Two Tone Question

[Builder04]

Im currently working on the new Mustang LX, and I dont want to mess this one up. In the past, Ive tried two toning paint before, using silver as the base coat/secondary color. The problem I run into, is when I peel my masking tape to reveal the "second color" to clear, I notice that tape has pulled up some of the metallic effect from the paint, and it leaves a sort of hazey look to the silver.... Suggestions? I plan to use TS-17 Aluminum Silver or TS-30 Silver Leaf as the base coat/secondary color, and spray TS-53 Deep Metallic Blue or TS-64 Dark Mica Blue as the primary color. Ive bought a few different tapes, and the one I plan on using is Frog Tapes delicate edition, unless thats not the one to use.... Thanks for the help everyone, Im hoping if I can get this problem solved, Ill be able to start painting a whole lot more.

[vypurr59]

Has the base coats had enough time to dry before masking?

[azers]

When i two tone i always put down a couple light coats of clear over firsf color. Let that set up a day then mask and shoot the second color then unmask and clear the whole thing. Accomplishes two things, helps prevent tape damage to first color and if there is a little bleeding under the mask you can sand your paint seam and take care of any overspray without damaging the 1st coat. Because the clear protects it.

[Guest G Holding]

I have shot those colors on a nova. I used Tamiya tapes, and burnished them right before spraying. I let my base dry for 4 hours in my dehydrator then taped it out and shot my second color. Many here shoot a clear intercoat to keep bleeding away from edges, good burnishing will prevent this.

After shooting, wait your recoat window, then pull your tape back over itself slowly and you will get a smooth edge.

[Builder04]

Has the base coats had enough time to dry before masking?

Both times I've attempted the two tone, I've waited at least a full 24 hours before putting masking tape on and shooting my second color.

[Gregg]

That Nova looks familiar. I think I saw it in member's gallery before.

I always, always, always spray a light coat or two of Tamiya semi gloss clear over any two-tone paint job tape up.

Always.

Even in my body shop days I did this, and that was way back in what, early '80s?

[Art Anderson]

From my experience (including sprayed on 2-tone paint schemes) the drying time of paint depends on several factors: Ambient air temperature, type of paint used (enamel, lacquers, or water-borne acrylics) and of course, the thickness of the coat of paint.

Many model paints (Humbrol enamel being an exception here) dry to the touch rather quickly, but even so, they are not fully dry all the way through, as all paints, both lacquers and enamels, even acrylics, dry from the outside in.

So, the 24 hr rule may well work for some, but not for all--so much depends on the climate in which you live--if it's the hot, dry desert, model paints will dry thoroughly more quickly than they will say, in Indiana where I live (fairly high humidity most of the year).

Even though your paint may have seemed dry, it was soft, soft enough for the masking tape to actually pull at the paint which will mar the surface unless it's completely dry and hard. To make sure, I'd let that first color dry for several days, or even faster would be to use a food dehydrator, which will gently bake a thin model paint job dry completely in a matter of hours.

Art