david 7 Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Hi all, just started to cover my bb junior 60 with satin antique solatex, but iam disapointed with the results, any pencil or pen marks, different shades of balsa, and ply formers are just showing through the covering , was thinking of giving it a coat of diluted emulsion paint to blank it out, this is my first build from a plan and has taken me a long time to get where i am, i like the colour but dont like the finish, any one have any tips as to what i can do . one very deflated builder. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernieNUFC Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 i admit i was surprised when i applied the natural just how much shows through from underneath. The only thing i can say is maybe like me to learn from it like i will, which means the next time i will be more careful about the finsh. I will paint mine so its not to bad, and i really like the fabric look, in fact i have started to enjoy the covering side of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Hi David, there isn't a lot you can do short of paint it or leave it I think. Is the model IC or electric? If electric you could have a look at painting with a water thinned acryllic it in a matching colour (cream). Solartex paints well with a small sponge roller. If its IC you will need fuel proof paint or paint it then fuel proof it. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david 7 Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 I still have the airframe and wings to cover only tried it on the rudder and tail , if i could blank out the different shades of balsa and filler ithink it would be ok but dont know what i could try, i did buy some spray paint for some trim when i have finished covering to break up the colour, just dont want it to look like a half baked job, just looking at the model on the building board, how easy it would be to just put it in the bin or i could go and watch red nose day , but decided to come to the forum to get some advise. Dave , and it is electric version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Sorry to have to tell you this, knowing how much the Solartex cost, but I'm afraid you have the wrong 'colour' Solartex. 'Antique' is famous for being see-through. The colour 'Linen' however is pretty much the same colour but is properly opaque, and the other colours are opaque too. Depending on how much you have used it might be worth cutting your loss and starting again with another colour. Im finishing a Puppeteer at present with linen and I can vouch that it hides all my marks! Edited By GrahamC on 15/03/2013 23:26:12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Hi David, certain colors are obviously more or less opaque than others, I usually paint over the top, just don't go mad and there isn't too high a weight penalty. If you want to avoid paint creep under masking tape use a quality tape such as Tamiya make. Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glyn R Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Another way of preventing paint creep is to first piant the tape edge with the colour underneath and the over the top with the second colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Glyn, I would just say that if you are using a medium that is flexible and forms a skin as it dries such as wbc paints (Warbird Colors) then it is best to peel the masking off before it dries, otherwise it forms a skin and it lifts and tears. Which means dusting the edges with the underlying colour to seal may not work as intended. Though for most ocassions it is sound advice Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 If you know a kind hearted car sprayer then give him some paint and thinners and he could cover it for you. I am using a chap to do my Rothmans Stampe. He does 1-32 war figures as something to relax with and he has done real planes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Just a point of information, most Solartex is opaque and is available in a wide variety of colours. For the sake of ease of description I will refer to this type of Solartex as "ordinary" Solartex. Vintage Red, Vintage Orange, Vintage Blue, Vintage Yellow, Natural and Antique are all transluscent colours, i.e you can see the structure of the model through the covering. These colours are supposed to look like doped silk or nylon which were popular coverings for larger models from at least the 1940s onwards, hence their popularity for vintage models. Natural is a see-through white colour and Antique is a cream colour which is supposed to look like unbleached silk. David, if you really can't live with being able to see pencil marks etc through the covering then you only have three choices. 1. Remove the covering, sand out all of the pen and pencil marks and recover it. This will not have any effect on the different shades of balsa showing through but I have heard of fastidious modellers painting the woodwork with white emulsion to get a uniform effect. I wouldn't bother myself but then again, I'm not that fastidious! 2. Remove the covering and replace it with Solartex in any of the opaque colours available.You will not need to sand out the pencil marks if using "ordinary" Solartex. 3. Paint it as others have recommended. Option 3 will be cheaper and easier. Picture of my Senior Telemaster finished in Vintage Blue, Vintage Orange and Natural attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david 7 Posted March 16, 2013 Author Share Posted March 16, 2013 HI all, thanks for advise of to model shop to see if.i can change the rolls not used , i should of done my home work and not rushed to buy now i have 1 hour trip on a saturday to change them, should be back on track then, thanks again . Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david 7 Posted March 16, 2013 Author Share Posted March 16, 2013 Hi all, managed to change the solartex antique for the soild colour , no linen in stock so its red, graham c you was right i had the wrong type, its so much better and no marks and filler coming through, and its better than solar film to apply, i was lucky he even changed the used roll as i have spent a fair bit of money with him, should look good when shes finished just have to get the wife to work out the colour scheme for me as she said im colour blind, Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Yep David.... this is covered in Linen. As I said its the same colour [almost] but nicely opaque. It is much much nicer than solarfilm to apply. I actually qite enjoy covering with Solarfilm. The bit I don't like is that mistakes are expensive.! Edited By GrahamC on 16/03/2013 18:18:56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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