Masking canopies

Carnage,
I put this out a while ago and got some good info.
wroper11said Testors Parfilm m was good. I tried it and liked the results! LeeTree said bare metal foil was good but I haven't tried that yet. Sounds like it would do a good job though.

I tried Ambroid Liquid Film and liked it. Dip the canopy in Future a couple of times before masing and painting.

Regards,

I hate doing canopies. I wish there were a better way. I mask mine with tape and it is tedious and laborious and I end up not doing pieces, periodivcally. The achilles heel of my builds are canopies. I haven't tried the liquid masks yet. I really wonder if they are easier. I wish model cmpanies would begin to cast a mask for us. Guess that is asking too much. Are there commercially available canopies that fit a good number of kits?

I use the Scotch "frosty" (invisible) tape. After the canopy has been dipped in Future & cured, I burnish the tape onto the canopy. I then cut the edges, under magnification, with a fresh #11 blade. It takes time, its tedious, but I haven't had to "fix" one doing it this way.


This is the most difficult canopy I've ever masked, and it required no clean up after the masks were removed.

Hope this helps.

wow Pix...that is an awesome job.

What do you use as your burnishing tool?

I use the pastra tape. I works very good. No bleeding... I use a eraser for the burnish. And lot of practice...

HI Carnage, it sounds like your problem was what is called "bleeding" where the paint creeps under the tape. The members have made some great suggestions, and the best thing you could do is try a few of them and see what you like. As for my opinion, I don't care for canopies either, but it is a necessary evil.

Here's one other alternative that requires no masking: You can paint some decal film with first of all the interior color, and then the exterior. Then cut it into strips the same width of the framing on you model. Then you can apply it to the canopy and you are all done. And, the interior color will show from inside. The thing is, if your plane has a lot of curves to the canopy, it might not work.

Good luck!

Whenever I've tried the burnish and cut method I end up scratching the canopy... would future help with this? I just need to be more careful and work slow and steady...