Advice wanted: What's the best way to mask the canopy?

[Vifam7]

What's the best way to mask the canopy?

When spray painting the forward fuselage, you need to somehow mask the canopy and/or protect the cockpit inside. My method in my Arii VF-1S build was to completely wrap the canopy with masking tape and gluing it on with regular white glue. That way when spraying the fuselage body, the paint doesn't enter the cockpit or affect the clear canopy. Using white glue allowed me to easily remove the canopy later on. It all worked for my build but is my method wrong? Is there a better way?

How does everyone else do it?

[Vi-RS]

tamiya masking tape:

[leading edge]

tamiya masking tape:

How effective is this Tamiya tape I don't have any experience with it. Does it work well with brushes as well as airbrush?

[Penguin]

I love Tamiya masking tape. I don't airbrush, but its great for brush and spray paint.

A simple way to protect from "underflow" without having to glue down the masking is to brush gloss clear over the edges of the tape and let it dry first. It fills in all the nooks and crannies and seals the tape seam so that the next coat can't get under. Works for me every time, although it does mean that some gloss clear may get left on the canopy if it flows under the mask. Never bothers me, 'cause I always clear-coat canopies.

[David Hingtgen]

Tamiya tape is the masking tape of the gods. It is far superior to all other tape.

[mickyg]

Vifam, did you mean masking the canopy to allow you to paint the frames, or masking the cockpit so you don't get paint in the areas you've just meticulously painted inside the cockpit?

If it's the former, that's possibly covered. If it's the latter, I think people tend to do one of two things. Either, use the natural "frame" colour that often times extends into the fusalage section just under the cockpit and mask around that (over the canopy too). Or they'll carefully glue the canopy on, before or after painting the actual canopy frame, then mask over the top of that and carefully cut around where it meets the fusalage for cases when there's a frame that's a different colour to the area just under the canopy.

Hope that make sense and is helpful!

[Vifam7]

Vifam, did you mean masking the canopy to allow you to paint the frames, or masking the cockpit so you don't get paint in the areas you've just meticulously painted inside the cockpit?

If it's the former, that's possibly covered. If it's the latter, I think people tend to do one of two things. Either, use the natural "frame" colour that often times extends into the fusalage section just under the cockpit and mask around that (over the canopy too). Or they'll carefully glue the canopy on, before or after painting the actual canopy frame, then mask over the top of that and carefully cut around where it meets the fusalage for cases when there's a frame that's a different colour to the area just under the canopy.

Hope that make sense and is helpful!

Yup, the latter. Masking the cockpit. Yeah, what I do is "glue the canopy on before painting the actual canopy frame, then mask over the top of that and carefully cut around where it meets the fusalage for cases when there's a frame that's a different colour to the area just under the canopy".

Just wondered if there was an easier or alternative way.

[leading edge]

Yup, the latter. Masking the cockpit. Yeah, what I do is "glue the canopy on before painting the actual canopy frame, then mask over the top of that and carefully cut around where it meets the fusalage for cases when there's a frame that's a different colour to the area just under the canopy".

Just wondered if there was an easier or alternative by using decals I like to avoid painting my canopies. I usually either dye the canopy so adding paint has been a problem. I've recently adopted making the canopy frame and painting it before attaching it to the clear portion. If anyone has better alternative please tell me the process I'm doing is kind of involved. Edited January 6, 2010 by leading edge