Best masking Tape

[vancouver71]

Hi guys,

this afternoon I tried to do a design paint with masking tape, I used 3M Scotch blue painters tape and Testors tape ( that S!@#T doesn't stick at all) and here is the result... Screwed!!

So what is the best tape,one that sticks and doesn't peel the paint off when unmasking.

Thank you guys.

[1930fordpickup]

Tamaya is what people say is the best.

[Mackvision]

Tamiya makes (in my opinion) the best masking tape for modeling,try it,bet you'll like it!...............................Mark

[Ramfins59]

Yep, Tamiya tape is great stuff... a bit pricey, but well worth it.

[maltsr]

x3, Tamiya for me too

[Chillyb1]

Not even a competition: Tamiya, Tamiya, and Tamiya.

[southpier]

ditto.

Chartpak graphic tapes for thin lines in variety of widths. some folks claim bare metal foil is the only good stuff; never used it personally.

this fellow has a good tutorial using tape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm3I64hLfF0

some good tape tips here, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqLXyWqkBoQ

Edited December 21, 2014 by southpier

[martinfan5]

Tamiya hands down, and if you dont want the dispenser's , you can get three rolls(one of each size) shipped to you for about $10

[StevenGuthmiller]

Bingo!! Tamiya! The Scotch Blue is ok for grunt work, but I would never try to use it for anything critical. It's basically designed NOT to stick! Steve

[vancouver71]

Wahoo ok i am gonna try tamiya.

Also do you wait for the paint to dry or take the masking off right away?

Thank you guys for your advice

[StevenGuthmiller]

Wahoo ok i am gonna try tamiya.

Also do you wait for the paint to dry or take the masking off right away?

Thank you guys for your advice

I usually pull the tape off as soon as the paint is dry enough to handle. Nice thing about Tamiya tape is, it sticks great, but it's also very easy to remove. Steve

[unclescott58]

You can put down another vote for Tamyia. Since I've switched over to their tapes and paint, I've had very few problems.

Scott

[Pete J.]

The problem is that you are thinking Home Depot 3M masking tape for walls. 3M makes a lot of tapes but you have to go to the right store to get the good stuff. Auto paint stores sell 3M fineline which is what the pro auto painters use for fine masking. You can get it in widths down to 1/8". It is good stuff and designed to work with the type of paints we use. It was designed for wide curves so if you are doing straight lines or small curves it is good stuff. You can't really do tight curves with it. I like Tamiya tape for that because I can lay it down and cut a curve with a sharp knife. The Tamiya tape is thinner than the fine line so it works better for that. I also like the Tamiya wide stuff for area masking and cutting. For the really finicky work I use Bare Metal foil. Here is one of Paul Budziks videos on how to use BMF. It is about aircraft canopies but you can learn a lot from it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHJmxKKxsew

[Mike_G]

I like Tamiya, 3M fine-line, and Line-o-tape, depending on what I'm doing. The 3M fine-line tape is somewhat flexible and is good for curved lines. The Line-o-tape is available in widths as small as 1/64"

[Tesla]

Yellow Frog Tape!!!! http://frogtape.com/index.php/products/frogtape-delicate-surface

[Mike_G]

I've had blue "Long-mask" tape react with Dupli-color clear in a very bad way.

[Cato]

Yellow Frog Tape!!!! http://frogtape.com/index.php/products/frogtape-delicate-surface

This plus Tammy tape.

[High octane]

I use the tan 3M masking tape with good results.

[Mike Chernecki]

I used Tamiya tape to mask off the frame rails on the Revell '57 Chevy Convertible. This was a tedious job that took me over 2 months, working a few minutes at a time as time permitted. Today I finally finished masking and sprayed the floor pan. After all this time the tape pulled off as if it had been applied today, it didn't weld itself to the surface or pull up paint.

Tamiya tape is awesome stuff!!

[Snake45]

I've had pretty good luck with the Duck brand masking tape from Walmart. But I ALWAYS lay it on sheet styrene and cut my own edge before I use it. The "factory" edge is always rough (compared to a fresh razor-cut edge) and will pick up dirt and lint.

[jwrass]

In my opinion if you are using Tamiya tape you are wasting your $$$$$ The amount of tape you get the price you pay is almost criminal!

Their are many tapes that I use on a regular basis as a 1:1 custom painter that are far superior and come in a vast range of sizes.

Cruise on over to Coast Airbrush they have many to choose from. I use the following 3M Lite Green (the plastic type not the crepe type) Don't care for the blue 3M plastic tape. Their are a few tapes that have hit the scene in the last couple of years and they are fantastic!!! FBS tapes, V tape and Vandemon tape. No bleed through, no tape residue, no tape tracking, and as flexible as a 15 year old gymnast!!! Check it out.. jwrass

[Pete J.]

I just finished my first piece using the Paul Budzik method describe in this video.

Frankly, this old dog learned some new tricks.

Yea, I know it is an aircraft, but I have learned a lot from paying attention to other generas of building. For the first try using this method, I am very pleased. Most of the lines are clear and crisp and with a little touchup it should be very nice. I think with just a bit more practice I should be very proficient at this type of masking. The biggest headache was that the BMF I used was old and tore rather easily coming of the backing paper. Clean up was rather easy with some 91% alcohol to get the majority of the adhesive off and 50/50 mix of distilled water and 91% alcohol to do the final cleanup.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Pete J.

[Roadrunner]

Nice looking Mustang, Pete.

[Pete J.]

Nice looking Mustang, Pete.

Not my mustang. It is the lead in to Pauls video but thanks any way. The video is the real star!

[jwrass]

Pete,

Thanks for sharing the video! Some interesting techniques.

It was nice to see him use the 3M tape like I had mentioned! I also agree with his use of future!

A alternative to BMF is clear or frosted Transfer Tape made for the vinyl sign industry, very thin, easy to burnish, no residue.

Again Great Stuff!! jwrass