Airbrushing, new to me, looking for help advice

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Did you scrub the raw plastic parts with scouring powder and an abrasive pad? Did you prime the surface before the black base-color? All injection kit parts arrive with a coat of oil on them -- this has to be completely removed to insure proper adhesion of primer and paint.













David

[Ken_NJ]

Another question.

The first attempt on this side I had the registration off. I needed a do-over, was not happy with it. I started to remove the 'oil canning' by using water and a scrubby. Surprising, it came off very easy. Little to no effort except wiping it. Why? Was the surface not prepped properly? Was the paint diluted to thin causing it's holding power to change? Curious as to why this was. If this was used as is with no protective clear coat I would think after running a while it might come off on it's own. But, we do clear coat to protect it.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

What I did this week.

I happy on the results. Next up, practicing on streaking.

Questions. I now need to spray a base color to darken it. But I also need to do streaking on the sail. Do I spray base color now but maybe not to dark, then do streaking, then spray more base color which will further darken both?

Exactly as you described the procedure, Ken. You're a quick study, pal. Soon you'll be teaching me tricks.

David

[Ken_NJ]

What I did this week.

I happy on the results. Next up, practicing on streaking.

Questions. I now need to spray a base color to darken it. But I also need to do streaking on the sail. Do I spray base color now but maybe not to dark, then do streaking, then spray more base color which will further darken both?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

In the meantime, had a warm day that I could prime my 'test hull' for doing the streaking and below waterline practice. Still need warm days to spray the hull base color and clear coat.



David. Looks like you used diluted white acrylic paint for the streaking?

I'll also be doing the streaking on the sail. Is the streaking done over clear coat which is over the base color & 'oil canning' coat on the sail?

https://forum.rc-sub.com/forum/tips-...arkings-part-2

Correct ken, water soluble acrylic paint. You only put a clear coat down between layers if you think the current application might have to be abraded off because of mistakes or part of the weathering process (streak with brush followed by streak with #000 steel-wool, etc.) -- the clear coat protects the work beneath it.

I usually don't clear coat the completed oil-canning but will take care not to overdue the streaking. Start the streaking with a big ugly 2" house-brush but make it a new one; thoroughly soak it with well diluted white then wring the hell out of it with rags/paper towels. You want the streaking to go down as though you were dry brushing on highlighter (which is pretty much what you're doing).

Go ape-****, Ken! Show that test-article who's boss!

David

[Ken_NJ]

In the meantime, had a warm day that I could prime my 'test hull' for doing the streaking and below waterline practice. Still need warm days to spray the hull base color and clear coat.



David. Looks like you used diluted white acrylic paint for the streaking?

I'll also be doing the streaking on the sail. Is the streaking done over clear coat which is over the base color & 'oil canning' coat on the sail?

https://forum.rc-sub.com/forum/tips-...arkings-part-2

[Ken_NJ]

I think I'm done practicing.

This is before applying the base color (black).


This is with the base color overspray. Without a clear coat.


One of the five practice sessions with the base coat overspray.



This last one in the upper left (top bow of the sail) I tried the smaller 'oil canning' effect you can see in David's example.
I guess that smaller framework is there for reinforcement for the forward motion of the boat against the forces of the water?


At this point I'll be cutting new tape strips (3/8 inch) to actually do the sail. Don't think I'll do any better than this.

[Ken_NJ]

The USS Orleck (Gearing class destroyer) is becoming a museum in Jacksonville FL. She's in drydock getting the hull inspected & painted. They posted these pics on the FB page which show a great example of 'oil canning' on a surface vessel. Interesting to see this. I'm sure there plenty of these pics for submarines.

I'll return to Pasche testing on Monday, thanks David.

https://www.facebook.com/jaxnavalmuseum

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Got the Pasche airbrush working. Probably a combination of things. Nozzle adjustment, air pressure and thinned the paint further. But I'm getting spittle, not a smooth outflow. Maybe that's due to the paint being to thin?

Learned a few things.
Have a few strips available as spacers.
First spray, laid the vertical & horizontal tape.
Second spray, move the horizontal tape down a row. That completes one vertical row.
Remove all tape and place the vertical strips over the completed row.
Lift the top of the first and last vertical strips and use the already sprayed squares to position the horizontal strips, place vertical strips back.
Do the same with the bottom of the first and last vertical strips. This will give you perfect (almost) positioning.
Spray the third set of squares.
Forth set, move the horizontal strips down one row. Wallah.

So I did not get over spray on adjacent squares, I made a spray template to keep the over spray confined. When I sprayed a square I aimed on the template allowing the outside edge of the spray to hit the square. This helped not making the density too heavy. BUT, I still need to experiment-adjust the airbrush so I can control the spray better. This is new to me so figuring things out here. Trail and error.





Better consistency and registration. Still have to work on the registration.



Up close, its spotty, like the airbrush is spitting. Paint to thin maybe? Spraying over with black may help.



My way to control where I'm spraying.

Now you're cooking with gas! You cure the spitting by thinning the paint a bit more, shift to the #2 tip, and jack up the air pressure a few PSI.

David

[Ken_NJ]

Got the Pasche airbrush working. Probably a combination of things. Nozzle adjustment, air pressure and thinned the paint further. But I'm getting spittle, not a smooth outflow. Maybe that's due to the paint being to thin?

Learned a few things.
Have a few strips available as spacers.
First spray, laid the vertical & horizontal tape.
Second spray, move the horizontal tape down a row. That completes one vertical row.
Remove all tape and place the vertical strips over the completed row.
Lift the top of the first and last vertical strips and use the already sprayed squares to position the horizontal strips, place vertical strips back.
Do the same with the bottom of the first and last vertical strips. This will give you perfect (almost) positioning.
Spray the third set of squares.
Forth set, move the horizontal strips down one row. Wallah.

So I did not get over spray on adjacent squares, I made a spray template to keep the over spray confined. When I sprayed a square I aimed on the template allowing the outside edge of the spray to hit the square. This helped not making the density too heavy. BUT, I still need to experiment-adjust the airbrush so I can control the spray better. This is new to me so figuring things out here. Trail and error.





Better consistency and registration. Still have to work on the registration.



Up close, its spotty, like the airbrush is spitting. Paint to thin maybe? Spraying over with black may help.



My way to control where I'm spraying.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Personally, I think the smaller scale boats can be overdone weathering wise. 1/96 is hard to get correct. I’m not talking about the scum line, I’m speaking of the oil canning, and streaks of white. While it may look good at a distance, up close it seems out of scale. Let the chiding begin.

No. You make a valid observation, Casey. As one has to get closer to the smaller model, one can begin to pick out the flaws, such as the weathering and other items either over-done or are just plain wrong. I agree, weathering a smaller model -- that will survive close and distant observation -- is a tall order.

The scale r/c plane guys took the cowards way out of this situation by, at least a half-century ago, adopting a new competitive category, stand-off scale, where the model is judged from a specific distance away from the display. Lazy! Why even try? Either do it right... or don't do it at all!

David

[Das Boot]

Personally, I think the smaller scale boats can be overdone weathering wise. 1/96 is hard to get correct. I’m not talking about the scum line, I’m speaking of the oil canning, and streaks of white. While it may look good at a distance, up close it seems out of scale. Let the chiding begin.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

David? What do you think?

Awful... embarrassingly awful! How dare you post this here. I feel violated! I've seen better work done with a pressure-washer!

This is a good study. Registration and density issues will come with practice, Ken. This is a very good start. Yes, the pattern is very stark. But take one of those panels and mist coat over it with the background black, and as the work becomes less pronounced, it will look better. Examples of the 'darkening' and the effect it has on the contrast of the formerly raw weathering effort.










Keep swinging, Champ. You're on your way.

David

[Ken_NJ]

I should have pointed out I did not apply the thinned out top coat yet Tom. It will tone it down a bit, or maybe alot. Will try that tomorrow. Will be practicing this more to get consistency right.

I used a top feed Master airbrush which is double action so its hard to get the same air feed each time you let up. AND, trying to follow David's procedure to a T! Since he is always right.

[trout]

Ken,
Some of the squares are a bit too heavy, but you are practicing so no biggie. You could remark and do a little black or try spraying a very thinned down almost black wash over the top of it and see if it gives you the toned down look you want. Also when you do your clear coat it will also darken a bit. In some ways, you have added pre-shading and you may be surprised how it will look when you are done.