#18 How to, Masking your Models for Painting/Airbrushing

Masking your Models

Introduction

I have been painting with the air brush for about 6 months and since I started I was flummoxed by the people telling me about their masking materials.

In this most I'm going to details some things I've learnt and hopefully you will walk away with a few more ideas than you started with.

What I've tried (in order of my attempts)

Humbrol, Maskol
Price, $10

What is it: Latex Paint, Its purple and dries REALLY fast.
Removal: I use toothpicks as the hobby knife tends to remove paint.

Up Sides:

• Its quite easy to brush on it dries fast and can fit into your painting flow fairly easily, once dry you can rub to remove. 
• It does give you good clean lines.

Down Sides:

• You cant really clean it up, if you paint outside of the area you wanted to mask its one block and rather impossible to cut or move. 
• It dries fast literally, 30 seconds on the brush and you are going to be picking bits off (and they don't come off), I'm sure there is a solvent for it,  but I mainly keep to dip, paint, wash cycles having wrecked 2 good brushes.
• Its hard to remove from small crevasses, pits in chain-mail are annoying and if it stays it will screw up further layers of paint when it decides to come off.
• It leaves flash at the paint line.

Conclusion:
I've had very mixed success with it. I use it but am mainly using it for when i chose to pin models and mask off the join point.

Bostik, Blu-tackPrice: $3

What is it: Americans call it poster putty, its basically a sticky blob, it adheres to itself really well and is very flexible.
Removal: You use a ball of itself and it pulls itself off.

Up Sides:

• Cheap
• Flexible
• Usable till it starts leaking paint onto the miniatures.

Down Sides:

• Can sometimes strip paint.
• It's very thick which makes being exact hard.
• A real paint to get out of pits.
• It can melt if its too hot.
• I'm sure a solvent will cause it to decompose.

Conclusion:
I like it plus it use it for other hobby thinks like 3rd handing and propping up models for drying.

[No Brand] Cling-Wrap
Price: $3

What is it: Think plastic film used to keep in the freshness, I use it as a drop cloth.
Removal: Pull.

Up Sides:

• Cheap
• Flexible

Down Sides:

• It can melt if its too hot.
• I'm sure a solvent will cause it to decompose.
• Is not stuck to the models so will get blown away by the airbrush.
• Not really helpful for brushing either.

 Conclusion:
I'd recommend it for over spray protection and not much else.

[No Brand] Aluminum Foil
Price: $3

What is it: A metal sheet that you use to keep the roast moist while not crisping the outside, I use it as a stiff cling wrap.
Removal: Unfold it off the model.

Up Sides:

• Cheap
• Flexible
• Stiff

Down Sides:

• Is not stuck to the models so it will move a little with handling unless your careful (much less than cling wrap).
• Not really helpful for brushing either.
• It is reasonably hard to get it to stay where you want it. 
• It MAY rub at your model.

Conclusions:
Its great if you don't want to stick anything on the model, but want non-straight line protection.

[No Brand] Masking Tape
Price: $1-$15

What is it, The white tape you used instead of the clear stuff for wrapping presents. Its really meant for putting on the walls, windows, etc and painting along then removing for straight lines.
Removal: Pick off a corner and pull.

Up Sides:

• Great for clean lines anything straight on a flat surface this is your go to method.
• You can also use for bending lines by using thinner tape.
• The better brands seem convinced they will have really good edges (cant confirm myself).
• The brands all claim not to remove paint.

Down Sides:

• I have had paint removed with all the types I've tried. It seems to be related primer used, how long it was adhered and how angry I was during removal.
• It horrible to mask off a larger model, it doesn't generally want to curve making it hard to use on normal models.

Conclusion:
For straight lines, would recommend as the go to.

Conclusion

I personally use blu-tack and foil for most tasks. Maskol may have a place but I find it so much of additional distraction that I avoid it.

For lines masking tape (not the cheapest), seems to be the way to go.