the result. No residue (ala foils), no liquid masks to paint on. It was very easy to use.

:-) If you check out my link, Matt, it is about Parafilm-M, good stuff :-)
Mal

Hey guys I myself, use frisket, a nice low tack film made for airbrushes. Badger started making it and now there are several diferent brands out there!!!! it come 8 1/2x11sheet and can be cut with a sharp knife and doesn't creep back like parafilm can!!! so if you want t try it, go for and a pack of 10 sheets last for a long time!!! stug

Hi Stug, When I've used frisket it has tended to lift, when applied to curved surfaces?
Mal

I guess I'll look for some Micro-mask on my next trip to the hobby store. You don't think it'll be too much work for canopies with a good deal of framework like Blackhawks, C-130s, etc. ? Thanks for all the suggestions.

I wrote this up a few months ago. Maybe it bears repeating, or maybe I should just shut up

Parafilm M -- It's not just for expert modelers anymore . . . and it never was!




Parafilm M is one of those modeling devices or substances that has some kind of mystical reputation that keeps people from appraoching it out of fear or awe.


Lighten up folks! It's laboratory Saran Wrap for test tubes, and it takes about two minutes to learn the basics of using the stuff to mask canopies.

Parafilm is a stretchy, waxy, impermeable film that becomes very clingy when stretched in a single direction. That's what makes it perfect to seal up test tubes of concoctions and to mask surfaces for painting. It doesn't react with enamels or acrylics -- I have no personal experience with its compatibility with lacquers such as Floquil, but Testors Glosscote and Dullcote are lacquers and don't react with it either.

The beauty of Parafilm is that there is no real difference between using it or Scotch tape to mask a canopy. To activate the material, you cut a piece off the roll -- it comes on a wax-paper backing that removes easily -- grasp opposing edges and stretch about twice or three times its length in one direction. This is important -- ONE DIRECTION ONLY -- so you don't tear holes in the film . Holding the opposing edges firmly means that the film will not narrow appreciably during the stretch.

Because this stuff seems to stretch forever, you really need to cut off just what you can handle in a coordinated manner. I've found that a two-to-three inch long section is quite adequate to cover something like a 1/48 B-25 nose glazing with a fair bit of excess film.

You can cut the resulting length of film to size for whatever you're masking. Center the piece over the item to be masked and gently pull it down over the item. You can then press the Parafilm onto the surface and into the lines of the molded framing. If you need to use multiple pieces of Parafilm, don't worry -- the material adheres very well to itself.

Burnishing Parafilm often causes damage. The best technique to ensure the material is fitted to every nook and cranny is to use the end of a toothpick as a roller, rolling it across the film and into frame lines and seams.

Trimming Parafilm takes a little care, since it is a little more rubbery than Scotch transparent tape, but all you need is a FRESH No. 11 X-Acto blade.

Cut along the framing and panel areas to be painted, and make sure that cuts meet at all corners. After you're done, start by lifting up a section of masked framing with the tip of your knife. If you lift part of the masking over a clear panel, don't panic. Just press the material back down, recut the area and peel the frame off again.

After you finish uncovering the framing, go back and press over the masked surfaces as a precaution. If you manage to wear a hole in any part of the mask, use white glue to cover the hole.

After you've finished painting and are ready to remove the Parafilm, things get even better. The mask actually hardens a bit from the accumulated paint, so when you lift up a corner of the mask and start peeling, the Parafilm removes smoothly and with none of the residue you get from Scotch tape.

Some people say that masking something like a Ju 88 or He 111 canopy with Parafilm is a chore and a half. Think about it -- it's a chore and 2/3rds with something as unflexible as transparent tape, and you get another 1/3rd of a chore when you have to clean adhesive residue off your glazing.

So, pay some high school or college student to fift a few feet of Parafilm M from the lab -- just kidding!!!! Go to a lab supply store or check your favorite real or virtual hobby emporium. A roll lasts forever . . . . unless you're doing a full collection of Ju 88's in 1/48 scale. Then it may last only several years.

Go forth and mask!!!!

I use Mike's method... A few months back I finally got the hang of it and like it allot and recommend it to all....

Thanks, if I see it around I'll pick some up. Should I play around with it on some other stuff before I do it for the first time, or is it that user-friendly?

I never had any luck with Parafilm-M, It was a dissapointment for me.

:-) My Heinkel He111 bomber (rivet review board) was masked with Parafilm-M, my first go. Took me about an hour. Hardest thing with P-M is making sure you cut right to the end, otherwise when you peel it away from the frames you will lift the bits you want to stay put. Also before removing it, after painting, I would suggest running your knife around the edges again. :-)
Mal

It seems awfully tedious, was it difficult with the framing of your He111?

#:-)

Well, I've been using 3M Invisible tape for my masking, and it seems a very effective and cheap solution to me. I can't get P-M here, and it costs a bomb to get it imported.

I have used the 3M tape for nearly 6 months now, and it has given very impressive results. These are some of the planes, for whose canopies I have used the tape:
1. Hawker Hunter
2. B-24D Liberator
3. Ju-88 A4
4. F6F-5 Hellcat(for the Group build)
5. Mirage 2000
6. Jaguar.

Will post piccies if anyone is interested. I had also put up this method in one of my old posts(while doing the Hellcat), so you can refer to that if you like...

Cheers,
BP.

Bytepilot - I have a stock of Parafilm (I work in a lab) so I could send you a strip of a few feet if you want through the post. PM me if you want.

Roger

:-) Matt


No quite relaxing really. Not difficult, just needs care. If you look on the Corsair group build thread, you will see my Corsair canopies, masked in 10 minutes. :-) However the canopies on my 109s (for the Luftwaffe group build) proved far more difficult because the frame lines weren't as prominant.

BP


Yes BP post the pics. can't have enough pics of aircraft, you could join me in my campaign to get more aircraft on the Rivet Review Board :-)

Roger
You could start a business

Mal

I picked up Parafilm at Micromark, Never had any luck with it tho

well, I broke out the Parafilm M, thats been sitting in my drawer for a year. Read the info on the threads and wuill be attempting it on my Bf110g-4, Wish me luck~!