In the first installment I shared with you tools used to scribe plastic scale models. In this installment I’d share with you some of the methods and materials I use to help guide the scribe.

There are dedicated tools for just such applications. Pictured on the right you’ll see some scribing template rulers from Verlinden which I purchased from Sprue Brothers. Also pictured are some a couple steel machinist rulers, Dymo Tape, Chart-Pak Tape, styrene strip and a Laser Level?

Lets start with the weirdest first…the laser level is a useful device when you have to run a line or a section of tape along a very irregular surface that no matter how many attempts you make, you just can’t get the line to lay straight.

I use the level as a means to place reference marks on the surface so that I can follow up with placement of what ever I am going to use as the straight edge. This technique is also very useful when masking lines for painting!

I will either make marks with a pencil or lay a piece of masking tape to mark the place where the line needs to be.

Its very important when you use this method that the piece (model part) is firmly secured to prevent movement. The same holds true for the laser itself. To get the laser beam to mark the right position of the line I first place reference marks at each end where I want the line to lay between.

The old school method…before laser levels were invented we used a contour gauge such as the one pictured —> to draw a reference line on the model’s surface.

Now you can place your edge guide…Dymo Tape, Templates or Rulers, Stencil Paper or even a piece of Styrene strip. Anything that you can use to guide the scribe to prevent it from wavering as you scribe the panel line.

Use a piece of masking tape to hold these devices in place…it doesn’t replace you using your hand to snug it down and hold it in place…it just makes it a little easier and keeps you from moving it by accident during the scribing.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Make a light score first, DO NOT gouge right into the surface on the first pass!

Stencil Paper…you can find it at craft stores, I have some pre-cut lettering stencils that I use for painting markings on aircraft. They are inexpensive and the paper is flexible yet thick enough to use as a guide.

Dymo Tape comes in rolls…its an old school means to label items. I find it readily available at office supply stores and domestically at Wal-Mart in their office supply area of the store. It is very sticky so don’t use it on painted surfaces unless you want to remove the paint. Dymo Tape can be cut to length with a sprue cutter or scissors. It also can be cut to do shallow curves, occasionally we have a panel line with a jog in it. Make a template using a length of Dymo Tape.

TIP! Have a Sharpie marker handy…I like silver to mark a dark surface (dark color for lighter colored plastic)  so I can see the line I have scribed to check it for consistency, size and straightness. I suggest you check after your first pass or two that way if you screwed the pooch you can immediately stop to repair the damage. But that never happens in scale modeling.

I almost forgot to mention Chart Pak tape. This is again an old school resource. Back before we had computers to make charts we did it on paper or poster board. Chart Pak products were handy to make lines…its thicker than masking tape and if you’ve mastered your scribing tool, it will make a suitable guide. Its also great for masking for painting.

Take a look around the resources you have at hand! You might already have materials that you can affix to your model to act as an edge guide for scribing.

<—Styrene Strip.

I hope this information was useful. I’ve enjoyed preparing it…all while listening to Pandora Radio whether it was on my Android Smartphone or my computer.

In the next segment I’ll discuss scribing and its  effect on dissimilar materials.