Monogram 1956 Bel Air two tone paint questions

[JerseeJerry55]

Hello, and I hope everyone is well. Now that the weather is finally warming up here in NJ I can start doing paint jobs. One of my stash projects is the Monogram 1956 Chevrolet Belair I picked up at Ollies recently. I am generally not one to really attempt two tone paint jobs (I think about it quite a bit but don't have the guts to do it) so I could use some assistance. I have laid down a coat of Testors One Coat Lacquer Diamond Dust as the base. I am planning on using One Coat Lacquer White Lightning, and a yet undecided second color. Now comes the fun part the masking of the trim along the sides of the car, and the roofline/trunk area? Can anyone please guide me in the direction for the prep, and which tape/supplies to use. I'm thinking Tamiya masking tape will be the tape choice but what else do I use to cover the White? I am pretty apprehensive to say the least as I would like to get nice crisp lines. Any help will as always be most appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Tcoat]

1 hour ago, JerseeJerry55 said:

Hello, and I hope everyone is well. Now that the weather is finally warming up here in NJ I can start doing paint jobs. One of my stash projects is the Monogram 1956 Chevrolet Belair I picked up at Ollies recently. I am generally not one to really attempt two tone paint jobs (I think about it quite a bit but don't have the guts to do it) so I could use some assistance. I have laid down a coat of Testors One Coat Lacquer Diamond Dust as the base. I am planning on using One Coat Lacquer White Lightning, and a yet undecided second color. Now comes the fun part the masking of the trim along the sides of the car, and the roofline/trunk area? Can anyone please guide me in the direction for the prep, and which tape/supplies to use. I'm thinking Tamiya masking tape will be the tape choice but what else do I use to cover the White? I am pretty apprehensive to say the least as I would like to get nice crisp lines. Any help will as always be most appreciated. Thank you in advance.

I use Tamiya tape well burnished down for the edge and then de tacked regular masking tape for the rest. To de tack the tape just put it down on a clean surface and pul it back up a few times. It should be sticky enough to hold but come off without damaging the paint. If you want to be really sure that you don't have bleed through under the Tamiya tape you can give a very light coat of your base paint over the tape line first to really seal the edge. 

Practice the method on something else first is always a good idea. 

[JerseeJerry55]

17 minutes ago, Tcoat said:

I use Tamiya tape well burnished down for the edge and then de tacked regular masking tape for the rest. To de tack the tape just put it down on a clean surface and pull it back up a few times. It should be sticky enough to hold but come off without damaging the paint. If you want to be really sure that you don't have bleed through under the Tamiya tape you can give a very light coat of your base paint over the tape line first to really seal the edge. 

Practice the method on something else first is always a good idea. 

Thank you very much for the reply. I will give it a whirl. Would 3M Painters tape work equally well in place of the regular masking tape?

[Tcoat]

3 minutes ago, JerseeJerry55 said:

Thank you very much for the reply. I will give it a whirl. Would 3M Painters tape work equally well in place of the regular masking tape?

Yep. By "regular" masking tape I mean any normal painter type tape. Another way to de tack it is to put it on your pants and pull it off a few times. DO NOT use this method if you have cats or dogs!

[JerseeJerry55]

9 minutes ago, Tcoat said:

Yep. By "regular" masking tape I mean any normal painter type tape. Another way to de tack it is to put it on your pants and pull it off a few times. DO NOT use this method if you have cats or dogs!

I do have a dog who sheds pretty good. 

[Dave G.]

I use blue painters tape to cover the first finish color, de-tacked as mentioned, but I use the back side or underside if you will, of my arm. Just once.

Along the edge of the Tamiya tape or other model tape you can put down a light coat of clear to seal the edge before applying the second color. Or as already mentioned, a light coat of the first color.

Edited April 12, 2023 by Dave G.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I use standard painter's brown masking paper available from any home improvement or hardware store to cover the majority of the area to be masked whenever I'm doing a 2-tone paint job.

I've learned over the years that the less tape that you have applied over your finish color, the better, for multiple reasons.

Use Tamiya tape for the edges, and then strips of the masking paper with regular masking tape applied so that the regular tape only covers the paper and the inside edge of the Tamiya tape, with as little touching the paint as possible.

The less tape that touches the paint, the less chance you'll have of problems such as pulling up the paint, tape texture imprint in the paint, or adhesive residue left behind once the tape is removed.

 

De-tacking the tape might work, and I would recommend that approach if you decide to go that route, but it may also lead to tape lift and paint bleed under on compound curves in the body if you are applying multiple coats of paint over it.

The tape can often lift in areas where there is stress or strain on it on weird curves.

I've had that happen.

 

Use light coats of the secondary color.

Applying the paint too heavy, especially the first coat or two, not only increases the possibility of bleed under, but will also create heavy paint ridges along the edges of the tape that will somehow need to be removed, and that can be a difficult task.

Apply the Tamiya tape that will de-mark the line between the two colors on the highest ridge of the body trim moldings.

That way it will be much easier to remove any paint ridge that should occur, rather than trying to remove a ridge from a low point in the moldings.

Any ridges that are present after removing the tape will absolutely need to be removed.

They will almost certainly show through foil, or paint, or whatever you use to finish the trim with.

 

Above all, whatever masking method you decide on, take your time and be vigilant while masking.

Make sure that everything is completely covered and double check everything.

Add more masking if there's any question.

Nothing ruins a 2-tone job quicker than one small area where the secondary color bleeds under.

But on the flip side, nothing is more beautiful than a properly done 2-tone paint job!

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

More two-tone info here, with an excellent alternative to Tamiya tape:

 

[ncbuckeye67]

I love two-tone tri-fives! All of mine are white and another color. The molded side trim makes for an easier separation of colors. I love the diamond dust as a primer, especially for metallic paints. I use the classic white Testors. It sprays good, lays down nice, and dries quickly because it's a laquer. I've had bleed through with the Tamiya orange tape, so blue painter's tape is always used with it. Remember to always paint the lighter color first. You can paint the whole car with the light color, without masking off the two-tone, but it could affect the second color (like in my case by using white).