What is a good tape to use when doing two toned paint jobs?

[GMP440]

What is a good tape that can be used when doing two toned paint jobs?  Hobby Lobby have something that works well?  Thanks.

[Exotics_Builder]

I've used two different tapes.  First was Parafilm M which was marketed by Testors at the time (late 90's).  It is still available today.  Lately, I've been Tamiya tape (yellow) with good results. 

There are a couple I have yet to try (Tamiya white contouring tape) and Glad stretch and seal wrap which is supposed to be similar to Parafilm.

[Miatatom]

It's a little thick but I like the 3M thin line you can get at any auto parts place. It's vinyl and can follow a curved line fairly well. I also use Tamiya yellow too. One trick is to put the tape down and then spray a coat of clear over it to seal the edges.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Tamiya yellow tape is just the ticket.

 

I buy mine all of the time at Hobby Lobby.

 

 

The stripe on my current '68 Olds project was sprayed using Tamiya tape.

No bleed under or other issues whatsoever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

10 minutes ago, Miatatom said:

It's a little thick but I like the 3M thin line you can get at any auto parts place. It's vinyl and can follow a curved line fairly well...

If you're going 3M, be sure you specify the green stretchable plastic stuff. It's thinner and more flexible than the purple, and will make a razor-sharp line.

[Miatatom]

15 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

If you're going 3M, be sure you specify the green stretchable plastic stuff. It's thinner and more flexible than the purple, and will make a razor-sharp line.

Thanks, Bill. Hadn't tried that yet.

[Bainford]

The Tamiya (yellow) is my 'go to' tape. If a clean separation line is critical, I lightly apply the tape to a piece of clean glass, and use a straight edge and a fresh Exacto blade to cut a nice, clean edge.

[Impalow]

I have been using this lately and have been really impressed with it.... available in 1/32" and 1/28" 

http://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=FBS_PT43_MICRO_Performance_Tape&cat=20

I stopped at the FBS booth a few years back at SEMA, I talked with them about models for awhile... He handed me a couple of sample rolls to try, and honestly... its fantastic..   no leaks, easily bendable.

The red scallops on this were done freehand with the 1/32"

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by Impalow

[Ace-Garageguy]

7 minutes ago, Impalow said:

I have been using this lately and have been really impressed with it.... available in 1/32" and 1/28" 

http://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=FBS_PT43_MICRO_Performance_Tape&cat=20

Thank you. Great info. Beautiful scallop work, too.

[Tom Geiger]

I use Tamiya yellow for the important paint match lines.  Then I use 3M Painters Blue for the rest of the masking. The white sections in this photo were painted blue. 

Look to the top of the photo, that's Tamiya tape in it's dispenser.  The dispenser is important because it keeps the edges clean and dent free so you get a great match line.  The first time you buy this tape, it's a bit more expensive to get the dispenser, but then you can buy the cheaper tape refills.

Another tip to prevent bleed through is to shoot some clear over the tape edges  prior to your color coat.  The clear should bleed through any tiny imperfections in your taping, and seal them.  It's easier to sand out / polish out the clear than a color coat.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

 

 ...Then I use 3M Painters Blue for the rest of the masking......

I'd advise caution using "blue" tapes for model car work.

They're generally not intended to be used with lacquer products, or automotive type paints.

If the adhesive is in contact with the car body, and if the tape becomes saturated by solvents, you can get an ugly gooey mess when you try to remove the tape.

Not always, but it is a distinct possibility.

[stitchdup]

I've had the tamiya 1mm and 2 and 3mm white leave a gooey mess a couple of times but that was with the awful simoniz paints. It works well with everything else I've tried and I use frog yellow tape for large areas. I've been thinking to try the frisket (i think that the brand name) airbrush film to do my own lettering at some point

[martinfan5]

The only tape I trust is Tamiya Masking tape, and probably Mr Hobby's new line of masking tape

[martinfan5]

32 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

I've had the tamiya 1mm and 2 and 3mm white leave a gooey mess a couple of times but that was with the awful simoniz paints. It works well with everything else I've tried and I use frog yellow tape for large areas. I've been thinking to try the frisket (i think that the brand name) airbrush film to do my own lettering at some point

I do the same, I use Tamiya for the main masking, and then I use Frog Tape to cover for overspray

[martinfan5]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I'd advise caution using "blue" tapes for model car work.

They're generally not intended to be used with lacquer products, or automotive type paints.

If the adhesive is in contact with the car body, and if the tape becomes saturated by solvents, you can get an ugly gooey mess when you try to remove the tape.

Not always, but it is a distinct possibility.

This is a very valid point he is making, a lot of the "hardware" store masking tapes are only designed for oil based paints, not for hotter type solvents, I just recently learned that about masking tape,  its not a one size fits all product.

[Zoom Zoom]

6 hours ago, Impalow said:

I have been using this lately and have been really impressed with it.... available in 1/32" and 1/28" 

http://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=FBS_PT43_MICRO_Performance_Tape&cat=20

I stopped at the FBS booth a few years back at SEMA, I talked with them about models for awhile... He handed me a couple of sample rolls to try, and honestly... its fantastic..   no leaks, easily bendable.

The red scallops on this were done freehand with the 1/32"

Wow, I'll have to get some of that, thanks for sharing! I think you may have mentioned it in person when I saw the model, but having CRS and now having the link and having seen the results first-hand, I'm sold!

[StevenGuthmiller]

7 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I'd advise caution using "blue" tapes for model car work.

They're generally not intended to be used with lacquer products, or automotive type paints.

If the adhesive is in contact with the car body, and if the tape becomes saturated by solvents, you can get an ugly gooey mess when you try to remove the tape.

Not always, but it is a distinct possibility.

The same thing can happen with standard masking tape.

We used to have this issue years ago when I was doing drywall and painting.

Even when using a water based paint, if the tape became saturated and was left to dry for too long, the adhesive could fuse itself to the surface making it very difficult, if not impossible, to remove without damaging the underlying surface.

 

Blue painters tape rarely touches painted surfaces on my projects.

standard masking tape never does!!!

 

 

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

The same thing can happen with standard masking tape...

That's why in the car biz, we use masking tapes specifically developed for industrial solvents.

There seems to be this idea that there is such a thing as "standard" masking tape.

There isn't.

As with most things in life, it's a little complicated, and those who don't do their own due-diligence risk unpleasant results.

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

36 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

That's why in the car biz, we use masking tapes specifically developed for industrial solvents.

There seems to be this idea that there is such a thing as "standard" masking tape.

There isn't.

As with most things in life, it's a little complicated, and those who don't do their own due-diligence risk unpleasant results.

 

I'm talking about typical masking tape that the average person is going to buy in a typical hardware or home improvement store.

We used a higher grade masking tape for our basic painting purposes, which generally involved no harsh solvents whatsoever, (latex as a rule) and still had this problem on a regular basis.

As a rule, if possible, we would remove the tape while it was still wet, but when we couldn't, or didn't, we always ran the risk of this issue happening.

 

More than 25 years of dealing with vast quantities of masking tape on a daily basis is why I avoid letting the stuff touch my models at all cost.

I've seen way too many horror stories develop.

 

Steve