How To Paint Straight Lines On Models

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I've been trying out diverse masking tapes in order to endeavour and pigment some straight lines, yet, no matter what I try paint "seeps" under the edges of the tape and causes one hell of a mess on the model. My freehanding skills are OK - I can get a reasonably directly line but I don't want reasonably, I want straight

I'thousand not using particularly watery paint and I've tried a couple of different masking tapes, and electrical tape (I thought the paint might be soaking through the masking record or something, only the results using this record were worse than with regular masking tape). I stick the tape down very firmly.

Any suggestions equally to what I am doing wrong? Anything you have tried which works?

Thanks in accelerate.

Masking tape should really exist working, perchance a different type of masking tape. Equally for the electric tape, no information technology's kind of a bad idea.

I just use obviously old ordinary masking tape and information technology works merely fine, maybe you're applying also much tape of but need to get some better stuff.

An obvious suggestion is to have the record off after it has stale rather than before and to not employ besides much paint but a few light coats.

For successful masking:

i) Use Tamiya tape for the mask edges. Nothing else is as good. Use paper for the rest of the mask, attached with cheaper tape.
2) Ensure the tape edge is flat confronting your 'sharp border'.
three) If painting past hand, you want to stroke Away from the edge of the tape, with a pretty 'dry' application (not much paint on the castor - drybrushing, basically. Stroking towards the edge will elevator it and button paint under.
four) If using an airbrush (better) again you desire your application to be dry out (runs are bad!) and you desire to spray from the masked side of the tape, as spraying towards the masked edge will force paint under it, giving a fuzzy edge.

For near 'line' purposes (on anything smaller than a country raider actually), it'south quicker to use a flexible ruler (I use plasticard strips) to pencil on the lines and hand paint them.

I once used scotch and it worked perfect

Trust me. Tamiya is king for it. Scotch / 3m have some reasonable low-tack stuff that's alright on apartment surfaces. Tamiya stuff is waxy and conforms to curves and effectually surface details like raised panels very well with smoothed with a toothpick. Also cuts cleanly with a (Very) sharp knife - no fibres.

One your record is downwards repaint the edge with your base color... this will seal the edge and any paint that bleeds volition be your base of operations colour and not mater anyway.. this is how pros paint walls and such and and it works great!

drglnc wrote:One your tape is down repaint the edge with your base color... this volition seal the border and whatever paint that bleeds volition be your base colour and not mater anyway.. this is how pros paint walls and such and and it works great!

That'southward really quite a practiced idea

And cheers to the others - some skillful suggestions which I should really accept idea of [doh!]

drglnc wrote:I your record is down repaint the border with your base color... this will seal the edge and any paint that bleeds will exist your base color and not mater anyway.. this is how pros paint walls and such and and it works great!

Learned this on HGTV only After I painted stripes in nursery and they came out like sh!t. Pro-tip for sure.

electrical tape works wonders for me.masking tape doesnt really piece of work as good.

Well I remember how you pigment the line is contingent on where the line is...what I mean is that a straight line is easier to paint if it is obscured by something rather than right out in the open. I would still practice masking tape though, I have establish thats the best fashion to do it. I take my fingernail and realy press dow the edge of the tape. And then I always apint away from the masking tape....if you paint towards information technology, you lot are more than probable to leak under the record....as well, utilize less paint, if y'all have to go over it 3-5 times, its much better than 1 fourth dimension with leaks. Hope this helps yous

Element206 wrote:Well I call back how you pigment the line is contingent on where the line is...what I hateful is that a straight line is easier to paint if it is obscured by something rather than right out in the open up. I would still exercise masking tape though, I have institute thats the all-time way to do information technology. I accept my fingernail and realy press dow the edge of the tape. So I ever apint away from the masking tape....if you paint towards it, you are more than likely to leak under the record....too, employ less pigment, if yous accept to go over it 3-5 times, its much better than ane time with leaks. Hope this helps you

This. I've used this technique a lot.

Element206 wrote:I take my fingernail and realy press dow the edge of the tape.

During my first few tries with Tamiya paint I thought it didn't piece of work at all because I wasn't doing this. Once I figured that part out I didn't take much problem.

drglnc wrote:One your tape is downwardly repaint the edge with your base color... this will seal the border and any paint that bleeds will exist your base color and not mater anyway.. this is how pros paint walls and such and and it works keen!

This!

Also, if you can manage it, make certain you pigment your colors from light to nighttime. This will help with coverage and opacity.