hull painting advice

You should be OK if you use a good tape like Tamiyas,the yellow stuff.Give the grey a day to dry well and then apply your masking.Make sure it is rubbed down well to prevent bleed under. I like to shoot a coat of semi gloss varnish over the tape to ensure a good seal. Enamel paints should not peel up with tape when finished but Acrylics need a bit longer to dry and a little less vigorous rubbing down on the tape.

Masking and painting warship hulls is a bit tricky and takes a bit of practice. You should always paint lighter colors first. I paint the grey, then mask for the red...covering all the grey areas, then re-mask for the black waterline...

If your surface is flat and doesn't have any 'bumps its pretty straightforward.

You could try using the blue tape 3m puts out for painting...it comes in a variety of thicknesses and is more cost effective then the model stuff...

The key is to mask in a room with little humidity or dampness and to apply the tape smooth and even...painting should occur right after its masked and the tape should be removed shortly after if possible.

Always tape extra for overspray and try not to double up the tape so you won't get paint build up forming an 'edge'...

If you keep your paint from 'running' and keep the spray neat you'll have less problems...always be prepared for a bit of touch up...

Use tamiya's thing masking tape for fine jobs

Tank

QUOTE: Originally posted by lolok You should be OK if you use a good tape like Tamiyas,the yellow stuff.Give the grey a day to dry well and then apply your masking.Make sure it is rubbed down well to prevent bleed under. I like to shoot a coat of semi gloss varnish over the tape to ensure a good seal. Enamel paints should not peel up with tape when finished but Acrylics need a bit longer to dry and a little less vigorous rubbing down on the tape.

well actually I would think of putting on a coat of Future or clear varnish on the hull prior to masking. Doing that would ensure that your paint wouldn't come off when tha tape is pulled off. And when you apply the masking tape I agree with lolok that the tape should rubbed down to get rid of air bubbles and to prevent bleed under but also spray on another coat of Future/Varnish to seal the tape but after that get some news paper or paper towels and attach that with tape onto the masking tape above the area you want to paint red so that you don't accidentally paint the upper hull red.

BTW are you planning on having a black waterline line on your hull? If so you should spray the whole hull black first.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeym_us QUOTE: Originally posted by lolok You should be OK if you use a good tape like Tamiyas,the yellow stuff.Give the grey a day to dry well and then apply your masking.Make sure it is rubbed down well to prevent bleed under. I like to shoot a coat of semi gloss varnish over the tape to ensure a good seal. Enamel paints should not peel up with tape when finished but Acrylics need a bit longer to dry and a little less vigorous rubbing down on the tape. well actually I would think of putting on a coat of Future or clear varnish on the hull prior to masking. Doing that would ensure that your paint wouldn't come off when tha tape is pulled off. And when you apply the masking tape I agree with lolok that the tape should rubbed down to get rid of air bubbles and to prevent bleed under but also spray on another coat of Future/Varnish to seal the tape but after that get some news paper or paper towels and attach that with tape onto the masking tape above the area you want to paint red so that you don't accidentally paint the upper hull red. BTW are you planning on having a black waterline line on your hull? If so you should spray the whole hull black first.

See? And I always paint the waterline last! Everyone has their own methods...

Hee Hee! I paint my bottom of the hull first and the waterline last, man I must be a warped. Partially because its easier to do without the guardrails and other little details I paint on the upper hull.

I paint with artist acrylics, which will come off if you sneeze too hard. However, I like them because they are cheap, very easy to mix and use, are non-toxic, and I can make any color possible.

I find that no matter what brand of acrylics used, they work so much better on a primed surface. So I always prime my hulls with Krylon basic epoxy primer. However, always do a test spray first since I have found that some plastics, like Trumpeter uses, may react to the primer.

I give the painted surface a coat of Future or satin clearcoat protect the paint from scratches and lifting when masked. Like what was said, the clear coat makes for a smoother surface thus eliminating low spots that can cause bleed.

Tape I use is 3M painters tape for large surfaces, drafting tape for areas that require very little tack, and Tamiya tape for really small details such as doing a "dazzle" cammo scheme.

Painting hulls can be a lot of fun with some creativity.

Scott

QUOTE: Originally posted by scottrc I paint with artist acrylics, which will come off if you sneeze too hard. However, I like them because they are cheap, very easy to mix and use, are non-toxic, and I can make any color possible. I give the painted surface a coat of Future or satin clearcoat protect the paint from scratches and lifting when masked. Like what was said, the clear coat makes for a smoother surface thus eliminating low spots that can cause bleed. Tape I use is 3M painters tape for large surfaces, drafting tape for areas that require very little tack, and Tamiya tape for really small details such as doing a "dazzle" cammo scheme. Painting hulls can be a lot of fun with some creativity. Scott

Hey Scott, you are talking about the artists acrylics that come in tubes, correct? How do you dilute them to use in an airbrush? Thanks!

Oops, no not the solid acrylics, sorry for the misinformation, but the bottled acrylics put out by Decoart. However, I do use the tube acrylics for weathering and washes.

Thanks for clearing that up, Scott. I had visions of colored pasta squirting out of my old Badger. Didn't thing about the weathering an d wash uses, though. Thanks again!

That was a funny mental picture.