Masking papers are designed to prevent bleed-through of solvents and fiber contamination in aircraft painting. Moreover, they are treated for resistance to bake-cycle heat and chemicals. Aircraft Masking can be tricky, terrifying, tedious, and often quite unpredictable, and every modeler faces the masking problems. For instance, you are supposed to mask all the parts that should not be touched by the paint and areas that have a different color on the model. Although some aircraft model features can get away with mistakes, the canopy is never one of them. Below are some reliable ways to mask the top for painting;
Pre-cut Masks
Pre-cut masks are most suitable for complicated frameworks or faint and ill-defined panel lines. Furthermore, they are designed for specific kits, which make them accurate and easy to apply. Foremost, you should slip the tip of your hobby knife under the corner of the mask and pull it from the adhesive backing. Then, place the cover on the model aligning at least one side before burnishing it down without distorting the mask’s shape. After painting, gently rock the knife blade along the mask edge to break it from the paint, then turn up the mask corner and use tweezers to remove it.
Adhesive Foil
The desire for fine edges and faintly molded panel lines makes adhesive-backed foil a perfect choice. You can use aluminum or gold foil since it is less reflective, making it easier to see. Thus, you should apply a bit more than that you need and burnish it down. Using a new hobby knife blade, you will trim along the frame and use tweezers to eliminate the excess foil. After making the paint, you will use a blunt toothpick to lift the foil.
Masking with Tape
In the cases where the canopy’s panel lines are elevated in sharp relief, you should use the tape to mask it. However, there is an essential caveat; it must be something fragile and pliable such as Tamiya tape, so that you can burnish it tightly onto the framework. The moment the outline is defined, use a new blade to trim. Furthermore, ensure that you work on one panel at a time so that the tape can hew to the canopy’s curves. After that, airbrush with acrylic paint and coat with PFM.
Canopies with Oval and Round Corners
Finally, another technique is how to Aircraft Masking with oval and round-shaped corners. Although these canopies are typical in aviation, they can be challenging to conceal. Therefore, you need to understand the art of cutting the tapes after being applied to the canopy. The most uncomplicated technique will be to find the PE stencil with a round-shaped guide of the appropriate size that will fit the apex of the front windscreen.
