[WWI] Masking Talon

[Tom Ruprecht]

Regarding masking the Talon acrylics, I have had no problem so 
far.  I have masked over sprayed and dry acrylic and powdered finish 
in my experiments, but have *not* burnished it down very hard and 
given it an aggressive, careless rip.  I am using Tamiya tape.  There 
is a small amount of powder residue on the tape but the appearance of 
the powdered, painted object is seemingly not affected.  One could 
refrain from buffing powdered areas until all masking is removed, 
IMHO, if it changes the finish somewhat.

Since switching to the Tamiya tape I have had no issues with lifting 
Tamiya, Pollyscale or Talon acrylic finishes, although I'll admit 
that I am suspicious and very careful.  If you happened to see my 
Potemkin, where I masked all those deck planks (all Tamiya) you know 
it can be done without fear.  I have not yet tried the low-tack 3M 
tapes I've seen written about here, but I also don't think Tamiya is 
that expensive as I use so little in 1/72 and 1/350.  I have had 
issues in the past but not since getting really picky about 
washing.  I rarely paint an unsanded surface also.  I finish a smooth 
surface with at least 600 grit wet Flexigrit, and am thinking that a 
really smooth metalized surface can be even smoother, so I'm using 
the next grit up (not labelled in my Flexigrit package) for these metal areas.

I have also been working more with primers, which *are* stinky & 
nasty.  On Potemkin I used Mr. Surfacer 1000, which is awful, 
especially as I had to clean an airbrush and that's in the house.  I 
am finding that a regression to the good old rattlecan in Tamiya grey 
primer is just the ticket.  No more airbrush to clean and I can do 
the painting outdoors or in the garage.  It fills imperfections just 
like Mr. Surfacer and sands just as smooth with little effort.

Yes, I build slowly ;-)

				Rupe