Another masking question

[atomicholiday]

I’m sort of stuck on this project until I figure this out.  I want to paint the bumper and square headlight bezels chrome, but I’m not sure what the best way would be to mask them off.  How would you guys do it?

 

[espo]

My go to tape would be Tamiya masking tape. Rather than trying to mask around the edges I would use their tape that is wide enough to cover beyond the edge of the part you are going to paint. Next burnish the outline of the part you are masking. Burnish the edge between the part you are painting and the area you want to mask. This area can also be made easier to see if you even run a pencil in the outline of the part. This will make it easier to see where you will guide your blade to trim the masking tape. Remove the tape from the area you want to paint and then again be sure that the surrounding area is properly covered. A light coat of clear might even be a good idea to help seal the edges and prevent any chrome from running under the edge of the tape, if you're not sure of how good of a cut line you have between the protected part and the part you're painting. Start with a couple of light dust coats of the chrome paint before doing any heavier coats of paint. Before removing the masking tape after the paint has dried lightly use your blade along the edge of the masking tape with enough pressure to cut any bond between the tape and your painted surface. The tape should be pulled back on itself slowly and stop if the paint isn't lifting cleanly. You may have to redo the blade along any area that isn't coming off cleanly and especially around curved lines as well as corners. This should work with either spray chrome products or even a liquid pen. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

With some careful planning, you could probably foil that entire front end.

I certainly wouldn’t be afraid to have a go at it.

 

 

 

Steve

[atomicholiday]

33 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

With some careful planning, you could probably foil that entire front end.

I certainly wouldn’t be afraid to have a go at it.

 

 

 

Steve

Man, foil scares me more than facing a hoard of zombies.?

But yeah, it’s the next hurdle I want to overcome.

[Shark]

But unlike paint, you can peel off a bad foil job

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Shark said:

But unlike paint, you can peel off a bad foil job

Correct.

All that it takes is one small “bleed under” to ruin the whole paint job.

Never need to worry about things like that with foil.

 

 

Steve

[tbill]

I’d mask it off with foil, can get a much better line with the foil, then use Tamiya masking tape around the foil.

[Fat Brian]

Just to give you another option, if you've got a steady hand and can work quickly you could try brush painting it with Molotow. If you do it it needs to be the last thing you do, one stray finger and you'll ruin the finish on it.

[Dpate]

Id try foil first, but if you’re gonna mask it? Id recommend starting with Tamiya 1mm tape for the edges n corners, and then mask off the rest with a bigger size. If you take your time you’re looking at bout 30+ mins. 1mm along the grill molding where the black line is, and then 6mm or so overlapping the 1mm a little.

 

[atomicholiday]

Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions.  I need to do a spoon test for compatibility, then I’ll give it a shot.?

[Oldriginal86]

There used to be a liquid masking product. Not sure if it’s still available. 

[atomicholiday]

45 minutes ago, Oldriginal86 said:

There used to be a liquid masking product. Not sure if it’s still available. 

I used something like that years ago.   Wondering if they're any better now? 

[Dpate]

45 minutes ago, atomicholiday said:

I used something like that years ago.   Wondering if they're any better now? 

This is the liquid mask I always use when needed, but it’s too pricey for big jobs. 

[Bills72sj]

Foil would be my 1st choice. For painting, I would use Parafilm. No bleed under panel lines and the edges can be manipulated with a toothpick after trimming. It also never leaves residue like cheap masking tape. Even if it has been left on for months/years.