Getting masks to curve.???

[Mad Racer]

Well im just about to do another paint job.

My last one wasn't the best but not bad which was my CAT XL Massami Style in the Schumacher forum.

The problem is getting a crisp curved lines & Straight with the masks. I'm having lots of trouble so I need some advise please.

Is Liquid masks better?? Never tried it. How do you get it straight with crisp curves???

Is a tape flexiable like vinyal tape?? Can you use Electrical tape or does that Bleed.?


Any help much appreciated.

[Coelacanth]

I can say that liquid mask bleeds a whole lot less than any kind of tape job. I did all the due diligence with my last attempt at painting using the best quality 3M vinyl fine-line automotive masking tape (the blue stuff) and even with surface prep & cleaning & you-name-it-I-did-it, I still had plenty of bleed-through, not to mention the paint pulling up with the tape.

The downside with liquid mask is making straight lines, but I've read that you can get decent results if you hold your X-Acto blade almost flat on the Lexan surface as you draw it along where you want the line to be, as opposed to just the tip touching. Having the majority of the blade scoring the mask film helps keep your line straight.

[Winger]

I used painter's tape. First, made a flat piece of cardboard that I coated with packing tape for a palette. Then I would take the painter's tape and stick it to my palette. Next I would slice one edge-very sharp hobby knife-off the tape making it like pin striping...maybe not was wide. Then peel the thin strip from the palette and use the straight edge applying it to the inside of the body. This is how I satisfied my own personal standard.

I still did get some bleed through, especially when I thinned the paint out. Once I go the tape applied I rubbed it with light pressure to get it to stick.

Here is what I got with minimal effort-the line looks a little crooked, but it is actually the shape of the body:

[Winger]

I can say that liquid mask bleeds a whole lot less than any kind of tape job. I did all the due diligence with my last attempt at painting using the best quality 3M vinyl fine-line automotive masking tape (the blue stuff) and even with surface prep & cleaning & you-name-it-I-did-it, I still had plenty of bleed-through, not to mention the paint pulling up with the tape.

The downside with liquid mask is making straight lines, but I've read that you can get decent results if you hold your X-Acto blade almost flat on the Lexan surface as you draw it along where you want the line to be, as opposed to just the tip touching. Having the majority of the blade scoring the mask film helps keep your line straight.

I found this Frog Tape...anyone tried it? It is supposed to prevent bleeding through.

[slapshot1979]

Ive used the frog tape, works well as long as you burnish the edges.
Ive pretty much switched to liquid mask exclusivley though, 3 coats. I like it and cant say ive had any bleed through

[Coelacanth]

I found this Frog Tape...anyone tried it? It is supposed to prevent bleeding through.

I've read reports on other sites that Frog Tape doesn't do much better at preventing paint-bleed as other quality tape. I think Frog Tape is more intended for house paint or even automotive paint, than Lexan paint. I would agree with others that liquid mask is the only real way to prevent bleed-through. But that requires a whole new set of skills, because applying masking tape is easy; cutting designs free-hand...especially straight lines or lines around curves--is a lot harder than sticking on tape.

[Winger]

I just used the frog tape with enamel and it did bleed through, but not as bad as regular masking tape (3M).

[Coelacanth]

The best tape I've used thus far is some Tamiya masking tape, it comes in tiny little rolls and is a pale yellowish color. It's actually more paper-like in feel, unlike vinyl tape. This tape prevents bleed-through better than any other tape I've tried, including the blue 3M vinyl fine-line tape, which others have suggested is the best. That stuff didn't work well at all for me, and actually ended up messing up a body so bad I had to remove all the paint and re-paint it, that body became a back-up basher body.

The only problem with this Tamiya tape is it doesn't curve for sh!t.

http://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=222

[farmer]

ok ill give ya'll a few tricks that i use
first the best tape you can use hands down is the green tape by 3m the only place that i can find the true stuff is at a auto paint store, its like a lime green smooth and when you cut it and look real close to the cut line you will see lil are no fiber rips in the cut the 3m blue tape will work for covering larger areas and is cheaper but when you cut it and look at the cut line you will see more fibers sticking out the side which when you paint absorb the paint and wa laa bleed through

blue vinyl tape will work but remember it has a elastictic memory to a certain extent
curving on a flat surface will work if it is warm but when its cold forget it
when i have used it (which i dont like) i would put the roll under a light and got it real warm
than put it on fast and than spayed as quick as possible
as far as going inside indentions it has to be warm and when you go inside a indention you have to give your self slack are when you get to the corner cut it, than continue with a smaller piece following your line a smaller piece will be easyer to work with ,if you dont the elastic of the tape will pull away ,i use a flat head are the back side of my exacto to push it in to the corner paint fast
also when you spray with any type of tape mask you always want to spray down straight on to the mask ,not coming up are at a angle to the tape . I know thats hard but try to spray down,also the paint that you use should be thinned rite so that when it hits the should be no webs and should dry quick,if you are useing some of the water based paints such as fascolor, as soon as you paint get it under a light to get some heat on it to speed up the drying.

liquid mask (good stuff)
if you really want a good body and the tape mask isnt working out this is the way to go
when you buy it spend the cash and get the big quart bottle i know i know its pricey but it last forever and you can do alot of bodys
than get your self a GOOD spray bottle ( i have one from walmart in the garden section) it was about $7 bucks shake up the liquid mask REAL REAL good than pour enough into the spay bottle to fill about half than add water to thin it out to about a heavy cream consistancy. Try a few sprays if its to thick add some water to thin add some mask ,you want a pretty good spray pattern
prep your body wash it with some mild dish soap and DRY IT REAL REAL REAL GOOD than spray the mask inside the body REAL HEAVY once you have the body sprayed all over pick up the body and keep moving the body around till all the excess runs into all the nooks and crannies than set the body rite side up to let dry you do this so so it does not puddle up ,repeat this process 3x
than than you should be ready to go
if and when you go to cut if you mess up with a cut just reapply some liquid mask to the missed cut section let dry and you are ready to try again

preping the body for design
hopefully you have the over spray mask if not its ok ill tell you how i do both
with it on
get a black sharpie and draw your design ,flames etc etc rite on the over spray mask so that when you look underneth you can see the the lines shine through ,cut out the dried liquid mask from your design template and your ready to go

with out the overspray mask
get some white masking tape and put it all over the top of the body
it does not matter if it over laps just cover the whole top of body
draw your design with the black sharpie and look underneath cut and your ready to go
whats good about this is if you mess up on your design just put some more tape over it and redraw

tools
exactos are the way to go make sure they are sharp sharp sharp get the straight blade standard
dont get the curved one
whats wrong with the curved ones,they can work and i have used them but you will have to much blade surface in contact
with your detail of the cut(i dont know if thats coming across rite) its like cutting with a butter knife compaired to a steak knife
and DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT press hard if its not cutting with a gentle pressure get a new blade
when cuttin a straight line dont hold it like a piviot and try to cut with the tip only there is to much preassure on the tip! its fine to cut with the tip in tight spots but
stabilize it with your pinkie and ring finger and pull with a steady motion slow and smooth not jerky
one way that you can get a straight line that! i have done is get a credit card and put it on the straight line and use it like a template
also if you can buy another exacto knife get one get your dremel and cut the handle down to about 3inchs,its good for tight spots

edit to add some tidbits of info
remember that taking your time will save you time later
hope that helps and if there are any more questions
thx farmer

[Coelacanth]

Thanks, some great tips there, farmer...I have a question though. Once you've sprayed on some color on the inside, how are you going to see your Sharpie lines on the outside of the body anymore?

[farmer]

Thanks, some great tips there, farmer...I have a question though. Once you've sprayed on some color on the inside, how are you going to see your Sharpie lines on the outside of the body anymore?

ok if you hold it up to the light you can see through
even with the darkest of colors
of course if you grab a rattle can of black and just gernade the body really thick ya its going to be a
b!tch to see
but i will say that when im talking paint techniques im useing a airbrush
i only use rattle cans doing the last large coats and of course the finish coat which on 99% of bodys should be white, black are darker colors will darken and dull most colors
and another thing that i forgot to mention that will help stop bleeding is when you are ready to paint
the part of the body, hit it with you color with a light pass and let it dry ,just for a few, it will kinda seal the edge than go back and do your normal pass
but in all honesty when you are doing a a body it should take you two to 3 coats on any given color
i have done many of bodys and have always been able to get a light behind it and see the lines
hope that helps
any more questions ill try to help
thx john

[Mad Racer]

Thanks for all the tips guys & Farmer.

Whith those tips Farmer I have done some of them myself. I do use a sharpie and the first coat is very light as you said. I have used the Tamiya tape & is great stuff as Marc said but the little fibers in the tape can be a nightmere. So my next stop will be liquid mask. Any brand works?

I was going to buy a curve Xacto blade but you say not?

Cheers
Mark

[farmer]

Thanks for all the tips guys & Farmer.

Whith those tips Farmer I have done some of them myself. I do use a sharpie and the first coat is very light as you said. I have used the Tamiya tape & is great stuff as Marc said but the little fibers in the tape can be a nightmere. So my next stop will be liquid mask. Any brand works?

I was going to buy a curve Xacto blade but you say not?

Cheers
Mark

remember 3 to 4 coats let dry between

[Coelacanth]

Many people seem to recommend Dively's stuff, but really it's no different from FasMask. I've used FasMask and it works great. WAYYY better than masking tape! I brush on 2 coats, giving it plenty of time to dry between coats (basically, a day). Although the purple/green zebra themed paint-job I did for my Barney basher body isn't complex as it's pretty much all free-hand, the important thing to note is that even with all those curves, there was minimal bleed. Try that with masking tape!

[Winger]

Thanks to OP and everyone else for the tips...getting ready to try a box art as soon as I can fig out a close color.