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Hey all,

I have four of the clear plastic screens that go on the Sisters of Battle Immolator Kit->http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat660012a&prodId=prod1090139.

I'm trying to paint the ribbing on the screen brown, then eventually gold. Unfortunately the paint doesn't stick. I really don't want to have to cut out masking tape to mask all the little circular windows and bits as I have 4 of these screens to paint.

Does anyone have any tips, I'm assuming it's the same clear plastic they must use for flyer cockpits and such. Thanks in advance, cheers!

Those pieces especially need to be primed.

Are you using a brush or an airbrush? I suppose you could apply the primer with a brush, but I find it easier to mask off the areas you want clear with tape and then prime/paint them.

This article might have some tips for you: http://www.swannysmodels.com/Canopies.html

bkde wrote:
Hey all,

I have four of the clear plastic screens that go on the Sisters of Battle Immolator Kit->http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat660012a&prodId=prod1090139.

I'm trying to paint the ribbing on the screen brown, then eventually gold. Unfortunately the paint doesn't stick. I really don't want to have to cut out masking tape to mask all the little circular windows and bits as I have 4 of these screens to paint.

Does anyone have any tips, I'm assuming it's the same clear plastic they must use for flyer cockpits and such. Thanks in advance, cheers!

Try this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1ffArWJ-4

Hey guys, thanks for the response. I'm using a brush, unfortunately I don't have access to an airbrush. I could go the brush on primer route, my only concern is that it won't stick either. That Humbrol Maskol stuff looks amazing though! Might try and go that route, just because the window has a lot of round areas would be difficult to cut and mask using tape. I'm using a brush, unfortunately I don't have access to an airbrush.

When gluing clear plastic pieces I've heard it's best to avoid super glue otherwise it will fog up the plastic. Is this true? And if so what kind of glue should I use to bond the canopy. Thanks again!

if your having trouble with the paint sticking to the raised ribbing on clear canopy's, give the raised area a light sand with an emery board or a needle file. This will roughen up the plastic allowing the paint to stick where your put it.

I use PVA glue (white glue) to stick my canopies in place, its not as strong as Super Glue or Plastic Glue but it is a lot less likely to fog or damage your canopy.

Yes, superglue is likely to cause fogging or "crazing" of clear plastic parts. You can avoid the issue entirely by using PVA glue or acrylic gloss varnish, instead, but the bond isn't terribly strong - best reserved for out of the way parts or display models. There are also specialized clear parts cements that will bond a bit more strongly (Testors makes on that is pretty easy to get a hold of). I've heard that dipping the parts in Future (or whatever its current/local equivalent is), as some do to increase the parts' gloss and durability or to add tinting, helps protect against the fogging caused by CA glue. I've never tested it, myself, so do a bit of reading and test on some clear scrap before committing, if you choose to go that route.

As for painting the frame by brush, the adhesion issue is due to the part's smooth surface. Paint needs texture (what we refer to as "tooth," in painting) to anchor itself in place and clear parts are, by necessity, quite smooth. If you can lightly scuff the framework with fine sandpaper, you should have a much easier time laying down your primer/paint. It would still take a steady hand, but the framework being raised makes it possible, at the very least. Only other ways I can see to do it involve some form of masking and spraying.

Clear plastic is a bit of a pain to paint in general. Even in the best of cases, primer barely holds unless you are using an enamel primer. Since the paint that follows will be holding to the primer, it ends up being subject to chipping and flaking more than other parts.

Back in the day, I dealt with it primarily like they show on the Swanny site. The future works as your primer coat, and although very smooth, the surface of gloss acrylics is better suited to paint adhesion than the clear plastic (boring issues relating to polymer chain shapes). Even though it isnt sticking to the plastic better than a brush on primer, the strength comes from fully encapsulating the part.

Recently though, I have taken to another method. I start by masking the part first. Once fully masked, I use my air eraser to hit the exposed areas. It is a mini sand blaster which etches the surface to provide the "tooth" oadie mentions. After that, I can paint straight away with whatever paints I desire.

It ends up saving a step, and waiting for the drying of the Future. Still have to deal with masking, but with a frisket knife, that goes pretty quick anyway.

Clear coating still remains an issue. You do not want to get matte sprays on clear parts, and quite often you wan you frame work dull and you glass shiney (or at the very least crystal clear). When you have completed your paint job, spray with dullcote. Remove masking and examine the clear areas. The can often have little swirls and scratches from handling and being bounced around in the box. Take a bit of future and touch it to the center of the window panes. It should flow out to the edges and stop at the frame.

To glue in place, I havent found a glue I am 100% satisfied with. I have used CA (with protective acrylic coat to prevent hazing), PVA, GOOP, epoxy, Formula 56, Formula 560, E6000, UHU, Aileens, silicone caulk and a few others. Aileens Tacky glue works well enough for the price, while the canopy glues like Formula 56 and 560 perform a bit better but are a pain to work with. About half the time I'll just use Aileens now, with some of the others being used if needed for their specific properties.

I have painted clear canopy from many IG Valkyries and Dark Eldar canopies. I like the clear to show through so it couldn't be primed, so I simply brush on a thin coat of GW Abaddon Black on the armor frames, when dry, drybrush a thin layer of Eshin Grey before adding intended colors and highlights.

You will meed yo key it up with sand paper or am emery board. Im a decorator by trade and habe been asked to paint glass and clear plastics in the past. If you dont key the material first the paint will craize and not adhere properley.

Hey guys, thanks for all the responses. I ended up using a file to rough up the raised bits. Worked excellent, was quick and easy and enabled me to avoid having to mask all the tiny, tiny windows. Cheers!