Making good Masking

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Lots of good suggestions here.
For your PATCO car, the order in which you apply the colours is as important as the masking. To eliminate worries about masking the fluting, apply the paint for the flat metallic areas first, and apply it to the entire car. After it is fully cured, mask-off all of the non-fluted areas, then apply the Alclad. The black areas are a straightforward masking job, with the upper colour separation at the rain gutter - top and edge of the gutter silver/grey, bottom of the gutter and below black. Apply the lower edge of the tape to the gutter at its highest point and burnish it only at that contact point. The bottom of the black area will be separated by the red stripe, so the only crucial area to be masked is the vertical that extends from the drip edge of the gutter to the red stripe. I use regular masking tape for both lacquer-based and acrylic paints, but always apply it first to a sheet of clean glass, where I trim away both factory edges - these get nicked and collect fuzz and dust, and, since they're exposed to air, the adhesive is weak.

Normally, this would be how I would do it, though there is complication here. The "Alclad Chrome" paint requires that it is applied to a absolutely gloss finish. Apparently this can be accomplished through Gloss Black base coat.

The problem is that if I did paint the Alclad Stainless steel (which is a larger metal particle in the paint), it would no longer be super glossy. As a result, the Chrome would be just as shiny as the Stainless steel, just a different shade. This is not ideal. Essentially, the Chrome paint has to be on a gloss black base coat, and there can be nothing between it, otherwise the mirror reflective effect goes away.

I may just have to bite the bullet and try and put masking tape over the fluted sides, and then once everything else is painted, put the chrome on last. I'm not sure how well the tape will burnish into the fluting, but in theory, if I spray the Stainless Steel properly, it will dry before it runs. This Alclad Paint is very dilute, and even if a little did get through by capillary action, It may not be a major concern. Still, I try to do good work.

When masking over raised or depressed details, the tape should be applied and burnished as you work your way along the carbody, not after the strip of tape is in place. To do this and still maintain a straight line, I first apply a strip of tape over the area which is to be painted. Use calipers or dividers to determine where the colour separation will be in relation to a known straight line: for instance, the eave line of the roof or the bottom edge of the carbody. Cut a strip of tape exactly the same width as that area, then apply it without any burnishing, as it's merely a reference line to keep the actual masking tape straight. Apply the tape for masking, burnishing over details as you follow along the guide strip, then remove and discard the guide tape. As mentioned, cut thin strips where you need to curve the tape, then fill in with wider strips or individual pieces where necessary.

I'm not entirely sure I follow (curses i'm a visual person), but hypothetically, if I were to mask the fluted edge of the PATCO car, i would use the rain gutter as a guide and cut a thin strip to be the guide strip of paint, correct?

For your E-units, I'd make a guide as outlined above before applying any paint. The crucial area is at the colour separation between the lower green area and the grey/silver band at the nose. First, use your dividers to determine the full height of the lower green band and cut a strip of tape to that width, then apply it to your model - it doesn't need to be the full length of the body at this point, as you're merely determining the shape of the curve, but it should extend a little past the mid-point of the nose, where the band ends in a point. Make a vertical pencil mark at the point on the nose, and another pencil mark where the curve begins, which appears to be at the leading edge of the small walkway on the cab's side. Remove the tape and, using a straightedge, place it back on the sheet of glass. Use a pen or pencil to trace your estimation of the curve onto the tape, then cut along the line and re-apply the tape - you may hit it accurately on you first try or you may need several attempts. When you're satisfied with its appearance, apply the tape to a piece of paper (or thin styrene) and cut the paper/styrene following the curved edge of the tape. Use this pattern to prepare two strips of tape for each loco, flipping the pattern to do the opposite side of the loco.

I think I understand that. Essentially, the first tape would be used to create a template to cut additional strips to match. Wouldn't it be possible then, to make the template already match the full width of the stripe, rather than just the edges?

Next, paint the entire loco grey/silver and when the paint has fully cured, apply the curved alignment tapes, starting at the nose and working to the rear of the loco. Cut thin strips of tape to mask the edges of the curve (you'll need your dividers to plot the path of upper curve, keeping it parallel to the lower one) and fill in with wider strips and bits. You can apply the straight part of the band as either a single strip of tape or as two medium-width ones along the upper and lower edges, with a third piece to cover the middle area. Burnish the outer edges as you apply the tape, following the guide tape to keep things straight. When the band has been masked, remove all guide tape and spray the green. You can do the stripes with decals, but if the correct colour isn't available, you could also paint them, using the methods outlined.

This is the part that concerns me. The red pin-striping would need to curve with the paint. Can a straight decal stripe conform to these lines? It can definitely see how this method could be used to paint the pinstripe, but that seems difficult to maintain what is roughly a scale 2" or 2 1/2 ".

I've seen this "Pactra" striping material in hobby shops, have you had expirience with it? It comes on a roll and can be applied around complex curves. One side is adhesive. I tried it once on a model for a friend when I ran out of regular decal stripe, but it did appear to come up so i grow concerned about how good it is. Then again, I may not have applied it properly since I was in a rush. Perhaps it could be used as pinstripe masking....

don't apply too much paint and don't overwork it - two or even three light applications, with ample drying time between, will yield better looking results than one heavy one.

This is one of the worst temptations I have. Its like counting the licks to the center of a tootsie roll pop.... at some point, you just want to bite it (aka put on a thicker coat).

For your airbrush problem, the restriction may be a plugged or partially-plugged vent hole in the siphon cap - this results in reduced and/or irregular paint flow.

Wayne

Lately I've been using a color cup, and I usually wash it out with paint thinner between paints, and then scrub it with acetone and a pipe cleaner when i'm done painting for the day.

My concern is that paint is stuck in the body of the airbrush somewhere in between where the paint gets sucked into the brush, and the internal parts of the air brush. I'm pretty good about cleaning the tips, needle, and other easily accessible parts with brushes, steel wire (for the small holes), and Acetone.

I use a Crescendo 175.