To the gurus: how do You paint thin lines ?

Hello,

I would like to hear from some model experts how they manage to paint thin lines smaller than half a millimeter ... As an example one can think of black walkway lines on a wing, or canopy frames or fine gold lines on a classic ships´ gallion.

It is awfully difficult to do that with a brush I have tried a pulling feather/spring, and I saw that is was the better the thighter I made the feather. And, it was the opposite compared to a brush, it was so *easy* .. It was just an idea from scratch ... I wish I had discovered earlier.

But how do You do it ?

thanks for any comments.

Jan

Reply to
Jan Gelbrich
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Whenever possible I use decal cut with a new #11 or razor blade.

Reply to
Joe Drees

I use stripping tape from automotive paint shops.

Apply it to the outer edges of where you want the walkways etc to be and then paint with an airbrush.

F Marion

Reply to
Francis Marion

Other have suggested use of decals and masking techniques, so I won't mention those further.

In my experience, masking doesn't work when you're not using an airbrush. When using a hand brush, I usually paint the line first, and then gradually narrow it down with the colour of whatever is underneath. It really helps if the line is engraved on the plastic. Works really well on piping and such on uniforms. I think you can get to about 0.1 millimeter with this. Just make sure the line is thoroughly dry, and have a piece of cloth and thinner on hand to immediately wipe off any mistakes.

Rob

Reply to
Rob van Riel

Jan what is a pulling feather? Pete

Reply to
The Laws

In addition to this, I keep a supply of 'trim' tape, made in various colors. It comes as fine as 1/64th inch. I don't like that fine, keep a stock of 1/32 and 1/16 in several popular colors.

There is even a chrome versi>

Reply to
Don Stauffer

Sounds cool (I'd never heard of the stuff). Is it easy to apply? Is the "raise" noticeable?

I'd like to do a white waterline stripe on a Kilo class Russian sub, so I've been following this thread. Trip tape sounds very promising (particularly since I don't have an airbrush).

Steve

Reply to
Stephen Ramsay

Check on model railroading supplies. Microscale makes a ton of stripes in about every color you can think of, and multiple scales from N gauge (1/160 on up). You're bound to find something there.

Cookie Sewell AMPS

Reply to
AMPSOne

Do you mean perhaps a drafting pen?

Reply to
Al Superczynski

OK, now you make sense....that "feather" is known as a ruling or inking pen, Staedtler still makes them but they aren't near as good as the old Deitzgen ones.

BTW-you can use actual feathers to do the same th>

Reply to
Ron

"Al Superczynski" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

No, _not_ a pen. As far as I translate drafting pen, You mean a kind of Rapidograph - can be used too for drawing thin lines, but only for black lines. And very easy to use.

What I mean is a feather, You may image of the ancient times when people used goose feathers to write. It maybe really hard to find those graphic tools today ... in my case, I just had some old feathers and thought well waht about to try them ...

The only place in the net I found where You can watch what I mean, is

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the second image in that site shows the tools I mean - it is the first two tools to the left (Ziehfeder) I wish my English would be better ...

Reply to
Jan Gelbrich

Those are in fact drafting pens!

Reply to
Al Superczynski

Reply to
James Woody

Ok, once more I prooved my bad English ... Sorry for that.

"Al Superczynski" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

first

Reply to
Jan Gelbrich

Don't be too hard on yourself Jan, your English is much better than my German, and each day one learns something is a success : )

Reply to
Jeff C

in article snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Al Superczynski at snipped-for-privacy@deadspam.com wrote on 07/31/03 2:14 AM:

That's what we used to call a "ruling pen." Long before Rapidographs.

MB

Reply to
Milton Bell

No need to apologize! My German is absolutely lousy..... ;)

Reply to
Al Superczynski

Reply to
Ron

Actually, I have a few on my desk and I find them brutally difficult to use. I would never try to use one on a model -- unless, perhaps, it was an absolutely flat surface with no variation and I could get rid of it and start over in the event that it bled.

There's a very reason why these things aren't used much anymore.

Es tut mir leid, Jan -- mein Deutsch is sehr schlecht.

Steve

Reply to
Stephen Ramsay

I've always known it as a "mapping pen" and sometimes heard it called a = "lining pen"

Reply to
Les Pickstock

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