I'll begin painting this weekend...

I apply my masks before attaching the canopy. That way i am not haveing to handle and move around the aircraft, i just find it easier that way. But, which ever suits you best will work.

I don't always add my canopies before painting. I test fit and if it looks good, i wil leave it off and add after painting. If it will need some filler, then i will add, fill and then paint.

Ditto to what Bish said.

Also, I'm not sure masking a canopy for the first time and painting with acrylics with no experience for 30 years is the best idea for a test go with your new setup.

Canopy masking and painting can be a little bit finicky. The masks have to be applied right and well-burnished, the paint needs to be correctly thinned, your pressure needs to right, etc. Even the angle your spray from can matter.

What I'm trying to say is you might want to practice with the airbrush first.

I messed up my first canopy. Good news is acrylic is easy to strip. But if you glue to the airframe before painting, you will have a problem. Also, I'd suggest removing the mask pieces very carefully and preserving them on a piece of glass or something just in case you have to remask.

My , and have fun with that new airbrush setup.

Thanks, Bish. I haven't really done any test fitting of the canopies yet, so I'd better do that. The E-Z Mask instructions are pretty good. They suggest wetting the mask pieces with soapy water so they slide like decals, then I guess blot them and let them dry. BTW: If the canopy pieces aren't on the airplane for paint, how do you hold the pieces down for paint?

Greg, I will practice some before I actually paint the airplanes. I've set the compressor for 30 lbs. output pressure. Plus I have an Accurate Miniatures P-51B that needs the interior chromated so I think that will be first kit that gets any paint.

I need to get to the hobby shop tomorrow to get some Tamiya lacquer thinner to thin the paints. That was a recommendation in one of Aaron Skinner's videos.

Great advice from Bish and Greg. You'll find that properly thinned acrylics will spray much differently than what you used that many years ago. Before you start painting the actual model, I'd say get a couple extra bottles of paint for plenty of practice and getting used to handling the airbrush, pressure settings and thinning ratios.

Practice is best done on a smooth, hard surface, not paper or cardboard. Big plastic jugs are good, large surface area and they replicate model surfaces. Have you had a good look at "Don's Airbrush Website" yet" Great info found there, a good time investment.

I mask canopies off the model, much easier to handle. As much as possible I even spray the masked canopies off the model, IF I'm confident of the fit and that I won't need filler. I use the tacky contact kind of adhesive for canopy attachment, so I don't have to risk paint damage by plastic type cement.

Both Aleene's and Elmers white do the job for me, but they are not at all meant to hold forever, handling for dusting can remove them if bumped. In that case, just re-apply.

I'm a real Badger 200 fan, you'll find yours will do some fine work for you. If you find time, please let us know how you get on with your efforts. Best of luck.

Patrick

Thanks, Patrick. I have some Formula 560 canopy glue. Seems a lot like Elmer's to me. Another fellow told me about Gator Grip Acrylic Glue to glue canopies.

I'll try that painting a plastic jug for some practice this weekend.

I bookmarked Don's Airbrush Tips for future reference.

I am not familiar with E-Z masks, i tend to use Eduard ones. Those E-Z ones sound a bit differant.

I normally attach the masks with blue tac to wooden cloths pegs. I have several with one end sanded to differant shaps to be able to hold differant shaped canopies.

If your masks are for only the outside, mask the inside completely with masking tape, then apply the masks to the outside.  The contrast will help in locating the masks.  Then you can spray the interior color followed by the exterior color. 

As for holding to paint, you can use modeling clay or blue tack inside the canopy with a small section of dowel, rod or something like that stuck into the clay for a handle.  Or take a few inches of masking tape, form into a roll, sticky side out, and stick to the inside of the canopy and stuck to a hard surface, just off of it and paint away.

Your suggestion is similar to Bish, Goldhammer. I'll get some Blu-Tack and dowells from Michaels this weekend. In the meantime, I need to find something to practice on.

Whether I paint first and then attach canopy, or attach canopy or then paint, depends on whether I intend to display with the canopy open or closed. If I intend to display with closed canopy I attach it first and then paint. If I intend to display with open canopy, I attach forward (windscreen) portion first, and the mask the canopy area, either by stuffing with facial tissue or cutting a cardboard cover, paint and paint movable canopy portion seperately.

Don, that's how I thought about it when I looked at painting the canopies. I almost never display the finished airplanes with the canopy open. To me, the open canopy spoils the lines of the finished model. It's the same when I go to a car show. If I'm going to photograph a car and the hood is up, I ask the owner to put the hood down befoer I shoot the car. It just looks better -- to me. The T-6 and the Mustangs will have the canopies closed. I think I'll paint the Mustangs before I put the canopies on though. For the T-6, I think I'll mask the canopy then attach it to the plane then begin the painting process.

I did go to Michael's this morning to get some adhesive tack stuff and some dowells to use to paint canopies on other models down the road.

Thanks for your input, Don.

Well, my studio is set up now but I didn't begin painting as I thougt I would. I can't paint in the house so I'm set up on the patio. Probably the only times I'll be able to paint out there are early in the morning and late in the evening, before sunset. It's just too hot to be out there during mid-day. I have three fans: A tall oscillating fan, a ceiling fan, and a floor fan that when set on low is just short of hurricane strength. The light is good, lots of natural light supllemented with some artificial light so I'll be able to see the true colors when I lay down paint. I'll try to practice next week.

goldhammer

As for holding to paint, you can use modeling clay or blue tack inside the canopy with a small section of dowel, rod or something like that stuck into the clay for a handle. 

Wow, hammer, I never thought of "masking" the inside of a canopy with blu-tack. Not sure that's exactly what you meant, but I absoultely have masking canopy insides with tape.

Thanks for the great idea.

Greg-  Whatever works.  The original intent was tape the inside then some clay or blue-tac, silly putty or clay to stick a rod or dowel in if needed.