liquid masking tape

[CrazyGirl]

liquid masking tape ,,,, pro - con , thanks

[Chief Joseph]

Pro: you can mask complex curves & shapes more easily than with tape.

Con: often contains ammonia, which will ruin un-sealed acrylic paints.

Pro: less chance of bleed-under than with tape.

Con: you have to wait for it to dry.

[Guest G Holding]

I have used it for masking wheels.....it can really be a pain to remove, imbed a pc of tape into the mask...it will let you remove it without scratches

[Ace-Garageguy]

Has anyone tried poly-vinyl-alcohol as a liquid paint mask? I use it as a release agent on polyester and epoxy tooling (it's completely water-soluble and comes off under the tap) and have been meaning to experiment with it as a masking material. Anyone know already ??

Edited April 7, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[fatkidd]

the trick that I found with liquid masking is to apply it a little thicker that you would think is needed. It makes it easier to remove. And I have had issues with it on chrome...it will discolor some chrome pieces. If you are looking for something to mask small, not-so-straight areas, try silly putty.

Ace-Garageguy - The stuff that you mention sounds rather interesting...especially the easy clean up that you mention. How does it do with chrome?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Ace-Garageguy - The stuff that you mention sounds rather interesting...especially the easy clean up that you mention. How does it do with chrome?

I'm doing some glass work this week, and in between spraying plugs I'll be spraying the PVA over a variety of model-car substrates including paint, chrome and bare plastic, then spraying a variety of coatings over it. I'll photograph the steps and post the results.

Fingers crossed, but not holding breath.

[CadillacPat]

I use Rubber Mold, a pure Latex that people use for making molds of rubber.

10 bucks for a jar that lasts decades.

Just brush it on with a soft hair artists brush.

I also tell people they can use Silly Putty (got a thread here somewhere on it).

But, Silly Putty can change shape in warm weather so you have to mask, paint and remove before it shifts or sags.

Good Masking Tape like Tamiya has no bleed under and will confom to some complex curves.

CadillacPat

[Brett Barrow]

Has anyone tried poly-vinyl-alcohol as a liquid paint mask? I use it as a release agent on polyester and epoxy tooling (it's completely water-soluble and comes off under the tap) and have been meaning to experiment with it as a masking material. Anyone know already ??

Years ago I used to make my own liquid mask out of Elmer's white (PVA) glue. Just add a drop of liquid dish soap and a drop of food coloring, and a little bit of water. Dish soap makes it easy to peel off, and the food coloring's so you can see where you've put it. I never used it to really mask anything on it's own, just to fill in inside outlines I had defined with masking tape or to seal up cuts and seams when using multiple pieces of masking materials. Now I use Mr. Masking Sol NEO, which seems to be pretty much the same type of stuff already mixed up in a bottle. As with the other stuff, I've never used it to mask an actual edge.

One tip I'd share to anyone wanting to experiment with liquid masking is to always shoot paint over it before trying to peel it off, it actually makes it easier. If you just put some on, then try peeling it up you may think it's hard to peel up without tearing into little chunks, but it usually works better with a layer of paint over it, the paint helps hold it together. I learned that lesson with the Mr. Masking Sol NEO, I would purposely avoid spraying paint over it as much as possible, then it wouldn't peel off cleanly. Now I just make sure to hose it down with a good thick layer of paint just like the area I want painted and it comes up much easier.

I've used Parma's FasMask on Lexan R/C bodies (that's excatly what it's marketed for), but never tried it on static models.

Edited April 8, 2013 by Brett Barrow

[CadillacPat]

It's not a good idea to spray extra paint over a mask of any type.

Mask and just spray enough paint to fill in.

CadillacPat

[Ace-Garageguy]

Years ago I used to make my own liquid mask out of Elmer's white (PVA) glue. Just add a drop of liquid dish soap and a drop of food coloring, and a little bit of water. Dish soap makes it easy to peel off, and the food coloring's so you can see where you've put it. I never used it to really mask anything on it's own, just to fill in inside outlines I had defined with masking tape or to seal up cuts and seams when using multiple pieces of masking materials. Now I use Mr. Masking Sol NEO, which seems to be pretty much the same type of stuff already mixed up in a bottle. As with the other stuff, I've never used it to mask an actual edge.

One tip I'd share to anyone wanting to experiment with liquid masking is to always shoot paint over it before trying to peel it off, it actually makes it easier. If you just put some on, then try peeling it up you may think it's hard to peel up without tearing into little chunks, but it usually works better with a layer of paint over it, the paint helps hold it together. I learned that lesson with the Mr. Masking Sol NEO, I would purposely avoid spraying paint over it as much as possible, then it wouldn't peel off cleanly. Now I just make sure to hose it down with a good thick layer of paint just like the area I want painted and it comes up much easier.

I've used Parma's FasMask on Lexan R/C bodies (that's excatly what it's marketed for), but never tried it on static models.

Thanks for that tip. The PVA I was referring to is poly-vinyl-alcohol, a common release-agent for composites, not PVA polyvinyl-acetate, the glue. BUT, you've given me another interesting idea...thanks again.

Edited April 8, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[vypurr59]

I use a product called "Mold Builder" it is a liquid latex rubber product. Brush it on and after dry, peels right off. I have even used this product to make a mold of a carb, by brushing on several coats, add a layer of gauze then more rubber. Pop out the master , pour some resin, copy made.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yeah, Pat recommended liquid latex too. I'm going to have to try that. Thanks to both of you.