Do panel lines like a pro!

Hi all. I have a tool that I use for model building that I'm not so sure many people know of so thought I would share it with you all.
It's called a Painting Pen used for line drawings, paint or ink.
The ones I have come in two different sizes (The tip are different diameters) but I rarely use the bigger one. The Extra Fine one works best.
I use it for doing panel lines, it makes it SOOOO easy! My daughter was doing panel lines when she was 10 years old and looks phenomenal. So good in fact we got accused of me helping her with a build we entered into a model contest.
The other fantastic thing they are good for is painting deep surfaces you want to detail. You don't have to worry about a paint brush that is loaded up with paint hitting any side surfaces. Just reach in with the tip and as soon as you touch the lower surface paint starts to flow from it. Lift up and paint flow stops. It wont run out with out making contact with something.
I did very slightly modify the tip on my extra fine tip pen and this was to fit nicer into panel lines. I just barely knocked the edges off two sides but you have to be carful cause if you do it too much the paint won't flow right. You just want to take enough material off each side but not change the diameter of the very end hole. Hope I explained that so it is understood.

You will find lots of uses for this tool!! The red cap that comes with it can be used as a suction cup to suck the paint in from the tip, or just dunk it in and scoop it full (wipe off the body before using it). The paint must be super thinned out like you would use in panel lines. I use acrylic paint for my panel lines on top of my enamel painted bodies. Acrylic will polish off the enamel super easy if you get any where you do not want it to be.

You can use this tool by simply touching the spot and letting the paint flow from the tip and down the panel line. Or you can drag the tip in the panel line and let the paint flow.

Here is a like where I bought mine from. I bought them back in 2003 and I see they are still the same price.
https://stockade.ca/product.asp?code=PEN92

Some builds with Panel lines I've done..

Thanks for sharing Brent. Looks like they really do a great job. Nice Work Brent on all the builds you've shown us.

Any time. Thanks.

Great tutorial Brent. I have never seen these, and they look like a great tool to have. Would these be available at local fine art supply stores?

That looks like a good piece of kit Brent.

Trouble is for me, I can never decide if doing panel lines looks right to me!!

Thanks to the tip Brent. Fine work too.

Thanks for the tip. I will be looking into these as well.

Your welcome guys.

Pete I'm not 100% sure. I knew the tip was useless if you couldn't buy them so made sure I had pictures and a link to somewhere where I knew you could get them. I tried doing a Google search for "Paint Pen" that was useless. I wonder if they have a different name?

I hear ya AL. Sometimes they are too dark and over powering. If your on the fence try taking some of the same body color and adding a very slight amount of black just to darken the paint up a tinny bit and use that for the panel lines. Still get the effect but very subtle.

You hit the nail on the head for me Brent. Your's look great but I've seen some that look just look plain wrong.

I've heard about the trick of darkening the body colour for panel lines but never tried it. Maybe I should get one of these and give it a try!!

Cool tool  001 

Been searching for these UK side but It doesn't look like I'm going to find them.

However, I did find this:

Skid wrote:You hit the nail on the head for me Brent. Your's look great but I've seen some that look just look plain wrong.

I've heard about the trick of darkening the body colour for panel lines but never tried it. Maybe I should get one of these and give it a try!!

Agree, I've seen some armour & aircraft builds that look too, I dunno, "clinical" with the panel lines.

Ramping down the darkness of the panel lines to match body shade is a good idea methinks.

Chris

I totally agree with you Al. Yep that's the tool! Cool gives you a good idea what it does and how it works.
I forgot it came with a cleaning tool. I never use it. I just dunk in thinner put the red cap on the fill side and squeeze, that forces all the thinner out.

Online, I found the fine line painting pen available at Amazon and Wally World (Walmart). They also show available at Michael's Craft store, and I am going to go to the one close to my house today to see if they are in stock.

Thanks again Brent, you can never have too many tools!!!! Especially good useful ones.

My pleasure! Hope you find one.

Went to Michael's Crafts on Saturday, and did not find one. Needless to say, the place was a zoo! So I will just order one from Amazon. I believe they were a little over $10.

Sux you couldn't find one locally but great to hear you found one.

Amazon it is then.

Just thought I would muddy the waters with 2 items very similar to what BrentH started. First is a pen and tips made by Keuffel and Esser, this stuff is called vintage by Ebay, makes me feel really old that I have this stuff. Reason was I could not stand waste, as every time new tech. was introduced management tossed the "old". I was a cartographer with Province of British Columbia. Second item is the Koh-I-Noor technical pen (yellow). I am suggesting that if you across these items at a flea market you may get cheap because nobody knows what they are for or worth. The cleaning wire can make them frustrating but if your paint is as thin as ink, color should flow. Cheers Eh!





Different packaging, wood, plastic, blister







Parts break down

Check that out COOL!!!!

Yesterday, I received my fine line painting pen. Bought from Amazon for $8.80. Bought some music CDs too, so shipping was free.

Going to try it on the Bonneville Bug for the darkening the louvers on the rear deck lid.

Awesome!! So that is the fine one, not the super fine. I hope it is small enough.

So, I had concerns that you were right Brent, that the one I got was too big. Have not tried it yet, but have an alternative.

I have weekly coffee with a group of retirees where I used to work, and it includes a friend who worked in the Styling group at Freightliner. So when I mentioned that I might try some Rapidograph pens, he said that he had some that he never used. So this is what he gave me today:



So it has the holder and ink cartridge, two 0 tips, three 00 tips, the tip wrench and a nice case. WOW, and it was free!!! I will be trying this, and the fine line painting pen on an old body to see what works best.

SCORE!!!!! Fantastic!
I did try my fine one again. It is on the big side but does have it's place just not so much for panel lines.