Question: - Masking Wheel Wells

I forgot about this tip.

Go to the store and buy a pack of those sponges that women use to put on makeup.

Cut them to size and stick them in the wheel wells with tweezers or a toothpick.

They are dense foam rubber and soft so they conform great.

The ones my wife picked up for me are similar to these:

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp78162_333181_sespider/rite_aid/cosmetic_make_up_wedges.htm 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions - it's given a range of different options and ideas.

Also, thanks for Bgrigg for the info on Parafilm.  I might see if i can find the glad product in a local supermarket.

cml

By wet I mean wetted and wrung out (well, as best you can with a flimsy material!). That helps to form the Kleenex into the corners and recesses. The dampness doesn't affect acrylics at all, as long as you leave it in place while the paint dries. Of course that means the Kleenex dries as well, and that can make it difficult to remove from convoluted areas. The re-wetting allows the Kleenex to become flexible enough to remove without damaging anything, and won't bother the dried paint at all.

I use this method mostly for cockpits now, and prefer the second method for most wheel wells. 

Parafilm is sold by laboratory supply merchants, and they have an Australian contact. It's a plastic film with a wax like substance to allow it to hold and seal. It's not cheap, but it is worth the money! Glad Press'n Seal is a similar household product, but doesn't work quite as well. Its saving grace is the availability and low price. I couldn’t find a like product on Glad.com.au website, so you might be out of luck.

You could easily use Tamiya or similar tape (I have yet to find a tape as good as Tamiya, though). As MikeV said, burnish it down well to prevent the paint from bleeding under.

I use Sticky Tack (Blu Tack) on areas that are oddly shaped or hard to reach. You can get it at most office supply stores. It can be reused after paiting, unlike masking tape, and it won't pull off already painted sufaces.

http://www.blutack.com/

Bgrigg wrote:

The other method is to paint the underside of the wings first, then mask the wings to paint the wells.

That's how I do it and I use Tamiya masking tape or 3M blue tape. I burnish the edges of the tape good with a toothpick or other flat instrument and I never see bleed under.  

Bgrigg,

 Thanks for the suggestion, just two quick questions:

1.  Why do you need to re-wet the tissue to remove?  I assume that you paint the cavity first, then fill and paint the wing?  Would this pose a problem (ie, wet kleenex) when using acrylics?

2.  I've heard of parafilm, but am at a total loss as to what it actually is or where to get it (i have a suspicion it might be marketed under a different name here in Australia)...

 Cheers mate,

cml

I've successfully used two different methods.

One is to use wetted Kleenex to fill the cavity. Paint and then re-wet the Kleenex to remove. Kleenex (or other tissue) is better than paper towel, which is too stiff.

The other method is to paint the underside of the wings first, then mask the wings to paint the wells. I've used the poor man's Parafilm: Glad Press'n Seal to good effect.