Re: Technical Pens, Polystyrene & You

> Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2000 09:47:35 +0100
> From: Tony Francis <tony.francis@kuju.com>
> Subject: Re: Technical Pens, Polystyrene & You
> 
> KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de wrote:
> 
> > Few inks are likely to adhere well to polystyrene. When you have a
pen,
> > try it first on a piece of scrap plastic. If it smudges, you may
want
> > to a) prime the model (with clear, matt varnish) and b) cover it
with
> > varnish afterwards.
> 
> I've used Rotring technical pens for shading 1/300th armour. The trick
is
> to buy ink designed for marking overhead projector sheets. This will
adhere
> nicely to most *clean* surfaces, I've managed decent coverage on
semi-gloss
> models (ie ones where the matt paint hasn't dried properly). So, look
for a
> suitable ink and you should be OK.

rotring tech pens have been in my miniatures painting arsenal with years
of
success.  please note that plastics usually have some light oil on them
(from the injection mold).  therefore, i wash them with light dish
detergent, water and an old toothbrush.  this allows any kind of paint
or
ink to better adhere.  (just don't forget which toothbrush is which!)

dave