How to paint two colors?

[angelo7]

How do I paint the two different colors on this truck? I'm planning to paint the white part first, then mask it off with masking tape and last paint the black part. How do I mask the white without peeling it off when I remove the masking tape?

[Harry P.]

Please post questions in the area for questions.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Prepping your model correctly to get good paint adhesion is critical, as is using a good quality paint, and allowing your lighter color to dry thoroughly.,,no matter what brand and type of paint you choose to use.

To guarantee good adhesion, I scrub my bare plastic with Comet or Soft Scrub and hot water, with a toothbrush. This works better than sanding and doesn't obliterate fine details like sanding can.

I'll leave specific recommendations as to masking for other folks...some use Tamiya tape, some like Scotch or 3M fine-line, and some prefer BMF to get good crisp lines.

WHATEVER YOU DO...TEST FIRST. Develop a foolproof system to get clean lines without pulling up your base paint BEFORE YOU PAINT YOUR EXPENSIVE MODEL.

[angelo7]

But the section where I posted this says,"Model Building Questions and Answers".

[Mike Kucaba]

Paint the white, spray on a coat of clear, Let both cure well( smell it, if it smells of solvent it ain't cured) Mask off for the black,spray on another light coat of clear, then shoot the black. Multiple color paint works best when using either lacquers, or enamels and acrylics with a dehydrator. just my two pesos.

[martinfan5]

Paint the white, spray on a coat of clear, Let both cure well( smell it, if it smells of solvent it ain't cured) Mask off for the black,spray on another light coat of clear, then shoot the black. Multiple color paint works best when using either lacquers, or enamels and acrylics with a dehydrator. just my two pesos.

About the best way to do it.

By the way, with the current exchange rate, you are a little bit short of two peso

[Mike Kucaba]

By the way, with the current exchange rate, you are a little bit short of two peso

After paying for some stuff on ebay, I'm A LOT shorter

[angelo7]

Ok. Paint the white, then one coat of clear, then when it cures put on masking tape. After that I'll work with the black. Thank You guys!

[Speedfreak]

Angel, any results from this yet? How did it turn out?

[angelo7]

I haven't got to that part yet but I did practice it on a piece of plastic I'm not using (the back of a truck sleeper) and I got good results. I painted the white first then taped over the white and painted black. My concern was removing the white paint when removing the masking tape but I removed it without any problem. The red stripes are automotive stripes.

[bobthehobbyguy]

One trick is after you mask shoot a light coat of clear it helps with any paint that seeps under the tape

[angelo7]

You mean spray a complete clear coat or just paint brush around the edges of the tape?

[Speedfreak]

Angel, that looks really good. Exactly what steps did you use? I can't answer the question you posed because I'm where you are with all this. It sounds like they're saying to 'spray' a 'light' coat of clear on the whole surface you're working with after masking for the black. That would fill-in the seam along the edge of the tape?

What kind of tape did you use?

[High octane]

You just need to spray a light coat of clear along the tape edges, so that if there's any bleed through it would be clear. 20 minutes later you can spray your second color. I would wait 'bout a week after I shoot the first color to do this so your tape doesn't pull off any of your first color. I always use regular 3M brown (tan) masking tape with good results.

[angelo7]

I use 3M Scotch masking tape. I read somewhere here in this forum somebody said, "After I have the tape in place I brush on clear coat over the edge of the tape". I'll do just that when I get to that part. If you look at the part I painted for practice, I did not do that, so some black slipped under the tape. The main thing is to let the paint cure for at least a week so the tape won't lift the paint as you remove the tape.

Nick, I posted this before I read your post and it's almost the same thing you said. Thanks!

Edited August 25, 2014 by angelo7

[Speedfreak]

Ya, I saw the bleed through. The clear coat is a great idea along the tape edges. Thanks.

[angelo7]

Like your ideas too Roger. Thank you!

[Art Anderson]

The best way to avoid bleed through is make sure you have your tape burnished down well before you paint. Tamiya tape is also about the best tape (if not THE best) you can use for masking edges. 3M painter's tape is OK. But, I cut a fresh edge on it with a straight edge before I use it. I've never done the clear over tape method. To me, it's unnecessary and an extra layer of paint that's going to add to the buildup on the edge of the paint line. Plus, there's the risk of having a bad reaction of spraying the paint over clear. I've had that happen even when using the same brand for both the paint and clear.

Roger's suggestions are what I've been doing since I learned to 2-tone car models back a good 50 yrs ago.

Art

[Art Anderson]

I haven't got to that part yet but I did practice it on a piece of plastic I'm not using (the back of a truck sleeper) and I got good results. I painted the white first then taped over the white and painted black. My concern was removing the white paint when removing the masking tape but I removed it without any problem. The red stripes are automotive stripes.

To minimize the chance of "pulling the first color of paint off the model", I always remove masking tape by pulling it back AGAINST ITSELF, rather than just pulling straight up.

Art