Question about tape

[Chris Evans]

I have a question about tape, what kind of tape do you use on kits. Like when you two tone a car and you don't want it to pull off the other color, Thanks

Chris,

[Ramfins59]

Tamiya tape for masking the separation line when shooting a second color.  Painters blue low tack masking tape to cover the rest of the first color.

[Harry P.]

I agree. Tamiya tape (comes in 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch widths) is the best product to do color separation lines. Razor-sharp lines, sticks well so no bleed, yet pulls up easily and won't take paint with it. It's a little pricey, but it's the best tape I have found so far for masking off bodies.

[Ace-Garageguy]

If you're going to two-tone, don't forget that prepping for maximum paint adhesion is important.

Also try to remove your tape at 180 degrees from the surface...not by pulling straight up.

This EXACT 3M 218 polypropylene tape, available at auto paint stores, comes in thinner 1/16 and 1/8 inch widths, and stretches to follow curves exceptionally well.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I agree. Tamiya tape (comes in 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch widths) is the best product to do color separation lines. Razor-sharp lines, sticks well so no bleed, yet pulls up easily and won't take paint with it. It's a little pricey, but it's the best tape I have found so far for masking off bodies.

I agree.

It's some fantastic stuff!

 

Steve

[Chris Evans]

Thanks guys for the info.

Chris,

[Tom Geiger]

Another trick is once you have your tape in place, give it a quick coat of clear prior to your color coat.  The thought is that if there will be any bleed over under the tape, it will happen with the clear and that will be easy to polish out.

[ZTony8]

Be careful about using the blue low tack 3M tape.It states on the inside surface of the roll not to use it with lacquers.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Be careful about using the blue low tack 3M tape.It states on the inside surface of the roll not to use it with lacquers.

I've never had any trouble with it.

But I would use it sparingly anyway.

It doesn't stick well enough to be reliable.

After all, it is "low tack" for a reason.

I would never try to use it for a color separation.

 

Steve

[High octane]

I've used Scotch 3M General Purpose (tan) Masking Tape for years and it seems to work fine for me for two tones, or whatever.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I've used Scotch 3M General Purpose (tan) Masking Tape for years and it seems to work fine for me for two tones, or whatever.

There are circumstances where you should be careful with regular masking tape.

Moisture is a big problem with the adhesive.

If you've ever had a roll that has gotten damp & then dried, you'll know what I mean.

The adhesive becomes the worlds best super glue.

You'll never get a piece of tape off of the roll again.

Heat is another issue.

If you use it to mask & then use some sort of heat to speed drying, be cognoscente that the moisture from the paint followed by application of heat can have the same affect on your model as the wet roll.

You may never get it off.

There is also the possibility of the tape leaving it's impression in the paint.

I've also had circumstances where regular masking tape has stuck so well, it has peeled paint off of bodies.

These things I'm sure can happen with other tapes, but after many years of negative experiences with regular masking tape, it no longer touches any of my paint jobs.

 

Steve

[High octane]

There are circumstances where you should be careful with regular masking tape.

Moisture is a big problem with the adhesive.

If you've ever had a roll that has gotten damp & then dried, you'll know what I mean.

The adhesive becomes the worlds best super glue.

You'll never get a piece of tape off of the roll again.

Heat is another issue.

If you use it to mask & then use some sort of heat to speed drying, be cognoscente that the moisture from the paint followed by application of heat can have the same affect on your model as the wet roll.

You may never get it off.

There is also the possibility of the tape leaving it's impression in the paint.

I've also had circumstances where regular masking tape has stuck so well, it has peeled paint off of bodies.

These things I'm sure can happen with other tapes, but after many years of negative experiences with regular masking tape, it no longer touches any of my paint jobs.

 

Steve

I can't recall ever having a problem with regular masking tape.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I can't recall ever having a problem with regular masking tape.

Everyone has their own experiences Nick.

I'm just speaking from over 25 years of experience in the drywall & painting trade.

I've dealt with almost every type of all purpose masking tape there is & I've had problems with just about all of them.

From the blue tapes falling off of the walls overnight as we were readying for painting ceilings after texturing, to regular tape pulling off wallpaper, paint or not coming off at all.

I recall having to scrape masking tape off of painted surfaces & tub surrounds because it had "fused" to them overnight after being wet from paint & then drying.

I've had similar experiences with both of them with modeling, which is why I only use them for limited applications.

 

Steve

[unclescott58]

After seeing Steve's models at the last NNL North, I would take anything this guy says about painting to the bank. His stuff is beautiful. Type of tape or paint, I'm sure this guy knows what he talking about. And that's not to discount others advice. I just know from seeing his models, Mr. Guthmiller knows what he's talking about and his advice is good.

[MrObsessive]

Tamiya Tape all the way! I've never had any trouble with it in all the years I've been using it, and I highly recommend it! Here's an example of how I used it to paint the stripes on my '05 Mustang................

Results before the whole works was clearcoated.......

[StevenGuthmiller]

After seeing Steve's models at the last NNL North, I would take anything this guy says about painting to the bank. His stuff is beautiful. Type of tape or paint, I'm sure this guy knows what he talking about. And that's not to discount others advice. I just know from seeing his models, Mr. Guthmiller knows what he's talking about and his advice is good.

Thanks Scott.

I don't proclaim myself to be the "tape master".

All I can do is share my experiences over many years of trial & error.

Regular masking tape can do funny things, so I just use it very sparingly only when necessary.

There are better options out there, & although they may be a bit more expensive, I personally think they are well worth it.

 

Steve

 

[peteski]

Tamiya Tape all the way! I've never had any trouble with it in all the years I've been using it, and I highly recommend it! Here's an example of how I used it to paint the stripes on my '05 Mustang................

Looks like I'm not the only one using Parafilm - that stuff is great!

[StevenGuthmiller]

Looks like I'm not the only one using Parafilm - that stuff is great!

Didn't even realize it was still available.

I haven't used it in years because I thought it was long gone.

If I recall correctly, it did work pretty well.

 

Steve

[MrObsessive]

I have a huge giant roll of the stuff! Places like eBay and certainly Amazon carry it. I like how it'll bend around corners and stay attached-----something that tape can't always do on irregular surfaces.

I have so much of it I'll probably have it for the next 20 years!

[MrObsessive]

BTW, I've also used Bare Metal Foil as a masking agent. Sure, BMF is a bit expensive, but I've found it to give really sharp clear lines when burnished down thoroughly. I just finished using it in fact to mask off and paint the molded on seatbelts on my BMW build.

[peteski]

Didn't even realize it was still available.

I haven't used it in years because I thought it was long gone.

If I recall correctly, it did work pretty well.

 

Steve

Oh yeah, this stuff is still made (and probably will be for a long time). http://www.parafilm.com/products#laboratory This film's main application is as a seal in laboratories. But some enterprising modeler figured out a way to use it for a masking film.  This was way before Internet forums. IIRC< the first mention of Mariafil M in hobbies was in an article in FineScale Modeler Magazine.  I also have large roll I bought many years ago (not the small quantities repackaged by Testors) - this stuff doesn't seem to go bad.  Like others mentioned, there are many online sources.

One word of caution. If you used that stuff in a stretched form, the solvent from hot lacquers can soften it or even permeate it. I once masked a windshield with Parafilm to airbrush the black surround. When I peeled the Parafilm off the "glass" it was slightly crazed.  But I lay the paint rather wet and that might be part of the problem.