SEARCH FINESCALE.COM

Enter keywords or a search phrase below:

New technique for canvas

1228 views
9 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Thursday, April 19, 2018 11:47 AM

That looks very nice, Don.

I prefer your tissue application.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Derry, New Hampshire, USA
Posted by rcboater on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 6:54 PM

One side only, at least since the late 70s.

I say this based on what I saw on every ship I ever sailed on, or visited (USCG and USN) during my time in the Coast Guard. 

Webmaster, Marine Modelers Club of New England

www.marinemodelers.org

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 9:02 AM

Grabbed a quick shot yesterday.

The top two railings were covered with single ply of facial tissue.  The bottom one was the Kristal Klear.

The back of the railing does show better with the facial tissue- but, brings up the question, was the canvas only on the outside of the railing, or were those draped over to cover both sides of railings?

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: 37deg 40.13' N 95deg 29.10'W
Posted by scottrc on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 11:40 AM

I have used Liquidtex Acrylic gel not only for water, but for windows, blast bags, and other mixed shapes.  Your right, its much easier to use the gels than white glue.  

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 9:34 AM

I'll reply to both Greg and Pat together.  The use of white glue to fasten tissue to framework in flying models is now common, instead of dope.  I had been thinking of going that way.  However, finding jap tissue, or any model airplane covering tissue is getting hard.  I already keep a supply of that type of glue/material on hand. 

I find the Kristal Klear and other such materials to be a bit easier to use than white glue. It is thicker, rather than thinner than ordinary white glue.  I find white glue easy to thin, hard to thicken.

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Towson MD
Posted by gregbale on Monday, April 16, 2018 10:20 AM

PFJN

Hi,

I've never tried this, but would it maybe be possible to use white tissue paper and airplane dope, like on the old Guillows balsa models, at least as a starter layer?

Regards

Pat

 

That should work fine...with one cautionary addendum.
 
I haven't built a balsa plane in decades, so I'm not sure whether the technology is still the same, but the old-time model airplane dope we used 'back in the day' was acetone-based, and pretty 'hot' chemically. It might do bad things to small-scale and petitely-molded ship parts on a regular plastic model.
 
The good news is that something like Future (or whatever they're calling it these days) should work perfectly for the same use: it just needs a little adhesion, and once it dries it will tighten up quite nicely. (I'm currently using it for over-coating lozenge decals on a 1/48 WW1 kit, and it gets drum-taut as it dries, just like the old dope did with tissue.)
 
Regards

Greg

George Lewis:

"Every time you correct me on my grammar I love you a little fewer."
 
  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by PFJN on Monday, April 16, 2018 9:50 AM

Hi,

I've never tried this, but would it maybe be possible to use white tissue paper and airplane dope, like on the old Guillows balsa models, at least as a starter layer?

Regards

Pat

1st Group BuildSP

  • Member since
    July 2014
Posted by modelcrazy on Monday, April 16, 2018 9:50 AM

Thanks Don, I haven't had the occasion to put on canvas but I will remember that when I do. I want to build an IJN battleship which have a lot of canvas.

I do use a similar technique (Mr. Dissolved Putty) for blast bags though.

Steve

Building a kit from your stash is like cutting a head off a Hydra, two more take it's place.

 

 

http://www.spamodeler.com/forum/

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Towson MD
Posted by gregbale on Monday, April 16, 2018 9:28 AM

I long ago settled on the same technique - only using ordinary thinned white glue - for anything in the 1/200 - 1/700 range. With a little experience you can even 'wrap' it around open corners, by doing a little filament on the corner first, letting it harden, then applying as usual.

A real 'plus' (besides the easy clean-up or corrections, if necessary) is the way it conforms to the railing structure like wind-blown canvas. A little accent dry-brushing really makes it 'pop' appearance-wise.

Greg

George Lewis:

"Every time you correct me on my grammar I love you a little fewer."
 
  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
New technique for canvas
Posted by Don Stauffer on Monday, April 16, 2018 8:55 AM

On my 1:350 Lord Nelson build, I have been adding canvas to the railings on bridge and other upper decks. I started with my old technique with one ply of Kleenex.  Brush on thinned white glue to railing, set a strip of the facial tissue over it, then more white glue over the tissue. It is very labor intensive- once that tissue gets wet you can hardly move it, it shrivels and tears so easily.  I thought there must be a better way.

I use that window material a lot, like Micro Scale Kristal Klear.  On ships I have used it for glazed portholes, and small windows.  Anyway, the openings in the railings look small enough for the easy application of that stuff. It turned out to be the case.  I was already about half done- the remaining railings went very fast.  Now, the material dries transparent, but I used the same paint I finished the other canvas areas with, and they look great- better than the Kleenex ones, where I cannot always trim it perfectly around the railings.  The Kristal Klear does not build up outside of the railings.  I will post some pictures when I take some.

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

SEARCH FORUMS
FREE NEWSLETTER
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy.