Originally Posted by aerolite

I've used Krylon H2O latex spray paint with no problems, but try it first on a scrap piece of foam to be sure.

aerolite

I've used it and you need to use very light coats. Being a latex it dries slower and will run if you go to heavy.

Tom

I am posting this method of creating painted decals using cling wrap and school glue here, as well as in the Builders Workshop and Foamies (Scratchbuilt) sections as new threads, since I could find no other reference to a similar method in these threads or elsewhere. Although the method describes roundels, this method could also be used for any other shape that can be cut out with a knife or compasses, possibly using a template – German crosses or banded tricolours are a good example. I found these to not work very well when using water slide printer paper, as the printing often bled and very thin shapes were impossible to slide.

When I recently received my Durafly SE5a, it had rather horrible wrinkles in the roundel decals, particularly on the upper wing. I don't know if mine were unusually bad or this was just normal, but to me they detracted from an otherwise beautiful plane. I tried removing them with a covering iron without much success, and if I had turned the temperature up any higher I would have got the dreaded alligator skin.

I did a bit of a search for how to airbrush roundels and came up with masking tape (which tends to rip off existing paint on EPO models) and plastic masks. I couldn't see how I could get a sharp line with plastic masks on the 3D curvy surface of the SE5A wing.

Then I thought of cling wrap. At first I applied water-based school glue to a test piece of EPS foam (the inner box of the SE5A itself!) and then stretched cling wrap over it and left it in the sun. This didn't work as the glue didn't dry at all.

Next I applied the same glue thinly over the EPS and left this in the sun. It took a surprisingly long time to become tacky - at least half an hour. I then applied the cling wrap to the tacky EPS, just floating it onto the centre and then smoothing out towards the outside with my fingers. It went on easily and without air bubbles. Then I set my compasses up with a craft knife blade instead of the pencil lead at about 45 degrees and marked a centre point. I put a small drop of CA + kicker on this point so the compasses wouldn't sink in too far and scribed a circle very gently. I lifted the round cut-out and airbrushed the hole, lifting the cling wrap immediately after painting. The result appears to be a perfect circle, with no paint bled under the cling wrap..

I then removed the existing decals from the upper wing of my SE5A by dipping them in water at 80 degrees C or a bit cooler, which I know doesn't cause alligator skin. I then smoothed any edges on the top of the wing - a small fillet of filler at the edges of the plastic plates for the interplane struts and inter aileron links.

You then make a good centre point using something like epoxy in a hole maybe 4mm diameter where the centre will be, and establish the exact centre. Mark the size of the roundel rings lightly with a pencil. Then apply the school glue and let it go tacky, note that it will go tacky very much faster if the surface is dark and it is in the sun. If it goes too dry just remoisten it with a damp cloth rather than applying more glue. Apply some glue under the wing so the cling wrap can be attached there.

Then put on the cling wrap and cut out the two outer circles. Remove the cut cling wrap ring by pulling mostly sideways rather than upwards (I cut the ring with scissors in order to do this). Once you have done this, remove the glue from the exposed foam circle by using a damp cloth and sponging always away from the cling wrap edges.

When airbrushing always spray away from the cling wrap edge rather than towards it, in order not to lift the cling wrap. You can also use a brush to apply the acrylic, in which case brush away from the cling wrap edges and don’t dilute the acrylic much.

Leave the cling wrap on while the acrylic is drying so the glue doesn’t become dry. Only once the acrylic is very well dry should you remove the cling wrap and then the school glue with a wet/damp cloth. Remove the glue particularly if you are going to spray another area.

Repeat for the other roundel rings and colours, working inward. When the whole thing is finished and dry, carefully remove all traces of the glue. You can then overcoat with WBPU if you want.

Although this method refers only to acrylic paint, there is no reason why you shouldn’t use it with other paint types, e.g spray cans, oil paints etc.

Good luck, Richard .

Cool Gary!

Don´t you have a youtube video showing the process? I would like to see the mask, principally from the montser words!

Originally Posted by garyholland

After taking a few months off to concentrate on some flying, I'm back on the 'brush' and starting to knock out some new stuff. This time on a Flame3D, the airframe being designed and produced by Mark at MT Graphics.

I used Minwax Acrylic brushed on a test piece (thinned spackle over Depron)and I am getting brush marks. I am thinking of testing out my new airbrush to see how that works. What do I thin the Minwax with so that it can be spayed?

Thanks

SpadCat

I thin my acrylic paint with windex. Water works just as well but the windex seems to dry faster.

if you don't mind a very >slight< , almost imperceptible, blue hue (which just makes it tad brighter), I found windshield washer fluid works well . Has methyl alcohol in it ..which thins acrylic paint well , usually a half empty jug laying around and is quite cheap.

Plus 1 on the washer fluid, that and a hair dryer makes painting go quick and easy.

I'm going to 'throw this one out there'

anybody know of a brand of windshield washer fluid that is not tinted blue... maybe a warm pink or something like it instead...or no tint at all..?

Not that it matters much.. but would be nice if available.

"quick and easy"...now that is what I like!

Thanks for the replies.

SpadCat

Originally Posted by gittarpikk

I'm going to 'throw this one out there'

anybody know of a brand of windshield washer fluid that is not tinted blue... maybe a warm pink or something like it instead...or no tint at all..?

Not that it matters much.. but would be nice if available.

Just mix some water and rubbing alcohol. However, I have never noticed a difference when I used just water or windex which is blue.

Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol... I did not think that would mix... Does it do as good as winshield washer fluid?

I think the little soap in the WWF may have some to do with how well it mixes also..comments,,,

Wait for it. . . Wait for it . . .
I know there's a chemist out there just itching to explain the whole alcohol deal, go ahead make somethin' hard out of somethin' easy

Windex has both iso and glycol in it.

My Crack Yaks painted by Gary Pierson (flyboyz43)

Azarr

Originally Posted by Azarr

My Crack Yaks painted by Gary Pierson (flyboyz43)

Azarr

I am ever so jealous.