Your best quick tip/technique/diy

[Elm City Hobbies]

I like to use Removable Mounting Putty for many things! There are several on the market, I like the gray stuff. I use it a lot for test fitting, quick mock-up builds, holding parts for painting, I've even used small balls to hold small parts while gluing. Even when it's been used for painting and has some paint on it, a quick kneading and it's ready to go again.

Erik

It is also good for masking off camo patterns. Roll it into little thin sausages, place it on your kit to outline the camo pattern, and then cover the section you don't want painted with tape. Leaves a nice soft demarcation line!

 

[Dusky]

Mounting putty works great, but don't use the blue stuff from Loctite. I've had it stain acrylic paint and it's a pain to remove.

I've also heard of guys using parafilm for masking or the Glad wrap with parafilm in it. Parafilm can be expensive at hobby stores, but you can buy massive rolls at science supply stores for much cheaper.

 

[hooterville75]

Mounting putty works great, but don't use the blue stuff from Loctite. I've had it stain acrylic paint and it's a pain to remove.

I've also heard of guys using parafilm for masking or the Glad wrap with parafilm in it. Parafilm can be expensive at hobby stores, but you can buy massive rolls at science supply stores for much cheaper.

Ive seen parafilm previously for like $30 for a I believe 25 foot roll and a tiny lil bit of that stuff stretches forever. You dont need very much of that stuff.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Mounting putty works great, but don't use the blue stuff from Loctite. I've had it stain acrylic paint and it's a pain to remove.

I've also heard of guys using parafilm for masking or the Glad wrap with parafilm in it. Parafilm can be expensive at hobby stores, but you can buy massive rolls at science supply stores for much cheaper.

Ive seen parafilm previously for like $30 for a I believe 25 foot roll and a tiny lil bit of that stuff stretches forever. You dont need very much of that stuff.

It is good if you want a hard edge to whatever it is you are masking, tis pricey though. Yeah sure, $30 for 25ft roll about 4" wide. Go to the grocery store, and get the glad cling wrap, basically the same thing, 25ft roll, 12" wide for probably under $7. Maybe doesn't stretch as far, but you have a wider roll for less than 1/3 the money.

The poster putty as well...the white seems to work better than the blue....something in the blue stuff that can leave marks/stains on your paint. Does work well for doing soft edge camo, so long as you spray over it at the right angle.

 

[hooterville75]

Mounting putty works great, but don't use the blue stuff from Loctite. I've had it stain acrylic paint and it's a pain to remove.

I've also heard of guys using parafilm for masking or the Glad wrap with parafilm in it. Parafilm can be expensive at hobby stores, but you can buy massive rolls at science supply stores for much cheaper.

Ive seen parafilm previously for like $30 for a I believe 25 foot roll and a tiny lil bit of that stuff stretches forever. You dont need very much of that stuff.

It is good if you want a hard edge to whatever it is you are masking, tis pricey though. Yeah sure, $30 for 25ft roll about 4" wide. Go to the grocery store, and get the glad cling wrap, basically the same thing, 25ft roll, 12" wide for probably under $7. Maybe doesn't stretch as far, but you have a wider roll for less than 1/3 the money.

The poster putty as well...the white seems to work better than the blue....something in the blue stuff that can leave marks/stains on your paint. Does work well for doing soft edge camo, so long as you spray over it at the right angle.

I forget who told me but someone told me somewhere along the line that regardless of what you use to mask anything if you paint a layer of Future over the edge of the masking tape your pretty much guaranteed to keep it from leaking through. Never tried it but just a thought.

 

[khimbar]

I forget who told me but someone told me somewhere along the line that regardless of what you use to mask anything if you paint a layer of Future over the edge of the masking tape your pretty much guaranteed to keep it from leaking through. Never tried it but just a thought.

I've heard something similar but that the first coat over a mask should be the same colour as you've masked over, so that any bleed through isn't noticed.

If that makes sense?

Like the idea of using Klear though to seal it down.

 

[Grendels]

I have done both and prefer to use the base color for the first coat. But both have worked as well as using masking fluid over the tape.

 

[hooterville75]

Grendels, something is telling me that the best tip of the day I can think of is watch Bibi airbrush you may be able to learn a thing or two from her haha. That little girl rocks. Love her desire to want to learn the airbrush.

 

[Dusky]

You can also use normal clear paint rather than Future.

 

[Grendels]

Grendels, something is telling me that the best tip of the day I can think of is watch Bibi airbrush you may be able to learn a thing or two from her haha. That little girl rocks. Love her desire to want to learn the airbrush.

Yeah, I need to get her back up in front of the air brush...... Right now her grand parents are here and all she wants to do is visit with them.

 

[hooterville75]

Family time is most important then anything my friend. Would do anything to be able to spend another day with my grandmother.

 

[Grendels]

I agree, that is why I dropped everything over Thanksgiving and spent time with family.

 

[hooterville75]

Thumbs up my Friend. My wife's mother is from Calgary, Alberta Canada so we only see her but once a year. Tough on my wife and my daughter when she does visit but every minute spent with them is cherished. Im bringing her mother in for a family reunion her side of the family is having in May. She nor my daughter have a clue that Im flying her in for the reunion so its going to be a total surprise when we get to the reunion and there mother/grandmother is setting at the table ready to eat . Do your families live locally in Texas or are they from out of the area as well ?

 

[Grendels]

My mother live about 70 miles from me, but my In-laws live over 1000 miles away in Mexico. So they visit only once a year or so. It really makes the wife happy so this time is well spent!

 

[hooterville75]

Nice man. Mexico is a different culture. Love Cancun, Mexico. Best Spring Break I ever attended ha ha ha. Well hey man. Good stuff, enjoy your visit with your in laws the rest of the visit and talk with you again soon. Looking forward to seeing some of Bibi's work with the airbrush in the real near future.

 

[Bullet21]

I was struggling with masking the canopy frame on a 1/72 WWII Japanese torpedo bomber when an idea hit me. I layed several strips of green masking tape on my mat then brush painted them IJN green. Then I cut them into strips the size of the frame, layed them down where they were needed and clear coated over them. Why didn't I think of that sooner? Like, maybe,15 or 20 planes sooner?

 

[andrei383]

when fitting individual track links together, i use masking tape to hold the parts together and add glue to where they connect. once the glue dries a bit, i add them to the model and use small pieces of sponge to help the pieces conform to the wheels and also add some track sag.

i find that the sponge adds just the right amount of pressure to add the track sag. i also add some sponge on the opposite side of the sag direction to provide counter-pressure so that the links dont come apart and the sag is not to excessive. using various sizes of sponge can provide different amounts of sag

just be careful with the glue or you may attach it to the wheels prematurely!

note that this only works if there is a fender above the tracks where the sponge can be sandwiched between

 

[chriss67]

I don't know if this one has been mentioned,but I use M.E.K instead of all those pricey glues.You can purchase a quart at Home Depot or any D.I.Y store for about $8! I haven't purchased glue in years

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

I don't know if this one has been mentioned,but I use M.E.K instead of all those pricey glues.You can purchase a quart at Home Depot or any D.I.Y store for about $8! I haven't purchased glue in years

That is basically what is in most liquid glues (or similar), just watered down some. Although I think stuff like Tenax 7 is closer to actual MEK, but then again Tenax 7 has been unavailable for months.

Something else that works well for cementing plastic, is just plain old lacquer thinner.

 

[unttld]

Here's my solution for thinning Vallejo paints (model and game color) for running through an airbrush:
- 50% Windex + 50% paint ± a bit depending on the paint. Also eyeballed so very not exact. Works. Every. Time.