Modelling tips

Author
Discussion

jmorgan

36,010 posts

283 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
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Not sure if anyone has come across this, they probably have and no doubt there is something better but..... Oakey sanding sponge. Got it from the local DIY but if they do not do a finer grit then rub it together. Great for getting around shapes that have been filled.

kenny Chim 4

1,604 posts

257 months

Tuesday 1st May 2012
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Since this thread is intended to pass on tips, I thought I would add onesmile.

The other night I needed some clear blue paint and I found an old jar of Aqueous (Gunze Sangyo) acrylic that I bought yonks ago. I tried to open it but the lid was stuck (very) fast and wouldn't budge.

I remembered reading that hot water may be the answer so I placed the jar upside down into a small bowl and poured boiled water up to the edge of the lid.

Five minutes later and the plastic lid turned with an easy twist!

The paint was as good as new so don't throw old acrylic paints away without trying this.


kenny Chim 4

1,604 posts

257 months

Tuesday 1st May 2012
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Oh, and whilst I'm at it.. the best super glue (Cyanoacrylate) that I've used is this: http://zantemodelism.com/product_info.php?cPath=79...

and my tip is to keep it in your fridge between applications as it will last much longer wink.

probedb

824 posts

218 months

Friday 13th July 2012
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Does anyone have any tips with regards to applying decals? Mine always seem to not stick properly and half of the time will come off if you touch them. Also they look crap because they don't seem to adhere to the surface so they're not see-thru.

I'm sure they never used to be this bad when I was a kid.

Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Friday 13th July 2012
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probedb said:
Does anyone have any tips with regards to applying decals? Mine always seem to not stick properly and half of the time will come off if you touch them. Also they look crap because they don't seem to adhere to the surface so they're not see-thru.

I'm sure they never used to be this bad when I was a kid.
Here are some tips that I use;

  • Make sure you are applying them to a gloss surface, which aids adhesion and avoids ghosting/silvering. If you require a matt finish, apply it after the decals have been applied.
  • I tend to use warm water, in a saucer, and then put a sponge in the water. The decal then sits on top of the sponge (you may wish to immerse the sponge in wet water as well). This stops the decal floating away.
  • The use of Micro-Set and Micro-Solv can be very beneficial.
  • A drop of Johnsons Klear in the water also helps avoid silvering (but is less helpful if using the sponge method).

probedb

824 posts

218 months

Monday 16th July 2012
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Red Firecracker said:
Here are some tips that I use;

  • Make sure you are applying them to a gloss surface, which aids adhesion and avoids ghosting/silvering. If you require a matt finish, apply it after the decals have been applied.
  • I tend to use warm water, in a saucer, and then put a sponge in the water. The decal then sits on top of the sponge (you may wish to immerse the sponge in wet water as well). This stops the decal floating away.
  • The use of Micro-Set and Micro-Solv can be very beneficial.
  • A drop of Johnsons Klear in the water also helps avoid silvering (but is less helpful if using the sponge method).
Cheers, will give them a go. I also find that some companies seem to put a lot of extra decal material around the decal which is a pain sometimes.

kenny Chim 4

1,604 posts

257 months

Monday 16th July 2012
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Probe, use small nail scissors to cut away excess decal film in those instances.

Also, I tend to use a wet paint brush to lift then move the transfer into place after wetting it. Before that, I'll wet the surface it's to be applied to with that brush- then press into place using a small piece of foam spongesmile.

probedb

824 posts

218 months

Tuesday 24th July 2012
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kenny Chim 4 said:
Probe, use small nail scissors to cut away excess decal film in those instances.

Also, I tend to use a wet paint brush to lift then move the transfer into place after wetting it. Before that, I'll wet the surface it's to be applied to with that brush- then press into place using a small piece of foam spongesmile.
Cheers smile The sponge sounds good as I always seem to get large droplets of water. I've managed to lose some of the very small decals too, they magically disappear!

The_Jackal

4,854 posts

196 months

Tuesday 24th July 2012
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A few drops of washing up liquid in the dish of water helps break the water tension and makes it easier to move the decal around.

Evangelion

7,628 posts

177 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
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kenny Chim 4 said:
... use small nail scissors to cut away excess decal film ...
Do not do this! It will give you a hard edge that will always be visible whatever you do.

If you have applied the decal properly, the clear film round it will be rendered invisible.

This is my process:

1 - primer
2 - colour coat(s)
3 - gloss lacquer
4 - apply decals
5 - more gloss lacquer
6 - (if required) matt lacquer

dr_gn

16,130 posts

183 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
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Evangelion said:
kenny Chim 4 said:
... use small nail scissors to cut away excess decal film ...
Do not do this! It will give you a hard edge that will always be visible whatever you do.

If you have applied the decal properly, the clear film round it will be rendered invisible.

This is my process:

1 - primer
2 - colour coat(s)
3 - gloss lacquer
4 - apply decals
5 - more gloss lacquer
6 - (if required) matt lacquer
I've never had a problem cutting excess carrier film away - it probably depends on the decal manufacturer.

In certain positions, excess carrier film can prevent the decal from being positioned at all (for example if the decal fits to an adjacent raised profile, or if it's a stencil decal applied to a compund curved surface.

I would definitely add decal softening solution to the list as well.

The_Jackal

4,854 posts

196 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
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Yeah softening solution is a minimum if you want anything better than the most basic finish.

tvrtuscans

1,009 posts

210 months

Sunday 29th December 2013
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I have loads of tins of old humbrol enamel paints in my garage...have had them for decades...should I just bin them all and start afresh? If so what paints should I start to purchase?

chrisga

2,085 posts

186 months

Sunday 29th December 2013
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What are you trying to paint??
Personally I like Tamiya paints. I use their spray cans and acryllics and have never had any issues with them. I mainly build 1/12 scale motorbikes though so others may prefer different brands/paint types for other applications.

dr_gn

16,130 posts

183 months

Sunday 29th December 2013
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tvrtuscans said:
I have loads of tins of old humbrol enamel paints in my garage...have had them for decades...should I just bin them all and start afresh? If so what paints should I start to purchase?
Bin them and start again would be my advice.

tvrtuscans

1,009 posts

210 months

Sunday 29th December 2013
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dr_gn said:
tvrtuscans said:
I have loads of tins of old humbrol enamel paints in my garage...have had them for decades...should I just bin them all and start afresh? If so what paints should I start to purchase?
Bin them and start again would be my advice.
Noted...tks...any suggestions on which paint manufacturers I should buy?

dr_gn

16,130 posts

183 months

Sunday 29th December 2013
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tvrtuscans said:
dr_gn said:
tvrtuscans said:
I have loads of tins of old humbrol enamel paints in my garage...have had them for decades...should I just bin them all and start afresh? If so what paints should I start to purchase?
Bin them and start again would be my advice.
Noted...tks...any suggestions on which paint manufacturers I should buy?
I use Tamiya or Vallejo acrylics (with the apropriate thinners) for airbrushing. Acrylics dry quickly and don't use the harsh chemicals you need for enamels. The problem is that as a rule they don't brush very well - enamels are best for that. Citadel acrylics (Games Workshop) are OK for brushing, but the colour range is a bit wierd.

In fact it might just be worth opening the enamels you saved and testing them - they might be OK for detail work. With the old enamels I had, they never seemed to dry, and that's the last thing you want on a model you've spent hours building.

Whatever you decide (and something I forgot to mention previously) is that you should always use a decent respirator in a well ventilated place when spraying no matter what type of paint you use - it's important!

tvrtuscans

1,009 posts

210 months

Monday 30th December 2013
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dr_gn said:
tvrtuscans said:
dr_gn said:
tvrtuscans said:
I have loads of tins of old humbrol enamel paints in my garage...have had them for decades...should I just bin them all and start afresh? If so what paints should I start to purchase?
Bin them and start again would be my advice.
Noted...tks...any suggestions on which paint manufacturers I should buy?
I use Tamiya or Vallejo acrylics (with the apropriate thinners) for airbrushing. Acrylics dry quickly and don't use the harsh chemicals you need for enamels. The problem is that as a rule they don't brush very well - enamels are best for that. Citadel acrylics (Games Workshop) are OK for brushing, but the colour range is a bit wierd.

In fact it might just be worth opening the enamels you saved and testing them - they might be OK for detail work. With the old enamels I had, they never seemed to dry, and that's the last thing you want on a model you've spent hours building.

Whatever you decide (and something I forgot to mention previously) is that you should always use a decent respirator in a well ventilated place when spraying no matter what type of paint you use - it's important!
Okeedokee. Tks

Stick Legs

4,771 posts

164 months

Thursday 13th February 2014
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dr_gn said:
Evangelion said:
kenny Chim 4 said:
... use small nail scissors to cut away excess decal film ...
Do not do this! It will give you a hard edge that will always be visible whatever you do.

If you have applied the decal properly, the clear film round it will be rendered invisible.

This is my process:

1 - primer
2 - colour coat(s)
3 - gloss lacquer
4 - apply decals
5 - more gloss lacquer
6 - (if required) matt lacquer
I've never had a problem cutting excess carrier film away - it probably depends on the decal manufacturer.

In certain positions, excess carrier film can prevent the decal from being positioned at all (for example if the decal fits to an adjacent raised profile, or if it's a stencil decal applied to a compund curved surface.

I would definitely add decal softening solution to the list as well.
My technique is a brushed coat of Johnsons Klear (the new milky stuff is fine) on the whole model, use Humbrol Decal Fix instead of water, use a wet brush to move the decal about being very careful at it is quite fragile in the solution, then remove some excess moisture with a cotton bud.
As the decal dries it will wringkle alarmingly, but it will dry smooth and more importantly will be drawn into panel lines and look painted on.
Coat the area in Klear to seal and then airbrush the satin or matt laquer over the top.

Stick Legs

4,771 posts

164 months

Thursday 13th February 2014
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Oh, a jar of Decal fixis £3.20 and being careful I can reuse it a few times and get 2x 1:48 aircraft out of each jar usually.