Saturday, January 15, 2022

Estes Skylab #001973, Build, Part 31, Finishing Up

Before the Dullcoat can be applied, 
You'll have to mask off the silver on the fairings and fins.
Dullcoats (and gloss clearcoats) will turn Silver paint into a dull gray!

I made some covers out of folded paper to cover most of the fins.




Here's the back end covered for the dull coat.

Before spraying, brush off any dust with a soft brush. Any dirt could be locked under the dull clear coat.




Well - this was disappointing!
The dull coat shriveled up a few of the small camera target decals. Not all of them, just two.
I don't think I went too thick with the clear. 
TIP: You might want to try some Micro-Sol to be sure the decals are sitting IN the corrugated surface and do light mist coats of the clear.





The last things glued on were the Solar Array Panels.
Mentioned earlier - You'll find it easier to glue these on after the painting is done.

I won't be covering the shock cords and parachute assembly. The shock cords use a standard tri-fold mount. Parachute assembly is normal - just larger in diameter.

3 comments:

  1. Chris, I haven't looked closely at mine, but are the layout lines for the masking laid out on the wrap for the top section, the one in your last pic above? I've just not been able to find any kind of reference or masking guides anywhere that show that roll pattern for an exact layout to mask it.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mark,
      Mentioned in the final "Finished" post - there really aren't any shortcuts. Measurements are shown on page 12 of the instructions. I found it easier to use the Metric measurements. It's easier to find 1.5 cm as opposed to 19/32".

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    2. Hi Mark,
      I just re-read your comment and realized I didn't really answer your question.
      No - there aren't any mask lines molded into the wrap. I wish there was. The old Centuri Saturn V had some "not so subtle" raised areas so you wouldn't have to push tape into the corrugations. I wish that was carried over onto this kit.

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