masking problem?

i am ready to mask the helmet with masking tape for the damaged effects. my problem is how and where to start. like do i put alot tape on, then draw on the pattern, then cut out with an exacto? or hell, i dont know any other ideas. please help out.

-matt

I used peel off facial mask found at wal-mart. Freeman's brand found in the cosmetic section. When you paint over it it turns dark so spoting it to lift off is no trouble just make sure its completly dry.

Yeah im on that step also. I just finished the white primer and am moving on to the silver but after that than im stuck. How do i know if the pattern for the damage is right?

sandlercd_22 wrote: How do i know if the pattern for the damage is right?

Spend a long long time staring at all the reference pics.

Craft stores carry a liquid masking product that works well, it's just liquid latex. Another thing that works according to some is mustard. Put it on, let it dry, paint over it, and rub it off. Voila.

I dunno cause liquid latex you have to kinda paint on and it would give the "paint chipping image" a more rounded affect.

I used blue painters tape. I put several pieces on a piece of scrap plastic and while studying several pics, I would draw the scratch out with a pencil. Then I would use an exacto-knife and carefully cut it out and lay it on the helmet and adhere it wher it should go. This was a LONG and TEDIOUS process, but worked great. If you want, I could try and post some pics of the finished product.

JB

I can attest to the liquid mask working well. You have to use a toothpick to shape the "Puddle" to give sharp edges but it looks awesome in the end and is really easy to work with.

I am about to begin the task of laying out the scratches.
And in reading some of the posts above it hit me.

Has anyone made accurate scratch templates?
If they were laid out on 8 1/2"x11" you could overlap several layers of masking tape below you could anchor the template sheet and cut thru both layers to get the scratches out of the masking tape.

I am thinking about trying this. I know that this might not be too hard in the mandible areas, on the back, and across the rim. I am currently trying to work out a feasable way to map the scratches on the dome...suggestions/insight?