painting advice Masking and Caps

[Burniefloyd]

One of the other members recently used that. He said the price difference was negligible. Since they are both in Canada, sales tax is charged between them. The taxes pretty much offset any savings.

Since the TBG bodies don't come with window masks I was doing it so they came together.

[Coelacanth]

I was thinking that vinyl pinstriping tape from an auto parts store might be good for setting a crisp edge but I haven't tried it yet.

I've tried both automotive pinstriping tape and 3M fine line tape (the blue vinyl stuff) and neither works as well as I'd like. Both let way too much paint bleed under the edges. The best masking tape I've used is Tamiya's yellow paint masking tape. It's very thin, comes in various widths, and if applied carefully, almost no paint will bleed underneath it. Before I paint, press and follow along all the edges with a hard rounded object to force out any creases or bubbles. I find the rounded part of the finger-holes of a small metal scissors works great for this, but it could be anything similar.

Liquid mask works even better, but even though I mostly use liquid mask, I still end up using masking tape to help me make straight lines.

[morrisey0]

I was thinking that vinyl pinstriping tape from an auto parts store might be good for setting a crisp edge but I haven't tried it yet.

I have had good results recently with this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F5FJTXK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Nice mix of thicknesses for different lines.

[Coelacanth]

I was thinking that vinyl pinstriping tape from an auto parts store might be good for setting a crisp edge but I haven't tried it yet.

I have had good results recently with this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F5FJTXK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Nice mix of thicknesses for different lines.

I never tried that kind, too bad they're "currently unavailable" or I might've bought a set.

[XLR8]

I just received a package of Tamiya masking sticker sheets (5 sheets per pack) that I'm gonna try on the next couple projects. I've always heard how bleed resistant Tamiya masking tape is so I want to see if the same holds true for their blank sheets.
One tip I picked up while watching Hemi Storm is to apply the first couple coats very light and dry and allow them to dry a few extra minutes before applying subsequent wetter coats.
These initial light (dry) coats are less apt to leak under the tape and once dried, they will effectively seal the tape edge preventing later coats from bleeding under the tape.
I've had better results since I started using this method.

[radioactivity]

I've got to agree with Burniefloyd and Doug.

Although I have been lightly wet sanding with 3M trizact 5000 as prep before paint and not the window areas.
In my experience no loss of detail or gloss is seen in the final finish.
It seems to allow the tape to hold a little better too.

For the best and cleanest edges , I first go over all edges with a rounded object.
Looking from the outside it is fairly easy to see where the tape is not sealed. Go back over these areas to ensure a seal.

Then, very soon, before the tape can loose adhesion, shoot a light coat of paint. Followed by at least 2-3 more light coats.
I wait about 10-20 minutes between coats but temperature and humidity play a part.
Only then do I add a slightly heavier coat or two.

Less paint is also beneficial. Too thick and removing the masking does not work good for me.

I do not wait too long before removing tape, maybe a couple hours or more. Temp and humidity dependent.
Too dry and paint can crack, too wet and it can peel up painted areas.

It's what tends to work for me...

Chuck

[morrisey0]

Are there caps available for PS paints the same as for regular paints. It looks like Tamiya, the paints I have, are a male valve can needing a female cap. Has anyone tried this?

I just wanted to bump this part of the original post. Anyone have experience with replacement caps for different "heights" of spray pattern? I see there is a whole aftermarket for graphitti tagging caps for different cans. Anyone done any experimenting?

[JosephS]

Are there caps available for PS paints the same as for regular paints. It looks like Tamiya, the paints I have, are a male valve can needing a female cap. Has anyone tried this?

I just wanted to bump this part of the original post. Anyone have experience with replacement caps for different "heights" of spray pattern? I see there is a whole aftermarket for graphitti tagging caps for different cans. Anyone done any experimenting?

The caps are inexpensive enough that I may just try one , but they seem keyed to specific brands so I may just wind up something I can’t use.

[morrisey0]

I will probably end up buying some myself as I am super curious.

(This is going to have so many terms that I am going to laugh at while posting, and I am going to destroy any P.C. gender terms.)

So far, from sampling many cans I have sitting around, Tamiya "PS" For Polycarbonate 100ml cans, I have found:

The cans are male, so caps need to be female.

I have found varying degrees of girth at the base of the can shafts, but the head of the shaft is always ~4mm.

No matter the lower shaft girth, the female cap only slides down about 4.5mm so it only feels the top portion girth / head, as it has a diaphragm that separates the "can / supply" side and the "nozzle / squirt" side.

In looking through my auto paints / primers, I found that all of my Rustoleum and Krylon female caps had ~3.2mm passageways, and Dupli-Color was 3.5mm. None of these are going to handle the girth of the Tamiya shaft.

Basically, although Tamiya PC cans are small at first glance, they far exceed the shaft girth of their 1:1 enamel counterparts, and the caps that are used to being atop these 1:1 cans, can't handle the shear magnitude which the seemingly smaller Tamiya PC 100ml cans produce.

I will continue to search the internet to see if there is a generic cap out there worthy of the Tamiya PS challenge.

[Basher67]

Tamiya tape works great. Use the white plastic stuff for curves. If you're mostly doing straight lines, the yellow paper stuff does great. Sanding the inside of the body is not necessary. There are two rules to applying tape inside a body. Cleanliness is the first and most important. Clean the inside of the body thoroughly with dish soap and scrub your fingers while you're at it. While taping a body, I will rewash my hands a few times. The second rule, especially when using any kind of flexible plastic tape, is dont stretch or over-stress the tape inside any corners. It may look good when you stick it on, but it will cool of and shrink during the first coat of paint, causing gaps and bleed through.

[JosephS]

Tamiya tape works great. Use the white plastic stuff for curves. If you're mostly doing straight lines, the yellow paper stuff does great. Sanding the inside of the body is not necessary. There are two rules to applying tape inside a body. Cleanliness is the first and most important. Clean the inside of the body thoroughly with dish soap and scrub your fingers while you're at it. While taping a body, I will rewash my hands a few times. The second rule, especially when using any kind of flexible plastic tape, is dont stretch or over-stress the tape inside any corners. It may look good when you stick it on, but it will cool of and shrink during the first coat of paint, causing gaps and bleed through.

I have taken a side trip to paint a body with my son. I did have some luck with vinyl electrical tape. The electrical tape seems similar in feel to the white Tamiya tape.

I simply don't have good luck with the yellow Tamiya tape. It the curves and details in the body I am having issue with. I get obvious, or worse micro, tears when I try to contour it. I have used it to mask off large areas, using electrical tape on curves and for crisp edges and that worked better for me.

I do clean the bodies, but I will see about wearing gloves to make sure that I don't contaminate the tape sticking.

[XLR8]

I used the Tamiya masking sheets today and the results were less than spectacular.
I did a two color (Tamiya PS16 blue/Duratrax white) and used the masking sheet for the windows.
First, the PS16 followed by a light coat of silver to make the paint opaque.
Then, remove the boundry mask and apply the white (5 coats total) followed by a light coat of silver for opacity.
Finally, a few coats of flat black over both colors to make the underside of the body disappear when viewed through the windows and from the side.
Granted, that was a lot of paint over the window masks. It appears that the solvent in the paint might have reacted with the adhesive on the sheet causing a thin strip of the adhesive to become permanently bonded to the body. The paint didn't bleed but the masking did leave a ragged paint edge.

Anyway, I'm moving ahead with decals. I think it will look okay when all the stickers are applied.

[juicedcoupe]

Lighter fluid will turn the adhesive loose without damaging the paint. I've used it with paper towels and q-tips to clean up edges.