how do you guys paint the black part aroud the wheel?
What I am doig now is cuttig masking tape in circles and covering the center, so when I airbrush it, the black won't cover the paint already in the center, but I find that the masking tape method is way to tedious.

I use a brush, a steady hand and a lot of patience.

I read about a guy who uses an old mousepad. I can't recall his name, but I am quit sure, it was here at Armorama.
He puts paint on the soft backside of the mousepad, then puts a sprue or a pind through the centerhole of the wheel, then he drags the wheel across the paint on the mousepad. The harder you press on the wheel, the deeper the wheel will go.

I usually paint my wheels black all over and then I spray the base color using my airbrush with very low pressure and my nozzel almost completly closed... it may take two or three passes before I start to see the color appear. I always towards the middle of the wheel ..If I ever do get any overspray I just use a dark wash over the rubber part to make it blend in. Easy and no masking ! The final weathering also blends it all together anyway.

Rick

I learned from a previous posted threat (don't know the author anymore) here a very easy way to paint roadwheels:
1/ spray the whole wheel in black.
2/go out and buy a sort of ruler which has prefabricated holes in it, about 20 different sizes, each with about 1 or 2 mm difference. (I found one in a local shop who sells office materials and pencils for only 50 cent. (I know these things have a proper name in english, but I can't figure out what it could be)
3/ find the right hole which fits just over the steel part of the wheel, spray the inside of the wheels, lift the ruler and voila, one roadwheel finished... and so on and so on for about 14 wheels... "sigh"..
4/clean the ruler after use.

It's a really easy and efficient way to paint the wheels.
Goodluck!!!!

hmm I think that should have been spelled "thread" instead of threat... lol.

I used to use a paintbrush and had no
problems!
But lately with the new DML kits I am having
much problems!
I bought some eduard masks and thats no
easy way to do it either!
I think I will look around for circle templates!!
Ron

Hey Fuhrer, here's a link that shows one way how to paint road wheels.
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/41174&page=1

I've painted my road wheels several ways. I usually paint the wheels the color I want the center to be first. On a couple of vehicles I have built I was able to use washers that fit the center of the wheel to mask them. (I put a small piece of tape over the center of the hole of the washer.) On some of them I have put different types of putty in the center to mask them. I once used silly putty which is cheap, $1.00 at the 'Dollar Store'. On another one I used some small circle price stickers to cover the center. On all of these after covering the center I sprayed the outer edge of the wheel black.

On a couple of the tanks I've done, I painted the wheels and attatched them to the tank. I then put some Fold Art Brand black artist's pigment (Purchased at Wal-Mart, for $0.88) on a couple of folded paper towels. I spread it fairly thin. I then roll the tank in the paint. I let it dry then go back and touch up the black near the edge of the "metal" part of the wheel.

I've used the circle templates also, and that works pretty good. Like you said the hard part is finding one that the holes match up with your wheels.

Ditto, usually accompanied by words the kids haven't heard before!

Recently I've started painting the centres and then just dragging a brush with the tyre colour around the wheel - if it goes slightly over the edge then the weathering can take care of it.

modeling clay....rolled into a ball, thensmushed onto the wheel covering the center....spray paint the wheel...when dried, remove the clay

Paint the wheels you want as the exterior colour first, then get two polystyrofoam sticks. Put toothpicks in them with half of them sticking out, put the wheels on them, as if they're axles. Then put the second stick over the top. Now only the area you want to paint black is uncovered. Spray paint as carefree as you possibly can.

either a paint brush and a steady hand or a black sharpie marker.

Works for me!

Paint the wheel the base color and hand paint the wheel with a brush here. It takes a while but I enjoy the time spent in my shop anyway.

Paint the entire wheel the vehicle base color as usual. When dry slide the wheel over a paint brush handle. I use a paint brush handle because it tapers and the wheel will 'lock' into position when it won't slide any further down the handle. Using the paint brush handle as an axle, I slowly revolve it while touching black paint to the tire part.. I hold the painting brush with the black paint stationary while the wheel turns. I find this way more steady than holding the wheel down and moving the painting brush.

I usually paint the whole wheel then use a black sharpie pen to "paint" the side walls of the rubber piece. Then I use flat black to fill in the rest of the tire/rubber around the wheel. Flat clear over everything and finished...

That would liquid mask. Humbrol makes one.

What Bjorn said.

Use Polly Scale/Floquil Grimy Black fpr the rubber. When that is dry, use a circle template as a mask for the base color. Add camo colors as appropriate.

In 1997, I did 4 Pz IV kits at on etime using this method in two paint sessions,

like many others I paint the wheel the kit base coat... and handpaint the rim.. and like Al Lfleche.. I also use Polly Scale Grimy Black

Works for me too.
Having said that, I did read somewhere that it doesn't matter too much about getting paint on tyres as if the vehicle had a re-paint, they wouldn't have been too careful about where the paint went...
Whatever, the weathering and so forth generally sorts it all out anyway!
MC