More Masking Tape Questions

[mikiek]

I am  painting the bulwark area on my MS Niagara. There several colors required and some very small areas to be painted including some 1/32 strips that are red with dark green planks butting up to them.

 

I am using masking tape (Tamiya) and am having to trim many spots with an Exacto. Unfortunately, the knife (or more likely me) is leaving some slice marks in the wood under the tape. So question 1 is are there any better ways to trim the masking tape?

 

Also, I would like to apply 2 coats of paint but I am a little nervous about leaving the tape on while the first coat dries. On the flip side it took 90 minutes of masking to do a 5 minute paint job so would rather not pull off all the tape, let coat 1 dry, remask and paint again. How safe is it to leave masking tape on a painted area?

 

I would like to use some sort of straight edge when trimming tape. However with the model on a stand, a straight edge (small ruler) in one hand and an Exacto in the other  ain't easy.  Are there better ways of accomplishing this?

 

Thanks in advance....

[druxey]

One way to avoid such masking issues would be to not add the strips (I assume these are moldings) until after you've painted the dark green planking. Prepaint the red strips before installing them. That way you don't have to worry about masking at all!

[mikiek]

druxey - I am beginning to see the wisdom in that.  I actually followed that advice fo the rails. I have not installed any of those parts and as a result I really don't care if anything gets on to the base ceiling strip while I am messing with the bulwarks. A lot less fuss.

 

As a newbie, I didn't realize how strategic a paint job can get.

[Lucius Molchany]

Can you post a pic of the area in question?pre painting some of the planks is a wise move.

[druxey]

Mikeik - so much of model making is strategic! One learns to think far ahead, as in a chess game.

[mikiek]

Philo426 - here is just a sample. I taped the entire bulwark wall (still primed) before spraying the red paint which is supposed to be what covers the 1/32x1/32 strips. Look at the painted pic. You can actually see the strips - my masking covered  too much of the planks. I went back with a tiny detail brush and moved the green edge in towards the strips. Talk about stressful

[vossy]

for a start i would not spray your paint onto a wooden model. it will just sit on the surface of the wood and not penetrate. when new houses are sprayed inside they are always back rolled so the paint penetrates into the new plaster. also when using tape, get some that has a 14 day life. when you have a length you want to put on an area, first of all run the sticky side of the tape over the leg of your jeans etc. it will further reduce the tackiness of the tape and eliminate the risk of pulling off required paint underneath it.

 

cheers chris

[Lucius Molchany]

Yes it is necessary to prime the bare wood but you can airbrush the paint and it came out just fine including copper for the bottom.

[mikiek]

Brian - I have been using Tamiya tape. It still occasionally wicks under.

[vossy]

you can buy really good professional painter's masking tape with super advanced edge lock technology now days. make sure the wood is sealed so the paint will not absorb into it too much. also, brush away from the tape, not towards it. this tape is expensive but it works 100%.

 

cheers chris

[mikiek]

Hey Chris - would a big box hardware store have that or do I need to go to a paint store? Better yet, have you got a brand - I can pick it up online.

[vossy]

hey mike. our big hardware stores stock it here. but a dedicated paint store will definitely have it. essentially what you need to ask for is long life tape (means it can stay on for a specified period of time before it will pull the underlying paint off. about max now is 14 days. so you want that, but you also want what they call edge lock technology. this is a very thin (less than a millimetre) edge of ultra sticky and stiff coating. paint will not bleed under it. brands in australia are scotch, bear, haymes etc. i would be amazed if a similar product could not be bought in america. if you have a paint store nearby i would go there. but as per my previous post it is VERY advisable to first seal the wood, and then brush away from the tape. i said it was expensive. over here i can upwards of $20 for a 1/4 inch 25meter roll.

 

chris

[mikiek]

Hey thanks Chris - I'll look into it. Amazon even sells it.