MiracleMasks Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 I have tried many methods to masks aircraft canopies and using Parafilm M is by far my favourite. Parafilm M is a laboratory film which is used to seal test tubes etc. You can find it at a reasonable price on ebay. It comes in a couple of widths, 2” and 4”, the 2” is the one to get. The beauty of this stuff is that it doesn’t use any adhesive. Don’t ask how it works; just believe me that it does. The only tool that you require is a sharp pointed blade, I use a No11 scalpel. The canopies have been cleaned using Isopropynol but you can use warm soapy water. If you don't clean the canopies you will have real problems when removing any masking. I dip my canopies in "Klear" which is a floor polish. This illiminates any surface issues but it is not absolutely necessary and you can't buy it now. I believe Airfix produce something that can be used instead but I don't know what it is called?/media/tinymce_upload/3c2fab7fab74b1103a28e5846531e6d2.jpgCut a piece off the strip of Parafilm. It appears to be of a waxy consistancy and quite thick./media/tinymce_upload/929cb6849a74c8b0aaf7f8a355eb466f.jpgCompletely remove the backing sheet then pull the film to about 3 times its length. You will see it become more transparent, pull it untill the piece between your fingers has all become more transparent. This is obvious when you do it./media/tinymce_upload/270a60b2c46f86e70e8c772955040834.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/99c713d0247153493df829c0d37b0ca3.jpgNow fold it in half to double the thickness. No you can leave it as is, the magic won't happen./media/tinymce_upload/115d0ad47476f1b74d0064b642d14368.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/7f01ce93f079954dd560607c1b2c36c3.jpgNow lay the stretched and doubled over Parafilm over the canopy and press it down over the whole surface./media/tinymce_upload/9d2f993659e42bda8bfaf87e61544676.jpgTrim the access then, using the sharp pionted knife, simply cut around the frames. Take your time and ensure that your cuts meet in the corners otherwise when you remove the access you will lift the masking pieces. I do the cutting under magnifying glass that has a light. Because the Parafilm is fairly transparent it is quite easy to see where to cut and, using light pressure, the knife will follow the canopy frames./media/tinymce_upload/eb3c76b2b89c7c08fa1d6f2093c0afdd.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/481e21797a1ad10873ce9d82b618bf93.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/6ba5a45a2bd3a5a67392a7f161e8921f.jpgThe off cut can be used to mask the windscreen part. Rather than cover the whole thin it is sometimes easier to do it in stages./media/tinymce_upload/f197b59aaedf5aeae6b1b790e9979ca9.jpgdoing this Airfix 1/48 Hawker Hurricene took me about 10 minutes in total. I am building several Airfix 1/48 kits so I was doing other canopies at the same time, here are a couple of pieces of the Spitfire, after the finished Hurricane windscreen./media/tinymce_upload/7406d13ad1179296968110dd319df422.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/0b557a9528a4f0f97dfe7dcb9b7972e0.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/21eb202fca93c145fafb85c773ec964c.jpgAnd the completely masked canopy fitted to the model. The windscreen is attached using PVA the sliding part was used to check that the windscreen would meet it accurately. It will be left off during camouflage painting as the area under the rear of the sliding part will be the camo colour. I have used little blobs of of waste material pressed onto the seperate masked areas which will allow the Parafilm to be removed easily./media/tinymce_upload/e5d610e78e8fb92121f8e6030271e9f8.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard baker1707820250 Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 That is an excellent tutorial, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebeep Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Excellent tutorial, thanks Mal. I would never have thought about using it double thickness, htat's a great tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Symmons Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Hi Mal. I echo the above comments, Canopy masking is always a pain especiall in 1/72 scale.Think I'll have to source an lab supply compamy in Cape Town to see if it's available over here.or a local friendly apothecary..Keep up the good work and any more tips would be most welcomeRemember we do this for fun John the Pom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Hi Mal, a quick question. I tried masking with Frisk Film and while it was great for seeing where to cut for the frames, if I sprayed too wet the paint would run off the film. Is this a potential problem with Parafilm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiracleMasks Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 Excellent tutorial, thanks Mal. I would never have thought about using it double thickness, htat's a great tip.It removes easier when doubled over and is also a precaution if you should stretch it too far. Hi Mal, a quick question. I tried masking with Frisk Film and while it was great for seeing where to cut for the frames, if I sprayed too wet the paint would run off the film. Is this a potential problem with Parafilm?I've not had paint run off Parafilm, the surface isn't slick and takes paint well. Because of the time that it usually takes me to build a model the masking is on there for a long time; years in some instances! That's the beauty of the stuff, no adhesive to go off 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiracleMasks Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 I finally got around to painting the canopies. The interior colour is painted first and there are a couple of reasons for this. The main one is that this will show through on the inside making it look like the internal framing has been painted the appropriate colour. Secondly, light will shine through the clear canopy and if the paint isn't completely opaque then it will appear lighter than the rest of the model, which looks odd; the camouflage coats will make the frames completely opaque and completing the look. One thing to remember is not to apply a primer coat over the canopies. It will appear as a thin edge around the frames. I use white primer, black or grey may not be such an issue, but it will still be there, which won’t be prototypical.The canopy on the Hurricane is being painted off the model because the area immediately behind the cockpit is painted in the camouflage colour and the canopy overlaps this area. So the cockpit needs to be carefully masked to prvent any paint getting in there./media/tinymce_upload/6083235f3746e02159f60a14ff0a2cfc.jpgThe spitfire cockpit will be open, but the edges of it need to be painted the interior colour, so the sliding part is painted off the model./media/tinymce_upload/bd8822e3b03b12399fd4da8c18a980a6.jpgThe canopy of the PB Defiant will be closed so it is painted in situe I needed to paint the bulkhead at the front of the drop down deck./media/tinymce_upload/fd13bd93c8b7f7baac371778f6faabdc.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toboldlygo Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 I may well acquire some of this for use on the 1:72nd scale aircaft (bombers mainly) I build, though I do prefer to hand paint canopy's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiracleMasks Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 I may well acquire some of this for use on the 1:72nd scale aircaft (bombers mainly) I build, though I do prefer to hand paint canopy's.PM me your address and I will send you some so that you can try before you buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiracleMasks Posted April 1, 2017 Author Share Posted April 1, 2017 It will be a while before I finish painting these models and can remove the canopy masking so, in the meantime, this is the internal armoured screen from the Airfix 1/48 Curtiss Hawk. The blob of scrunched up Parafilm pulls off and gives you a start at removing the masking. It appears to be stuck but isn't, you just need to pull it off gradually. These are quite extreme close ups and you can see how you get a really good edge./media/tinymce_upload/e2b05af23abe3d28e2cd70d8b9aa0090.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/8f6ee972bc2c6f8c6503413eba719f39.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumps123 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Great tutorial, I have found the Parafilm on Ebay and will be ordering some and trying it on my next build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ1707821018 Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 You definitely need to at least double up the Parafilm as it is much more difficult to remove when it is only single thickness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Pete Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 I wouldn't bet my life on this but I think you might find that "Klear" stuff is still around but under another name. I seem to remember seeing something about that on a thread somewhere about coating canopies and windows and the different names the product goes under over here and across the pond in the US. That's all I can remember, though... Mr Google might have a bit of insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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