WWI planes painting question

[Bullo Loris]

Hi mates,

yesterday I started my first WWI plane (I build only 23 kits of WWII planes), I have a question what i can do for the canvas effect, I must use copal?, because there are differences between a WWI and WWII planes...I hope you can help me...

Regards.

Loris

 

[Airframes]

If you mean the weave, the texture of the canvas, don't do anything ! It didn't show, as the cloth had to be filled with the dope and sealed, providing an airtight, taught, smooth surface. Just paint as normal and, where a bare linen colour is required, this is (or was) available in the Humbrol range, or can be mixed with white and a yellow sand colour, for example Humbrol 93, to make the very light fawn cloth colour.

 

[hawkeye2an]

I second that. Doped and painted fabric is very smooth with no texture. If there is texture someone did not finish the aircraft properly. Many manufacturers are proud of their 'fabric effect' but this just means you have to sand it all off if you want a real look.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I second that. Doped and painted fabric is very smooth with no texture. If there is texture someone did not finish the aircraft properly. Many manufacturers are proud of their 'fabric effect' but this just means you have to sand it all off if you want a real look.

Not quite correct...

You'll have some texture come through if you use basic dopes with no clear coat and do a basic sanding of the aluminum pigmented dope on thicker grade "A" cotton used for higher speed aircraft. The real determination if a fabric job was done "functionally" properly would be a punch test (with a special tool) or taking a test coupon and doing a "pull test" to the piece of fabric used. "Smoothness" is gained in the amount of time taken to sand between coats, application, drying times and humidity control. Keep in mind that in WW2 most of the time any fabric work was being done more for function.

Additionally you will have texture over seams, pinking tape and rib stitching.

 

[Airframes]

Totally agree with you Joe, having done a bit of recovering etc myself. But, as Loris is building a 1/72nd scale WW1 aircraft, any texture would not be visible in this small scale, and not even in 1/32nd scale. However, on some early WW1 types, where the fabric was clear-doped, at certain angles the covering could be almost translucent and, although the texture could not be seen/felt, the weave might be visible - just. But again, not in this small scale!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Totally agree with you Joe, having done a bit of recovering etc myself. But, as Loris is building a 1/72nd scale WW1 aircraft, any texture would not be visible in this small scale, and not even in 1/32nd scale. However, on some early WW1 types, where the fabric was clear-doped, at certain angles the covering could be almost translucent and, although the texture could not be seen/felt, the weave might be visible - just. But again, not in this small scale!

True, although I've seen some 1/32 stuff where the builder tried to enhance the stock texture by painting it flat or even applying a small cloth to the surface when the paint was tacky. I didn't think the latter came out that well.

 

[Airframes]

I guess it would look pretty...cr*p ! I've sometimes used very thin tissue, as used to protect decal sheets, to simulate fabric on control surfaces, paricularly over scrstch-built formers. Once painted, a similar process to the full size article takes place, where the tissue taughtens, exhibits the correct surface 'sheen', and has the same look as the real thing, especially over formers, ribs etc, and where taped reinforcing or joints are present, the latter simulated by thin slivers of tissue.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I guess it would look pretty...cr*p ! I've sometimes used very thin tissue, as used to protect decal sheets, to simulate fabric on control surfaces, paricularly over scrstch-built formers. Once painted, a similar process to the full size article takes place, where the tissue taughtens, exhibits the correct surface 'sheen', and has the same look as the real thing, especially over formers, ribs etc, and where taped reinforcing or joints are present, the latter simulated by thin slivers of tissue.

Now that sounds much better!

 

[Bullo Loris]

Thanks...yes my modell is 1/72