Liquid Masking

Don,

After painting the deck I gave a good coat of Future to protect it, then after curing for a couple of days I then covered the deck in masking tape to protect it while I added and painted all of the parts for the deck and first layer of superstructure.  

After a day or so the narrow tape started to lift which I would just push back in place.  The only tape that stayed in place was blue painter's tape.  Wished it came in .5 and .75mm size.

Marcus

Were you using the future to seal the edge of the tape?  The best thing to seam tape edges with is the same paint you are masking over.  I have used lacquer clear coats (either gloss or flat) but the colored paint still works better. I have never had paint affect tape adhesion.  I don't think I would use Future to seal tape edges.

Gene,

Thank you for the information.  I booked marked the site and give if some thought.  The product price sounds right, but the shipping charge is a bit high.

Maybe I can find it in San Antonio.

I've gone back and forth with regards to using a liquid mask.  I really think the main difference between success or failure is the age of the liquid mask that you are using.  I have some older Liquid Mask that doesn't flow well, and after it's dry, it is a real bear to remove.  

My wife recently got me a Fineline Masking Fluid Pen, and initial use indicates it's a real winner.  It is dispensed via a fine hollow needle, and stays well-put once set on the model.  I was able to place it easily around some very soft (read: poorly-molded) details on a recent kit I was painting.  The best part was that it was easily-removable when I was done.  I was able to grab it with a fine pair of tweezers, and in places where it was a little thin, or in a recess, I could pick a corner up with a toothpick, and then pull it up with the tweezers.  

This is it:

www.artistsupplysource.com/.../fineline-resist-pen-20-gram

And I'd certainly include it in my toolbox, even if I didn't use it that much.  Given the initial results, though, I suspect I'll be using it more than I used to.

Gene Beaird,

Pearland, Texas

Don,

Thank you for your feedback.  I think I will stick with masking tape.  I agree brush painting the small deck areas is the way to go, which I did on my dreadnought model.

I did have a problem with some tape not wanting to stay laid down.  Would it be the tape or the coating of Future causing that?  It did some cause some paint to bled onto the deck.

Marcus

I have the same feelings on that as Don.  I have always had trouble removing liquid mask, and in one instance I could not get it off a canopy part at all!  It ruined the model.  I had to saw off the affected clear turret and replace it with an aftermarket one, which of course didn't fit right because of the butcher job  I had to do to get the original off.  The model looks ok but only from 5 feet away!  I'll never use liquid mask again!

Maybe it's good for removing body hair…..

BTW, neglected to say, before I hit "reply" that I often do not mask hatches and smaller deck details for painting. Rather, I resort to brush painting.  I find good brush painting on smaller deck areas looks quite acceptable, so I just mask the whole deck unless there are large areas of another color.

The problem I have with the liquid masking materials is getting it all off afterwards. I find the more details, such as scribed lines and small projections, the harder it is to remove all of it. Yeah, I find it takes awhile both to put it on properly, and to get it all off.  But I spend a LOT of time trying to get liquid masking off too.  So I have gone back to good modeler's masking tape.  I have also had cases where I didn't get a thick enough layer of masking film on, and subsequent paint bled through.