Masking nose cones

[rickshaw]

One thing I never seem to get right is masking the nose cone so you get a nice straight line around it.  Every time I try, I end up with up with a one side or the top or bottom out of alignment and crooked.   Does anybody know an easy way to mask a nose cone properly?

[PR19_Kit]

I know JUST what you mean! I've actually had better results painting the darn things freehand than I have trying to mask them up.

[Mossie]

Take a piece of masking tape and wrap it tight around the nose cone, don't worry if there's folds or if it isn't straight as your just using it as a substrate.

Draw the line where you want it as accurately as possible.

Remove the tape and you should have a broken curved line.

Find something that matches the curve, a plate, French curve templates (you can often pick them up from a stationers or art store) etc.

Stick the masking tape over a piece of thin plastic, use your plate or French curves to cut to the line and you've got your template.  Use the template to create a mask.


You might need a few goes to get the curve just right but it works.

[zenrat]

I'm just spitballing here, but two methods to get a straight line marked strike me.
1) put the nosecone through round hole of the appropriate size and mark it with a pen/pencil/scriber.  One of those templates they sell for engineering drawing would work.
2) recognising that not all nosecones are round a similar line could be gained by dipping it into water (or paint I suppose).

[kitnut617]

auto-body pin-striping tape -- the reel I have has various widths to work with --

[sandiego89]

auto-body pin-striping tape -- the reel I have has various widths to work with --

Similair to what kitnut says, I have used very narrow pin stripping from a spool that has various size stripes (check the RC section of a RC hobby shop, they have smaller pinstripes than you may find in an automotive shop, and it is less tacky than real automotive pinstriping).  I use a very thin strip to lay down a demarcation line on a complex curve.  These are easier to work with as you can "bend" the tape without getting the folds and seams you get with wider tape.  Then use regular painters tape to cover over the thin line you layed down and the rest of the model I do not want to have paint on. Spray.  Remove tape soon after spraying. 

[NARSES2]

I've used both the "round hole of suitable size" and ultra thin masking tape methods.

I get my thin masking tape - down to 0.5mm - from Jammydog. http://www.jammydog.com/micro_masking_tape.htm. A couple of traders have started stocking this now that Little Cars don't have the range they used to do. Mr Model do thin blue masking tape but not down to 0.75 and 0.5mm. Plus the Jammydog tape is neutral which helps when I use it for framing.

Once the thin tape has marked the curve I use normal tape at its edges to widen the masked area.

[kerick]

I paint the nose cone color first, then wrap the masking tape of choice around the cone, covering the radome. If you are lucky you may find some flexible tubing to fit the nose cone up to the color line. The tubing helps get an even line all the way around. The trick is finding something the right diameter to start with. Different sizes of shrink tubing would work for missiles and such. I wouldn't try shrinking it onto the nose cone as the heat could damage what ever you are painting. Make sure the tubing is cut square unless you need a slanted line.

[Captain Canada]

Go to a stationary store and buy a circle drafting template. Mask the nose, slide the nose into the hole that best matches, and use a sharp blade to cut around it.

[CANSO]

Through the years I've tried several ways doing circular masking on cylinders or cones. The latter need an "adaptive" mask to fit any chosen radius of the cone. An easy and effective way is using a rubber band with a small diameter:


Good and cheap are also different O-rings sold in packages:

Here I'll use a prepainted toy-airplane in 1:72 and won't care much about the quality of the new layer of paint:

Just put the ring in the desired position, stretching it over the cone. If you want the line to be parallel to another existing panel line or painted band, use more rubber bands to define the exact distance:

Next step is masking in your usual way:

Spray the desired color:

Unmask (when the paint is dry):

To avoid fuzzy lines, before spraying with the final color spray a layer of transparent varnish/lacquer to seal the micro-gaps between the rubber band and the plastic (I didn't do it this time ).

[rickshaw]

Thanks, all.  Some very interesting ideas there.  I'll have to experiment I think.  Hopefully I'll report back on my results in a few months.

[sandiego89]

Nice tip with the rubber bands CANSO!

[NARSES2]

Nice tip with the rubber bands CANSO!

It is

[zenrat]

Third that.

[CANSO]

Just a small addendum:
Initially I started using rubber glove or a small party balloon with a punched hole in it. I couldn't see the one end of the masking (under the rubber) and I came to the idea to use short pieces of a rubber hose (tubing). Cutting rubber straight is not very easy so I finally started using the precut rubber rings in any form or the O-rings. The O-rings are better, because of harder rubber, but they can break easily. 
The success is not always the same. I also use a harder support behind the rubber ring (piece of plastic with a cut out hole) so it doesn't stretch too much. Sometimes I use the masking tape first and put the ring over the uneven edge of it to form the exact circle etc. It depends very much on the size of the cone and the form of it.