Liquid mask.

[Farwar]

Would 4oz. of bob dively's liquid mask be enough to cover 2 bodies, or would it only be enough for one? So it would be 2 faskolor paint bottles full. Any tips on using the stuff also? Thanks!

[RC10racer89]

I've only tried it once before, and yah the 4oz should be enough for two onroad bodies. You might be pushing it a little close with truck bodies. I used it on a 1/12 scale. Anyway, the directions are pretty good, just be sure not to put to much on even though the directions specify a heavy coat. If you really glop the stuff on it will take forever to try. Try to do it in like 2 or 3 coats. (also recommended in the directions)

[2ndGeneration]

I have only used this stuff once myself.
Its a hella lot easier to cut than masking tape ( for me anyways )
The thing to watch out for is making the coverage even. You want it thick enough to peal easily when cutting out designs, otherwise its a pain to peal. Thick coats do take forever to dry, but several semi thin coats dry fairly fast, and you can help them along with a hairdryer.
Hope this helps some

[slow one 2]

I just coated a 1/10 scale on road, Toyota Corolla WRC Body with BD. it was my first time using this stuff(used hobico in the past) I put it on 3 coats real thick cause I had problems with peeling off the last time. I don't think there is enough to do another body though. I used a little over half the 4oz bottle.

[Tabushi]

Can anyone post a step by step (if you have pics, better) of using liquid masking ?


thanks,

[Piggy89373]

From Haunted Myst's How-To page. (http://www.rctech.net/articles/painting_hauntedmyst1.shtml)

Liquid Mask
My hands down favorite type of masking material for making my own designs is liquid mask. With liquid mask, you paint it on to the inside of your car with 4 thick coats. When it dries, it dries as a rubbery coating and then you simply cut out the design you want in it with a Xacto knife and peel that section out. I find being able to cut my own designs right on the car to be not only a real time saver, but also a great help in design. If some thing is too big, I simply trim it down. Over the past few months I thought I'd try a few of the liquid masks out there. Here are my impressions:

Parma: I tried this first because my LHS had it. At $3.99 a bottle, you get one or two ounces and it's enough to do one car. It becomes brittle and if you don't put on 5 or 6 coats, it doesn't peel up nicely and becomes crumbly. I've tried a dozen bottles of this stuff. I can't stand it and don't find it up to Parma's normally high standards.


Hobbico Master Mask: Excellent! Goes on very nicely in 4 coats and maintains a nice rubber texture that is easy to cut and pull off. I've only ever seen it in a tub about 4 times the size of the Parma bottle for $3.99. Over all it's an excellent mask and I thought it was a good value until...


Bob Dively: Excellent! I tried this because I visited another LHS and they were out of Hobbico. The bottle saying it should be sprayed put me off. I bought it since I have some bodies to practice on and brushed it on in 4 thick coats. That was 5 days ago and I just painted a body with it tonight. It remained nice and rubbery. It cut well and was easy to pull off, never crumbling and making me scrape it off like the Parma. The nicest part is, it comes in 4oz, 16oz and 32oz bottles for $4.99, $12.95 and $19.95 respectively. I bought the 16oz bottle, did 4 bodies and still had 2/3's of a bottle yet. This is the hands-down winner in terms or performance and value. It is the only liquid mask I use.

Tip: When using liquid mask, use a regular paintbrush, not a cheap foam brush. The foam brushes are too smooth; you actually want the small ridges the paintbrush leaves for the liquid mask to build up the proper thickness.

Tip: Straight Lines - I learned this tip from Bob Hastings. When you want to try to get the straightest lines on liquid mask or masking tape, instead of acting like gorilla and choking down on the Xacto knife, do the exact opposite and hold it by the end and lightly draw the knife back slowly, it will want to track straight.

[2ndGeneration]

From Ron's Paint Tips (http://www.rc-cars.net/rccp/PAINTfolder/Paint17plasticbag/plasticbag.htm)

[Piggy89373]

Liquid mask is a no-brainer really, it's a really thick liquid rubber stuff. Using a 2 inch wide paint brush, usually 89 cents from the local hardware store, paint it on the body. You don't have to glob it on, but a nice even coat is what you want. Paint the first coat from front to back so the brush strokes left behind run from...welll...front to back. Your second coat is from side to side so that the brush strokes are...well..side to side. The third coat is another front to back and the fourth is a side to side. Allow to dry completely between coats.

Once the masking is on in 4 nice even coats and has dried thoroughly, using a fine tip sharpie marker, draw out your design on the outside of the shell. Don't worry about it being permanent, it actually wipes off with a little rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. Once you've drawn out your design, using a new and very sharp blade in your hobby knife, carefully cut along the desings from the inside. You'll be cutting the masking that was laid down. Do NOT push too hard or you'll score the lexan and bad things will happen when you push too hard on that spot. You only need to cut through the masking. You'll dance a fine line, score too deep and the body will fall apart at the score line, cut too deep and it'll peal up the adjacent area when you try to remove it.

Once you've cut the LM and haven't pealed it up yet, now you're ready to paint. First, figure out what color scheme is what...hopefully, you've decided all this prior to cutting the liquid mask. Pick your darkest color first, peal up the area, spray in very light coats allowing each coat to dry thoroughly. When the desired opacity is achieved, back it with white.

Usually, some form of drop shadows or highlighting will be involved. Remember, you're more or less painting backwards here because your first coat is what's viewed, not the last coat. So, with this in mind paint your graphic however you want. For drop shadows, use a transparent charcoal or fastint (or similar transparent black). Spray your airbrush at an imaginary line 2-3 mm inside the graphic's edge. The idea is to have the graphic be the focal point of the spray and the overspray will create your drop shadow.

Lastly, READ Haunted Myst's guide. It's a great how-to and even has pictures to help you along. I started out pretty clueless on how to paint RC bodies, 20 minutes minutes of reading that guide had me painting with confidence. I'm still a hack at painting, but I now have good notes to use. Bottom line, if I can do it, anyone can. (Sorry MikeVillena, didn't mean to steal your mantra.)

Edit: Thanks 2ndGeneration, another excellent guide.

[harley1874666]

for me one 4 ounce container is about enough for two or three bodies. i thin the stuff to a thin syrup consistency and spray it through my airbrush. 2-3 ounces of thinned mask on a body drying with a hairdryer in between coats. i'll do anywhere from 4-6 coats but using no less than 2 ounces of thinned masking. after i let it dry over night i can start cutting the mask for paint.

[abraksith]

Does Bob Dively's LM smell as bad as Hobico? Only wondering, cause my girlie threatened to disown me if i ever use that stuff in the house again, and I agree smells worse than fish sauce.

[Piggy89373]

Nope, Bob's hardly carries any smell. If you shove your nose into the stuff, I'm sure you'll smell that slight fishy sauce scent, but otherwise, I haven't noticed any strong smell from it.

[gone_wheelin]

Not to step on someone elses thread but, since the topic is liquid mask. Has anyone ever used the liquid mask available from Coast Airbrush? I was looking over their site for some pricing on a new airbrush when I came across it. It's in their catalog as Sign Strip. It comes in quart and gallon sizes and says it is tinted blue. The price seems pretty reasonable too at $25.00 for a quart. Any input on this product?

Thank you. I'm done stepping now.

[harley1874666]

i'd assume it's of the same or comparable quality. only one way to find out and that's to try it out.

[FESTER2004]

thanks for the link, alot of good info

[kris lim]

hi guys
when i was in the 1/1 car painting i herd about this type of masking, used instead of plastic sheets over the cars, but tape and paper was still used around the repairs,
when the car was finished this stuff washed off in water, does the rc product wash off in water?
can it be used with water based paint and solvent based?
thanks for your help

[abraksith]

Hey Kris, by 1/1 do you mean actual cars? If so how did you get into that?

[harley1874666]

as far as i know it takes solvent paint as well as water based paint.

it may wash of with water but i think it would take a little soaking. if you paint with water based paints that wouldn't be a good idea anyway.

[kris lim]

Hey Kris, by 1/1 do you mean actual cars? If so how did you get into that?
year real cars , back about 16 years ago i started my apprenticeship, only stayed there for five years thow, i new someone who worked there and they needed someone, so my name was mentioned and i was in, i did some full scale air brushing as a hobbie, but i have never used Liquid mask. only heard about it
the 1/1 scale stuff you could pour thinners on it and nothing happened but tip water on it and it dissapared