Scribing with Dymo Tape

There are a lot of good scribing guide's on the web, but I'd like to share how I do it and throw in some tips based on experience.

Tools:
1. Pencil
2. Compass (the thing with a needle and a pencil holder used for drawing circles)
3. Dymo tape
4. Sandpaper
5. Tamiya Scriber II (optional)

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Step 1: First, do a rough pencil sketch of the planned panel lines, making it as even as possible. You can use some sort of ruler or template if you want but I usually just freehand it.











Step 2: Once I'm happy with the design, I use the compass needle (*you can get rid of the pencil holder part) to punch very small and shallow holes in the corners of the sketch. These shouldn't be too big or too deep, just enough so you can feel them with the needle tip.

Step 3: Cut up some dymo tape. I like to use the wider type because I can cut it down the middle to save on tape, or shape it if needed.













Step 4: Stick the tape to the part along a planned panel line. The punched holes (marked with arrows here) serve as the end points of the panel line, so make sure you can still feel them with the compass needle once the tape is attached.

Step 5: Drag the compass needle lightly along the tape, starting from one end point to the other. Don't try to scribe the line in one go. Too much force can result in slips and unwanted scratches.












Step 6: Drag the needle up and down until you feel the line is deep enough. It's up to you how deep you go, but remember that the deeper you go, the wider the panel line will appear because of the shape of the needle.










Step 7: Repeat steps 4 to 6 for all planned panel lines. With the end points you punched in step  2, it's just like playing connect-the-dots.












Step 8: Because of it's shape, scribing with a needle will leave a raised edge on both sides of the panel line. If you do not have the Tamiya Scriber, you can just sand the edges smooth. If you have the Tamiya scriber, I recommend using it before sanding because the raised edge will help guide the scriber.









Here's a cross-section of the panel line:








Step 9: Sand the part lightly with increasing grits to make everything smooth again and you're done!













More quick guides coming soon!