Thoughts on Tape

If you use regular tape, you will want to reduce the aggresivity of the adhesive by first putting it on the back of your hand or forehead. Otherwise, there is a high chance of the tape pulling up paint.

Regards, Rick

You can buy the blue painters tape, they have lower tack than regular masking tape.

rjkplasticmod,

I tried scotch tape this afternoon, and yup, pulled up some paint. [:0] Im sure this has something to do with how long the paint cures for too. I'm using MM Acryl paint, how long should I leave it alone before applying low tack tape?

I typically use regular masking tape, though recently it's been pulling up paint on me (I don't know if it's because it's new, and the adhesive dries out with age, or because I switched brands)

I've used post-its before, but they tend to work best when painting onto/across the top of them... because only 1 edge has adhesive, the rest of it tends to lift if painting from the bottom (i.e. if part of the post-it hangs over the edge of the wing, and then you paint the other side of the wing). After a while, it seems like they get kind of pricey too.

get some masking tape, and stick it on your T-shirt to de-tacify it. also make sure the paint below is well-adhered. if yer using acrylics, its a good idea to prime to improve adhesion. wash the plastic beforehand too.
HTH

Hi,

I would really advice buying some Tamiya masking tape, which can be found on almost any on-line store.
With Tamiya masking tape, I never had any more paint pulling up.
It is very good also to mask canopies,

HTH,

Christian.

Acryl is MM acrylic paint and acrylics dont have the best adhesion in the world. I would suggest a light fine sanding of the entire surface to be painted and cleaned well.

Reggie..... De-tacify??? That one isnt in my dictionary , is that one of those new hip words us old folks dont know? Heh, wheres my cane...

Jeff

Try the Blue 3M Painter's Tape, it has a little guide on it that shows how much adhesion the tape has. I believe they have medium and low adhesion types of this tape. I've used it and it's working well for me (medium tack) but I tend to lay the tape on my self-healing mat and cut the tape to size then I pull it off of the matt, reducing adhesion.

Good luck!

EDIT: Forgot to add that I haven't had the base layers of paint lift up yet, and the tape also has not left any residue behind.

I switched to Tamiya, and am never looking back....plus with a wide variety of sizes, you can't go wrong.

3M makes tape called "removable tape". Just like scotch tape, but doesn't have nearly the amount of sticky to it. I have been using that and works great.

I currently use standard masking tape although it can be not sticky enough sometimes and the corners can peel up if you handle those areas alot. May invest in some Tamiya tape as I've heard many good things about it.

Dan

Tamiya tape is excellent, although expensive. It is extremely thin to give nice edges without paint build-up. It cuts very cleanly. It is also surprisingly strong, so it won't rip even when cut into thin strips. It is quite flexible for masking on compound curves, and it is low lack to mot peel up underlying paint.

3-M's blue painter's tape, available at Home Depot and other hardware store, is almost as good, and a lot cheaper. Usually, I mask edges with Tamiya tape and use 3-M blue tape for filling in.

I consider both tapes to be vastly more capable than regular masking tape or scotch tape.

Whatever you do don't use "scotchtape." That has one purpose, holding paper together. The glue is too aggressive for modeling applications.

I use 3M blue tape and Tamiya tape. Never have had any problems with either one.

Per my post of a second ago, I'll never use Scotch tape again. It tends to flake (that's been my experience anyway) and it's a bear to get off the model. Lo-tac masking tape or liquid mask are all I'll use from now on.

Lots of thoughts about tape here; masking tape, Tamiya tape, Post-It notes, Scotch tape, etc. and all of them are useful and have their place. (and something that I didn't notice being mentioned was drafting tape) Since this is a topic about "Thoughts On Tape" and not a question about a specific brand I'd like to add my thought ....

Masking tape is the single, only barrier between what you are about to spray (or brush) and what you have already spent a lot of time spraying (or brushing). In my opinion this is not a good place for cost-cutting measures. I really perfer not having to repaint something because my cheapo tape bled or didn't stick, or because my overly-aggressive tape stuck so hard it pulled the paint up. If I'm going to stick masking tape to something that I've spent a lot of time working on it is going to be the best I can get and something that I trust absolutely. To me that means Tamiya masking tape, period. It is worth the extra cost.

Have to agree with Music city on this one - Tamiya tape is the way to go. It has a number of advantages over domestic type masking tapes. It isn't noticeably textured and this means it adheres over the whole surface limiting paint creep. Burnishing it down with a toothpick helps and it is translucent enough to darken in colour and thus show where it is well attached. The tack is specific to our needs and when cut into thin strips can be coaxed into curves (attatch at one end and then tension and curve as one motion). To help cost save I reuse the tape sticking it to my cutting mat and then use it for other tasks - holding parts together whilst glue dries etc. At the end of the day the cost of the tape used is negligible when compared to the model, aftermarket sets and other goodies we use so why skimp. I couldn't recommend detacking tape on a T shirt or forearm as this will only adhere foreign material to the tape limiting contact further. As an aside never store masking tape edge down (this is where Tamiyas dispencer is invaluable) as the edge will pick up dust ready for transfer to your model.

Tamiya tape definitly is the best solution. However, similar tape is avaible in art/airbrush stores. The same kind of tape, only it's white label and on a larger rol. And cheaper!