Problem with Tamiya Masking Tape on Tamiya Gloss paints

Are we talking about the yellow/orange masking tape that just started to show up around here?  

Did you press the edge of the tape down before spraying?

What kind of angle did you have when spraying on the masking tape?

How long did you wait before you lifted the tape off?

I used this tape on one of my ships but I had already sprayed some semi-gloss clear to protect the red hull.

Most WWI aircraft were mostly made of coated fabric.  Is it possible the pattern of the material had anything ot do with the problem?  Also I'm not that certain that the camoflage colors back then had sharp lines between the colors.

You may not be able to get a sharp line on a cloth covered aircraft, something to think about.

The tape was indeed Tamiya's yellow masking tape.

This WWI Camel was a plastic model so the question of fabric pattern doesn't apply.

The masked edges were sharp, so the para angles and the amount the tape edges were pressed down doesn't apply.

I waited a couple of days before I pulled off the tape.

I just read on another forum that my problem has happened to others using Tamiya gloww paint.

John Wood

What did you use? Enamel, Lacquer, acrylic? Enamel dries to the touch in a day or two but can take a couple of weeks to fully "dry". Lacques dry quickly as the solvent evaporates. Acrylics will vary with the brands. Also note that the thicker the paint the longer the drying or curing time. Stick with paints made for models and go to the manufacturer's web site and read their information on thinning, etc. I have seen car bodies melted and deformed by folks trying to use real automotive paint on a plastic car body. Many folks have had sucess using a clear floor wax as a base for decals. I have been doing this for over 60 years and every model is a learning experience. No matter what happens finish it. 

Depending on how heavy/light a coat was applied, Tamiya gloss acrylics can take seemingly forever to dry and cure. If you applied a nice wet coat to get a good gloss, it could take considerably longer than a few days for it to fully cure and harden.

I have had an experience where applying Tamiya masking tape to an insufficiently cured finish left an imprint of the tape's texture on the underlying paint. 

I have also had an experience where a finish which had been laid down and glosscoated and left for about 10 days took on the texture of a polishing cloth when said cloth was pressed against it. It was more than touch dry, not tacky at all and quite slick, but it turned out that it was still soft and easily marred.

My only advice would be to apply the base colour and if gloss Tamiya acrylic, put it aside for a couple of weeks before revisiting the project. 

I used Tamiya acryllic gloss red.

John

Your response seems right.  I did apply a fairly heavy coat and allowed it to dry for 2 days. Obviously that wasn't long enough.

Thanks for the reply.

John

John54

Your response seems right.  I did apply a fairly heavy coat and allowed it to dry for 2 days. Obviously that wasn't long enough.

Thanks for the reply.

John

 

A couple things:

The "fabric texture" mentioned at the top could possibly play here.  Just because it is a plastic model doesn't mean the manufaturer didn't put a texture to the surface to simulate the fabric texture.

Second, look around for a food dehydrator.  I got oone second hand, from a co worker, and while I wasn't about to use it for food, it is perfect for drying paint out to the maximum in short amount of time!