Scale Aviation Modeller International – April 2019

only be handled whilst wearing
vinyl gloves. A similar process
should be followed once the
model has been primed. An
enamel, cellulose or lacquer-
based primer/iller, such as
Alclad Grey Primer, can and
should, once applied and dry,
be wet-sanded until smooth
thus providing the perfect
surface for applying enamels or
acrylics. Once again, a mid-
range cloth such as 3,200 to
4,000-grit, should be adequate
for such a task. Avoid sanding
directly over delicate raised
details but sand around them.
Keep your cloths damp and
continually remove all sanding
‘sludge’ with a cloth or tissue
throughout the process. Your
aim is to achieve a perfectly
smooth and blemish-free
surface. Priming just those
areas that require extra work,
such as troublesome seams and
illed repairs or sink-marks,
is an alternative method to
priming a complete model and
will save both product and
time. It should be remembered
that water-based acrylic
primers cannot be wet sanded
and even when gently dry-
sanded, these have a tendency
to lift-of plastic surfaces.

RIDGES AND RUNS

After all the time and efort
spent assembling a model –
illing the gaps and creating a
perfectly smooth surface – the
last thing you want to end up
with is undulating or bumpy
paintwork. The inevitable
‘ridges’ that occur as a result
of utilising either masking
tape when airbrushing or

using brushes with which to

paint, can be eradicated with

micro sanding cloths. Once

again, using a mid-range grit,

successive brush-applied coats

can be partially levelled prior

to applying the next coat. Using

sanding pads or wrapping

the abrasive cloths around a

sanding block, especially on

larger areas, can be beneicial

in achieving a lat surface. The

same process is also efective

when eradicating the ridges

that arise when masking

demarcation lines between

difering camoulage colours.

Whether using hard-edged

masks or soft-edged masks

such as torn paper or Blu-

Tac ‘sausages’, such ridges

are an inevitable part of the

airbrushing process, but they

are easily removed. Runs too

can be efectively lattened

once the paint has hardened.

SOLVING SILVERING

Silvering is the name given

to the phenomena of tiny air

bubbles becoming trapped

beneath the clear carrier ilm

of a decal and relecting the

light, appearing like a blotchy,

silver rash around the decal.

The efect can utterly ruin an

otherwise perfectly inished

model, though preventing it is

relatively simple. Applying an

overall gloss-coat to the model

prior to decal application will

help prevent such problems

occurring, but only if that gloss

coat is lat will you eradicate

the problem all together.

Using the methods described

above, the enamel or lacquer-

based gloss varnish should

be wet-sanded smooth and

then polished with dampened

12,000 grit sanding cloths until

the model’s surface is mirror

smooth. Further polishing can

Sanding pads can be used on difficult to reach areas or used to achieve a flat surface on larger areas

Alclad Primer and Micro-Filler was required to eradicate hard-to-fill seams and several
unsightly sink-marks on Airfix’s 1:48 Stuka. A piece of folded 3,200 grit cloth was used to
wet-sand the primer to a smooth finish ready for the basecoat.

Coarser-grit cloths can be used to eradicate unsightly blemishes from paintwork such as

ridges caused by masking, errant paintbrush hairs or debris embedded in dried paint

SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL • APRIL 2019

HOW-TO

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