Lovefordgalaxie Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) I have a great trick to paint whitewalls. It's old, but works really well. Go to a architectural supply store and get a circle template. There are plastic sheets with dozens of sizes of circles, that are used to hand draw at art schools as well. You just have to pick the circle that is more correct for the tire you have, tape the others to avoid overspray, carefully tape the tire tight to the template from behind, leaving it centered with the circle you chose and just airbrush some acrylic paint on the tire in mist coats. Man, that works like a charm!!! No brush marks, no excess paint covering the lettering on the tires, and a perfect edge on the whitewall. This is the circle template I use more often (I have two, one in inches and one in millimeters): Circle Template by Lovefordgalaxie, on Flickr Those are examples of tires painted with the circle template: 1949 Mercury Eight Coupe by Lovefordgalaxie, on Flickr 1957 Ford Custom Tudor by Lovefordgalaxie, on Flickr 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie by Lovefordgalaxie, on Flickr 1960 Ford Starliner by Lovefordgalaxie, on Flickr Edited February 23, 2014 by Lovefordgalaxie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 That sure does a nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Clean work Tulio. Thanks for the tutorial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greymack Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Wow . Great idea and so far this best way I'v seen for doing correct and perfect side walls.Thanks man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JabMan Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 WOW great Idea, and I probably have 3 or four of those circle templates laying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baugher Garage Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Excellent tip! I think I have one of those templates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovefordgalaxie Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 Glad to be of service gentlemen!! Remember, paint in mist coats and never in wet coats to avoid paint from bleeding into the area you don't want to paint. Paint one tire at a time, and take your time and you will have a better whitewall than those tampo printed tires from expensive parts packs. Lot's of times they are not centered right, and doing it yourself, YOU will do the centering. Then just tape the tire tight to the template so it won't move, and you are ready to spray. Most tires have some kind of 3D detail on the sidewall forming steps, and they are perfect to use as references to center the template. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Excellent tip Tulio, I will have to get me one of those! Thanks for the tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.R.C. Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 What a great tip, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrucha Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Thanks for the tip. Definitely as good or better than the tampo printed tires that come with the kits; like the tires that come with the Revell 1950 Olds kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Just picked up a template over at Michael's and I'll give it a try. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderson_15_ Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 really good way. I use these on everything so I hate buying them and decals suck. I have one question though, what is the paint to thinner ratio. Model masters acrylic says they are already airbrush ready but everyone else says they arnt. Just wanted to know what you use. plus I dont want it to thin and then itruns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovefordgalaxie Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 really good way. I use these on everything so I hate buying them and decals suck. I have one question though, what is the paint to thinner ratio. Model masters acrylic says they are already airbrush ready but everyone else says they arnt. Just wanted to know what you use. plus I dont want it to thin and then itruns Pacen, the ideal thing is to make a test. Usually I use Testors flat white acrylic, and when the bottle is brand new I don't new to thin it at all. The paint has to have the consistency of milk. If you need to thin it down a bit, use some window cleaner. You have to lay down very thin misty coats untill the black is all covered, using the minimum of paint to do so, this way all the lettering is preserved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
426-Hemi Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 NICE trick! I don't know when I'll use this, BUT I'll have to remember it, as I run across art supplies a lot locally at a "weekend barn-yard" sale..... They always have some odd art supplies there on the serious "cheap"..... a "lift" of plain white printer paper? $1.00!!!!!! Yep, I got a couple, just for taping purposes (I ain't got a working printer for the computer right now so.....) BUT, they have stuff at prices you can't even haggle on! The white walls you done look AWESOME man, NIICE job! Thinning paint, yes, it is slightly too "thick". myself, I do not have a "recipe" but, I go by toothpick method...... Take a tooth pick, dip it all the way to the bottom of the container of paint, stir/mix a bit, pull it out and let the paint drip off the toothpick back into the container, and if it drips 3 drops rather quickly (couple, 3 seconds) between drops, your good to go for air brushing......-And at that consistency, you can STILL use that same paint for regular brush painting as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderson_15_ Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Pacen, the ideal thing is to make a test. Usually I use Testors flat white acrylic, and when the bottle is brand new I don't new to thin it at all. The paint has to have the consistency of milk. If you need to thin it down a bit, use some window cleaner. You have to lay down very thin misty coats untill the black is all covered, using the minimum of paint to do so, this way all the lettering is preserved. ok got it. thanks for that. deffinitly saving this page to my favorites on the home screen haha. They look amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 It just goes to show, sometime the old tips still work the best. And it's good to see these good older tips come up from time to time. After all there are always new modelers coming into our hobby, who may not know this stuff. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Some day I'll have to try this. I've got a million old tires laying around that I'll never use otherwise. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fseva Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Some day I'll have to try this. I've got a million old tires laying around that I'll never use otherwise. Well, just don't expect as good results... I tried this a couple years ago, and either had a problem lining up the circle with the tire, or having it not lay flat so as to form somewhat of a mask, and the whitewall got deformed by paint getting underneath the edge. Personally, I think Tulio was either very lucky or very good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fseva Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I decided to try it again... dug out my old template and found my bottle of Testors Flat White Acrylic. BTW, not only did I make the same errors, but that white paint was a dog to thin, and really hard to clean out of my airbrush. I think I will stick to kit-supplied and aftermarket whitewalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovefordgalaxie Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Just finished painting 8 tires for my future builds. I use to do it when I get a new bottle of acrylic white. Just Painted by Túlio Lazzaroni, on Flickr Just Painted by Túlio Lazzaroni, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fseva Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 What I really need are some professional stencils with self adhesive backing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 51 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 (edited) What I really need are some professional stencils with self adhesive backing! Maybe, or find someone who can show you how to use the ones other modelers use successfully all the time and have for years. Remember,just 'cause YOU weren't able do something well, it usually only means that you did it wrong. Following directions and practicing often leads to different results. Good luck! (if you decide to learn a new modeling skill) Edited June 30, 2015 by mike 51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my66s55 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 There is another way of doing this. I saved the other way to my hard drive years ago. It involves a little more work maybe, but to me,a guarantee of success is more important. I can't put up the file as it was a few years ago and was probably lost in server changes thru the years. Basically, use the circle templete to find the desired diameter. Use the blue tape and cut out the inner part of the diameter. Tape the blue tape to the tire, spray white, remove tape. Done. No muss, no fuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fseva Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 There is another way of doing this. I saved the other way to my hard drive years ago. It involves a little more work maybe, but to me,a guarantee of success is more important. I can't put up the file as it was a few years ago and was probably lost in server changes thru the years. Basically, use the circle template to find the desired diameter. Use the blue tape and cut out the inner part of the diameter. Tape the blue tape to the tire, spray white, remove tape. Done. No muss, no fuss. Wow! I wish I'd thought of that a long time ago! That's a great tip! Thanks! As an auxiliary suggestion - apply the tape to a piece of glass, to make sure you're getting a really cleanly cut circle, and to insure that it will remove easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fseva Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 I tried hand-painting a set of 4 tires that came in the 59 Imperial kit I started yesterday. I started with the same bottle of Testors Flat White... maybe I have a bad bottle, because the coverage was so poor, I would have had to give them 4+ coats to get them to look uniform. So, I tried Detail White by Creative/Wicked, and found that this paint flowed on smoother, and covered very well. Not that 1 coat would do, but I could see that it would not take as many as the Testors flat white. Detail White is supposed to be flat, but the more layers, the glossier it will look, and when it goes down the first time, it looks really glossy until it's dry. BTW, you might think that this project was too hard, but I simply followed the raised line on the tires, and had a moist q-tip ready for any slips, and I think they turned out pretty good. Of course, getting the wheels into them could ruin the paint; so, I have 4 AMT whitewalls ready just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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