paint peeling after masking......

Thanks to all for the responses. It appears that about the only difference in my painting techniques and whats been suggested from you folks is the primer issue. I've never used primer before but will in the future. Since posting this message I've primed the model that I'm currently working on in hopes of everything turning out ok and I'll vouch that Future worked as a "protectant" against peeling, at least on my current build.
FWIW, I've had the "blue"painters tape peel paint before so I now use the "purple" or lavender colored painters tape. Nowhere near as much adhesive as the blue. I still use the blue but only after removing some of the sticky off the back. I think it's time to invest in some Tamiya tape and give it a whirl. Ya never know. Thanks again to all.
Steve

Psuedo - any primer is better than none.. I've used the acryl primer and it worked fine... and that was on a FAA (Royal Navy) fighter with the typical disruptive camo scheme like the Spitfire carried in WWII which was a lot of masking...... Since then I have been using plain old Krylon white primer from Wal Mart and it works fine,.. and it is an enamel.. it sticks better to plastic and acrylic sticks better to it... and for about $4 a huge can it is economical... auto primer works good too if you are doing glossy subjects like cars and such... just ask for the fine grit primer...

Prime with enamel then? Not just Testors MM "gray primer" acryl?

Future will help stop the paint from peeling to an extent. It makes the tape easier to pull off. However if the paint was sprayed on too thick or didn't have time to cure I don't think it would help any. I ditto the comments on Tamiya tape, Blue Painters masking tape you can get at Wal Mart is good for that too.. it has very little tack.

I use 98% acrylics in my painting and my best suggestions as were stated above are:

Clean the model well, allow sufficient time for water to dry from it though, as it may be in recesses inside the body and later leak out onto freshly applied paint.

If there is something I know will require a fair amount of masking (German splinter camo for example) I definitely primer first. I primer most of my models but those types I especially pay attention to.

Spray thin coats. Don't go overboard and try to cover in one or two passes, let the paint dry in between coats (5 - 10 min or so) After you are through let it sit a minimum of 1 day before switching to a different color especially if you are going to do any masking. With metellics and paints that have a reputation of pullups, definitely give it longer to cure. And better yet if painting a metallic, paint the color first, let it cure, mask OVER where it will show through the metallic and then spray the metallic on top. When you pull up the tape PRESTO! a red band or whatever...

(and believe me I learned all of that the hard way.. even though I had been told it before by someone else )

I use acrylics only and have learned the hard way. Now I prime everything and never have a problem with lifting paint after masking. It's an extra step and adds cost but worth the effort if you use acrylics.

Dean

Funny, I was just here about to post a nearly identical question.

I thought I cleaned my model pretty well, but when I pulled some tape up there was still a few bits that came up - it's a good thing I stick to worn out old star fighters, so I can pass it off as battle damage ("wow! how'd you get that peeled paint effect?").

I was thinking maybe it was the enamel undercoat - see I sprayed it with enamel first, screwed some things up, fixed them, then painted again with acrylic (because I recently got an airbrush).

So, in the future I'll super double wash with alcohol or something...but for now, because I still have some masking to do (and getting back to one of the original questions), will a coat of future prevent any future (heh) peeling?

To be safe, I wash and prime with enamel. When I do this, I don't have lifting problems. But when I'm lazy, and don't, I sometimes get peeling problems.

I use Tamiya acrylics and I almost never prime. But , I do wash all the parts thoroughly before a build and just before I paint, I dip a lint free cloth in isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the area to be painted. I use tamiya tape and have never had paint peel off.

Rich

Steve,

I use a lot of acrylics, and I think one of the keys to success is to make sure the model is as clean as possible before painting. Even a little oil from your fingers can keep acrylics from sticking properly.

I use Floquil Plastic Prep to clean things. I put a little on a paper towel and wipe down the model just before I paint. A bottle lasts a long time.

You might also try using a low-tack masking tape.

Hope this helps!

Matthew Usher @ FineScale Modeler

the future would probably help tape peel off easier so i guess it wouldn't hurt. i use tamiya masking tape and it works great. peels off easily, masks well and never leaves any gunk behind. i don't usually primer anything but i do wash the plastic before painting. the only time i had a problem with peeling acrylic was when i use black electrical tape to mask something off and i think the paint wasn't completely dried either (couple of hours).

if you're really worried, paint some more plastic as a test piece, let it dry as much as you want and see if tape hurts the paint.

First question is: how thickly are you laying the paint on?

There's several things you can try:

1: Don't wait till the paint is completely dry. Remove the masking while the paint is tacky, but not "runny"
2: Don't pull up the tape at right angles to the surface. Pull the tape back at as sharp an angle as you can - even back over itself

See if that helps things.