Masking wheels

[DavidJC]

Some of you might hoot with laughter and shake your head with pity as you've already been doing it, but recently I found a way to mask wheel hubs.

 

I've always found it difficult to paint the tyres neatly and accurately whichever way round I do it: paint the hubs and it leaves the tyres; paint the tyres and it leaves the hubs. Either way, both are perfect circles and thus difficult to cut masks for, or get a good, consistent sharp edge even with Maskol and using a paintbrush whilst twirling the wheel on a cocktail stick.

 

I have used Eduard masks, where wheel hubs are supplied to great effect. I wouldn't be without them for more complex cockpit/window shapes and the wheel sets are a bonus. But what if your aircraft is simple to mask and you don't want to buy a whole Eduard set just to mask wheel hubs?

 

Well, I was browsing over Christmas and accidentally came across this:

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Cheaper versions are available, I think I paid around £8 or so for the set I bought online. With masking tape or frisket lightly applied to a cutting mat, press down firmly on the punch and rotate as far as your hand will let you (I didn't use a hammer to punch down as it was late at night, although I suppose you could ordinarily). The mask sticks to the cutting mat when you remove the surrounding tape or frisket, leaving a perfect circle. Pick that off the cutting mat with a new scalpel blade and apply to the hub. Of course, you might have to compromise on the size of punch to the size of the hub but to be honest I think with the sizes we work in any small variation won't be that bad and there's a good range of punch sizes anyway as you can see.

 

I suppose by using a larger diameter over a smaller one you could produce a mask for the tyres. It would mean very accurate centreing of the two punches, but you would end up with a Polo type mask.

 

So, paint the hub, apply the mask, job done. I've tried it in the past two days, it works.

 

I hope this has been useful - as I say, don't hoot with derision if you've been doing this for years anyway, just something I found very recently and thought might be of interest.

[vimal_indrasoma]

 Sounds like a pretty neat method, actually replicates what the commercial die-cut masks do!

Lacking any punches, what I do is the opposite - I've collected a set of circle templates, and by placing an appropriate-sized hole on the wheel hub, I can give it a squirt with my airbrush for a nice round hub.

i've also read an article by a chap who prints out decals of the actual wheel hub pattern taken from photographs, which he sticks on to great effect, specially on cheaper kits with no hub details moulded on.

[DavidJC]

I'd never considered printing out photos on paper or decal material, but the same problem exists: how does he get a good, neat, circle?

 

My punches worked on the wheels of the DC3 at 1/72 which I am still in the middle of doing (it's 1/72 - I know, it's not my normal scale) and will also work on the 1/48 Lightning which is up next. I guess is the point I am trying to make is that it works from very small hubs to larger ones.

[DavidJC]

I got mine off Amazon, Bruce. I shall put a link but if that doesn't work, it was

Rolson 26329 Hollow Punch - 12 pieces

I came across.

 

There are cheaper versions but the reviews for this set appeared to be better than them. They do come with an oily/greasy feel but that washes off in warm water with a dollop of washing up liquid.

 

Since punching out masks on a cutting mat, I have found it better to use a hammer to lightly clout the punch than twisting the punch by hand as I originally did. Of course once the tape is peeled away from the cutting mat, you can either use the circles left behind as the mask, or the tape with the circle punched out of it.

 

I don't know how the punches would stand up to thin pasticard but as you can see there is a slot in the punch body so the resulting punch cut-out can be pushed out of the punch itself.

 

Hope it helps.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0077LGJ32/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1452439458&sr=1&keywords=rolson+punch

 

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[DavidJC]

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[Jonathan Mock]

David can you post a link for those punches? I'm Amazon looking at leather punches that are similar but would like the same set in your pic.

 

Thanks!

[DavidJC]

I don't know how to post a link as such here Jonathan, it doesn't seem to work for me, but if you copy and paste the link text a couple of posts above it should work - I've pasted it here below again though. I have tried it by pasting it into my broswer and it goes to the product. Hope it helps.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0077LGJ32/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1452439458&sr=1&keywords=rolson+punch

[Mike Grant]

Thanks David, those look really useful. There are several similar sets on Amazon here in Canada, so I'll order one. Are the edges of the cut masks absolutely sharp, or is there some slight tearing?

[DavidJC]

I can't say the cut circle is absolutely sharp, not compared to an Eduard set, but, as far as our purposes go they are absolutely good enough. I think that's down more to the fact you have to clout the punch into the masking against the cutting mat, a professionally produced set will be done with a sharp cutting tool in a press of some sort (callled a kiss-cut) which gives a consistent, clean, sharp cut due to that.

 

For wheel hubs and the like no one would ever notice, the very large cut circles just might, just might, give a very slight burr. Don't get me wrong though: there's no tearing if you punch down hard enough and cut outs are clean and perfectly round, just not as sharp and clean as a professional kiss-cut set. But at least as I am concerned, in our scales and sizes, I honestly don't think it will notice.

[DavidJC]

I wonder if the more skilled modellers could get roundels out of the punches? It would mean a steady hand and accurate centreing but I think the theory is sound.

[codgersangle]

Many thanks for the link David, I have been looking for a reasonably priced set of hole punches for ages though I haven't looked lately. I had this idea of cutting masks out of masking tape about 3 years ago, hence the search but had almost given up on getting a well priced set having baulked at the prices being asked, mostly on American sites. Sadly, my hands are no longer steady enough to paint freehand. I even tried using a metal guide using a new scalpel blade, but the results were poor at best. I have just ordered the set you suggested and I look forward to better results henceforth.

[DavidJC]

I hope it works well for you codgersangle. I couldn't get on with templates of any kind when cutting circles. Punches do seem to offer the solution, and I have found the best way to cut them is with a clout from a light hammer rather than pressing down and rotating the punch by hand.