SCRIBING PANEL LINES

 

Friday, October 4th, 2002

By John Goschke

 

I. Considerations

  a. Is the project worth the effort? Expect to spend 8 to 24 hours depending on the size of the plane.

  b. Decide whether you want to simplify or do all the detail.

  c. Decide how much assembly you want to do first. Many kits are more easily scribed with the fuselage assembled and/or the wing assembled.

 

II. Tools

          • Dental pick or “ Bare Metal scriber”

          • Dividers

          • #11 X-Acto knife

          • Single cut needle file

          • Steel rule

          • Razor saw

          • Multi-grit sanding stick

          • Scrap plastic

          • Label maker or striping tape

          • Aluminum strip stock

          • Clear acetate or styrene sheet

          • Cyanoacylate glue

          • Stiff bristle or toothbrush

 

III. Reference Materials

          • Detailed multi-view drawings of the variant your building (in scale, preferably)

          • Clear photos (close-up and stand-off)

          • Avoid getting bogged down in trivia. If source material is contradictory, pick the info you like and stick to it.


IV. The Job — Do a section at a time to preserve your sanity.

          1. File or sand off raised lines and rivets.

          2. Scribe line using point of #11 or scriber. One to three light passes should do it.

          3. Be consistent. Make the breaks between metal skin panels lighter.

          4. On larger models use razor saw to define cowling panels.

          5. Use divider to transfer measurement from drawing to model and to keep measurement and placement symmetrical on model.

          6. Use steel rule for long straight lines.

          7. Use label maker/striping tape or aluminum strip as guide around curves.

          8. Cut templates for repeating panel shapes from aluminum strip or clear plastic.

 

V. Clean up

          • Sand scribed areas to remove ridges from lines.

          • Use cyano to fill mistakes — file & sand flush — rescribe.

          • Use scrap plastic cut to chisel point to clean debris from scribed lines

          • Toothbrush may also be used to clean debris from lines

          • Wash model to remove oils and sanding residue

          • Prime before painting to reveal flaws




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Copyright © 2007 by Anthony I. Wootson & John Goschke. No material may be reproduced without permission. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.