Hi, mateys. Am finishing off my 1/570 KGV, and have handpainted (no airbrush) the red and grey segments of the hull. How do you suggest I paint the black strip that divides the two (the 'bootblack')? Don't think my hand is steady enough to paint it with a brush. At this scale it won't be much more than 1mm wide. Was considering a black sticker. What do you guys think?

Hi David
L'Arsenal produce a decal sheet of boot toppings in a variety of sizes/scales.This might be a better option for you.

HTH
Dave.

Assuming that you have a fairly straight demarcation between the the two, perhaps you could use a flexible (thin metal or plastic) ruler and a thin black marker or rapidograph pen of some type.

Thanks, guys, both options look good. L'arsenal doesn't seem to accept credit cards yet, so I might try Gary's idea.

Perhaps you could get some adhesive black pinstriping of the correct width, like is used to finish off cars?

Dave, I agree with Graham on this one, I've done it before and it works well...just be careful when you're applying it , watch for bubbles and seal it good when you're done...
~Gunny

Another idea using the tape orany tape for that matter is to apply one strip of tape as the top mask and then approximately 1mm(?) below that apply another strip of tape and then paint the stripe inbetween the two pieces of tape using a brush.
Peel away the upper and lower pieces of tape and voilla! a stripe is born.
I would experiment on a piece of scape no matter which technique I tried.
Good luck and best regards,
Gary

I've tried this technique (in 1/400 scale) and it worked well

Thanks, guys. I'll give it some thought.

You could always pick up, or make up on of these handy dandy gizmos:


Available at Model Expo for $14.99 under Tools.

Model Expo

How the hell does it work??? I'm staring at it but can't figure it out.

It does not work at all, it just holds your pen straight. It is called a waterline marker. You place your model on a flat surface such that your ship is parallel to your surface ie. all parts of the waterline is placed at the same distance from the surface you place your ship on (waterline parallel to the table, that is). Attach your pen to the waterline marker, adjust the height of it, move the waterline marker on the table to draw the line... You do all the job.

In case you do not want to buy such a gizmo, you can easily make your own gizmo... Just place your pen on a wooden block or a book at the height of your waterline and just draw while moving the book, after placing your ship in the manner described above on your table.

Hope it helps.
Cagin

I get it, but I guess the ship will haveto be secured to the table to prevent it moving.

Dave,
I like it! I like it!
Great gizmo!
I starting to plan some work on some old Linberg 1/160th tug and tuna boats and that little gizmo will help me alot. I'll build mine though.
Thanks for posting the pic.
Gary

Second that, what a great idea! I'll definitely be using that one on ships I build in the future - will save a LOT of effort

David,

Gator's Paint Mask has boot toping paint mast. They are $5.00 USD a set.

Gator

My original one was made of wood.....
but sadly washed away in the flood.

As stated, it marks the hull with a pencil, or scribed line, so you can have an even, level boot topping. You still have to 1. make sure your model is on an even keel and level for and aft. 2. Have enough room around the model for the gage to move around the entire hull. 3. Apply your masking along the pencil/scribed line.
With practice, you'll end up with meeting pencil lines even under the turn under at the stern.
And yes, it really is easy to make your own.

I would guess that if you placed a blade at the right angle in that
gizmo , you cut cut your mask using it. Using a thin mask (like frisket material used in retouching) I would think that it would work very smooth with little effort. Adjust the height and make a second cut and then just remove the thin strip. Apply the paint and you're done.
Wow! This is getting easier by the minute! :-) :-) :-) :-)

Well if it helps -the real thing is painted with a roller from a john boat! Been there done that lol

Our masks are just peel, stick and paint.

Gator

Been there----done that----- also..... extra duty ya know..... now myself being a snipe, and not too steady over the side, I always had a nice deck ape making sure I was 1. safe, and 2. working........ I don't recall ever using masking tape. (of course the smaller the scale the neater the boot topping needs to be, as a 1 inch or two inch mistake or waviness in real life would not be visible in 1/350th scale.)

:-) :-) Of course we always managed to find interesting things for the deck apes, and Airedale's, to do when they got extra duty down the "hole". :-) :-)