Masking model ship hulls for painting

Hello Doc,

Right away the first thing I (don't) see is that you primed the model. If you are using water based paint, or any of the other "acrylic" paints like Tamiya, you must prime. Sure, some modelers don't but it is a positive in this process.

I have no problem with paint pull up using Tamiya yellow tape. That only needs to be the edge- you can come in behind it with blue painters tape (orange core) if you dont press it down. Waiting before painting doesn't do you any good. The idea is to get it on and off as quickly as possible.

In fact, true painters tape is rated by the amount of time it can be left on the wall- the longer the time the less tack of the tape. 3M blue tape with the orange core is rated remove within 60 days; white core within 14 days. Those absolute values don't apply here, but you get the idea.

Beyond that, there's a series of ways to paint the boot stripe/ boot topping/ waterline stripe. But that wasn't the question.

Hope that helps.

Bill

GMorrison

- you can come in behind it with blue painters tape (orange core) if you dont press it down.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Bill

Whats orange core?

I also agree that priming is important as well as being sure the paint is completely dry before masking. I've only had problems with paint pulling off when removing tape when I've used Model Master acryl paints. I've reached the point where I don't use that brand when masking is necessary. It's never happened to me with any other brand.

Once you get your tape edge down, burnish the edge down tight.  Might shoot a light coat of clear on the edge in addition, then shoot the next color.  It helps avoid bleeding under the edge of the tape.

I also will scuff the primer with a fine scotchbrite pad prior to any color coats and almost never have any peeling issues even with MM acrylics and Tamiya tape.

Hi Bill. 

Thanks for the advice. When you you refer to the "edge down" are you only applying pressure to the edge of the tape and leaving the rest more or less loose? If so how do you avoid overspray with an airbrush?

Thanks,

Doc

Mrchntmarine

 

 

GMorrison

- you can come in behind it with blue painters tape (orange core) if you dont press it down.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Bill

 

 

 

Whats orange core?

 

Tamiya yellow/ 3M orange core/ 3M white core.

Doc Hu

Hi Bill. 

Thanks for the advice. When you you refer to the "edge down" are you only applying pressure to the edge of the tape and leaving the rest more or less loose? If so how do you avoid overspray with an airbrush?

 

Thanks,

Doc

 

Here's a look at how I would add the stripe to a model, although this particular one won't get a stripe. I just had it handy.

Place the Tamiya tape along the top and bottom edges of the stripe which you've marked. (More on that in a minute).

Burnish it down enough to make a seal. 

Add a row of 3M tape behind it, overlapping enough to seal to the Tamiya tape. Burnish or at least press down firmly along the tape-to-tape seal. 

Slip in paper, aluminum foil or whatever you have under the other edge of the blue tape and press that down. That'l save you from overspray. No reason to make your model a tape mummy.

Back spraying the edge is fine, just be careful.where the color goes. Clear flat works too.

See my next post about marking the stripe.

Bill

Marking your boot stripe.

There are many ways to do this. This is mine.

I prime the model, then paint the red without much regard to masking, although it does keep things neat and if the topside is white, any red under it could show tthrough. Just make sure you paint into the middle of the stripe area, at a minimum.

When that dries, mask at the middle of the boot stripe and paint the topsides. you may want to mark the middle of the stripe at this point, even a series of light tick marks.

Now, set the model up rigidly on it's base and make it waterline-level, which usually on kits is parallel to the keel. Not so often in reality, and you might need to make some adjustment. Just get the model setting level as it would be in the water under normal loads.

Mark where the top and bottom of the stripe will be. I usually do this in the middle somewhere. A little research such as looking at photos helps, there might be a line cast on the model, or it had top and bottom halves. 

The height of the stripe I usually eyeball, erring on the big side. I've seen charts that seem to indicate the height as a product of the size of the ship; I don't know how much that makes a difference.

(more to come)

On a big ship, the thing could be 6, 7, 8 feet tall.

The strip will not be a constant true width. It will have a constant true height perpendicular to the sea. That means that where the bow flairs out or the stern counters under, the true width gets quite a bit larger.

Get a really sharp pencil. Clamp it into a fixture that holds it securely at a set dimension above the base/ your bench. Make sure that the pencil reaches out far enough to get to the midline of the hull without the clamp fixture bumping into the base.

Here it doesn't exactly follow the narrative, this ship I marked upside down using the flight deck as my level. And I've already marked and placed the tape, but I brought the marking fixture back and set this up to show the arrangement. Only photo I had.

Either move the fixture along the length of the ship, going left and right from one mark you made, or move the ship back and forth. I usually make a series of ticks an inch apart. That's enough to get the Tamiya tape in the right place, and can be removed without too much trouble if they need to be.

Turn the model around and do the same. 

Now adjust the pencil in the fixture to match the other mark you made, after you sharpen it. Repeat the process.

You won't do your best work under the stern, so go lightly. I always end up taking the model off of the base, turning it over and adding tape where the marks are and what looks right.

Add the blue tape and paper/ foil now. Ready to paint.

GMorrison

 

 

Tamiya yellow/ 3M orange core/ 3M white core.

Ahhh.  Tks Bill.  Gonna look for it so i can see what the difference is - I have the 2 on the ends. 

I am new to building model warships, well any model for that fact. But I have finally completed my first model, and just started on my Tamiya 1/350 King George V. I used a very similiar method as Bill. I have 6mm, and 10mm Tamiya masking tape, as well as an orange core 3m painters tape. On my KGV build I literally just got done masking and painting the red lower hull.

I used 10mm tamiya tape cut in about 2-3 inch managable pieces. Carefully laid them them down along the paint line with overlapping where one piece ended and the next one started. Going with shorter lenghts allowed me to be more precise at getting that straight edge.

Once the 10mm masking tape was laid down around the entire hull, I followed with a row of overlapping 3m painters tape. After it dried over night and I removed the masking tape, I had a very sharp and straight edge. There were a few spots where the hull paint seaped through the cracks and up where the black waterline will go. But I am not too worried about it as when I paint on the black water line, it will cover that up.

Doc Hu

When I mask over a painted section prior to painting the next section the mask pulls off the paint beneath it when the mask is removed.

As below, using a primer may help.

Another alternative would be to shoot a coat of flat over the color coat, to protect the color coat from the masking.

Doc Hu

the "boot strip" ( boot strap? ) in black and the above the waterline

Terms include "boot top" and "boot topping" too; "stripe" is often used for being aliterative.

Note that, typically, using boot topping is something only done by USN and UK Royal Navy.  Some of the UK Commonwealth nations just used a nominal "cheater" stripe about 12" wide to split the colors.  So, it's not a universal practice.  Research is your best choice, as kit instructions can be wrong on painting.  (Or, in Tumpeter's case, imaginary.)

Bill gives the best method, use a good shapr pencil and mark out the top and bottom to paint to.

OK Several have mentioned priming the model. I have a spray can of Tamiya that is labeled "Haze Grey/primer" Is this adequate? If not what should I  try?

I greatly appreciate you help. especially your photos and narrative Bill. Someday I'll figure out how to post some pictures of my work.

Thanks,

Doc