Goldhammer;

      I hope you don't mind a correction. I actually use the striping tape itself. I get the White in 1/16" and 1/4 ". I do also use the other Basing Tape ( That's what I call it) On specifically large ship waterlines and Boot stripes. The colored finish decorating tape actually leaves a sharper line! The other tape is expensive, But when you are painting a car and might have to adjust and get finicky it can't be beat!

 Oh, and Don mentioned plastic wrap. Unless it goes over leading edges or root areas I use frisket paper. Has worked well since I discovered it fifty years ago!

I use Kleenex.  I suppose TP would be cheaper, but I like those little boxes that feed one sheet at a time.  I have never had a problem with paint coming through.  I also wet the outer surface of the stuff so it stays in place.

Aluminum foil works well for large areas too with irregular shapes.

Don Stauffer

I often use plastic wrap to mask large areas, sometimes just paper with no adhesive, using pieces of good masking tape to hold down plastic or paper.  Plastic is better- paint cannot soak through.  With heavy paint sometimes the paint can soak through newsprint- do not use newsprint.

 

 

 

As to the foam makeup sponges, I went to Walmart, (or a craft store), and got a foam chair pad.  Enough in that to last years for under 5 bucks.  About an inch thick so you can slice and dice as needed.

TB's auto masking tape is either blue or light green, and from 3M or Norton, available from 1/16" and up.  At least 4 times the amount for the same price as the Tamiya version for the same price.  Available from most any parts house or auto paint supply, ask for fine line tape.  It also leaves a nice clean sharp edge.

I often use plastic wrap to mask large areas, sometimes just paper with no adhesive, using pieces of good masking tape to hold down plastic or paper.  Plastic is better- paint cannot soak through.  With heavy paint sometimes the paint can soak through newsprint- do not use newsprint.

Thanks again to everyone.  So grateful for the very helpful hints.  

Hi;

     I don't use toilet paper, Because I have had it bleed. What I use is scrunched paper towel pieces, dampened to fit. Also if I need very sharp lines I use the 1/4" wide Auto striping tape, because curves don't seem to bother it!

     Then, Here's wher care must be use to prevent Blow Over-or Under. Use a back strip of Purple Delicate painters tape and make sure it is burnished down to the preceding tape and none has pulled up ! Then Protect whatever else you have to cover and paint away!

Ouch!

Like someone mentioned, I stuff the painted wheel well with dry toilet paper, then tamp it down with a damp paint brush so it conforms to the recess, then let it dry. 

For other masking, de-tacked tamiya tape around the edge, then blue tape to attach pieces of plastic grocery bag to the tamiya tape. 

I have stopped using 3M Blue Tape. Too sticky. Instead I use 3M Delicate Surface Painters Tape. It is purple in color. I have not had any problems with the tape. 

Tojo72

Good for intakes,and open hatches and doors on armor

Indeed! And I was thinking cockpits, which tend to baffle me if I don't have a sacrificial one to use as a mask.

Deaf Smith, you are welcome. Lots of good tips in this thread, glad you started it.

Greg

 

 

Tojo72

Cut up make up sponges work too

 

 

 

 

Neat idea, thanks.

 

Good for intakes,and open hatches and doors on armor

Thank you Space Ranger.  Drafting tape is worth taking a look at.  

Thanks, Greg.  As always your suggestions are terrificLy helpful. 

Thanks, Eaglecash. I will watch my spray carefully as that is a real possibility.  I generally use silly putty.  This approach was a bad idea any whichaway you cut!

Thank you, Bill.  Appreciate the helpful suggestions.

Thank you, Tojo.  That is what I have done up until I got the bright idea to reverse the order on this build.  Won't make this mistake again.  

Tojo72

Cut up make up sponges work too

 

Neat idea, thanks.

Cut up make up sponges work too

Like Tojo, I always paint the gear bays first, usually before they even go into the aircraft.  For masking the gear bays when the rest of the model is painted, I use little wads of Silly Putty.  They too can be gently worked around all of the delicate parts in the landing gear bay and can be brought right up to the edges of it.

As for the Glosscote lifting...that might be caused by it not going on quite wet enough.  Parts of it may have been nearly dry by the time they hit the model, so they couldn't join with the paint layers underneath.

Ah;

    Drafting Tape is still available!. I have to have a friend get mine from a Drafting supply house in Dallas. I definitely needed it for those large sheets of Drawings for proposed Workboat to Yacht conversions and such.

 The other thing is this. Four (4) passes through dry hands creates the same amount of Lo-Tack that Drafting tape does. There is a Tape called LO-TAC.I have used it in the past, Sadly I don't remember where I got it.

I've used drafting tape in the past but don't know if it's even made any more. Now I use Tamiya's masking tape or similar kabuki tape from other manufacturers.

For you youngsters, drafting tape is what we used to tape our drawing paper to the surface of our drawing boards. It has less "tack" than masking tape so as not to tear the paper on which our drawings were laboriously created using T-square, triangles, bow compasses, and French curves.

Hard to say, I think we all would say it fell into the "bad luck" bucket. No help.

Dry time seems right, products used same.

Try de-tacking the tape.

I would have masked and painted befoe the gloss coat for totally unrelated reseans.

Sometimes we find ourselves in the outhouse. perservere, keep on.

Bill

Deaf Smith

is there a broad 3/4 or 1 inch tape one can use to extend the mask that is less sticky that the 3M blue painters tape?

Sorry that happened. I did it too, 7 yrs ago now. Recall the sinking stomach feeling well. I think we've mostly all done it once.

I'd suggest saving the the hardware store tape for honey-do jobs. Tamiya does make an 18mm roll. And I just stumbled across this Tamiya product I didn't know existed.

After having a similar disaster with 3M type tape 7 yrs back, somebody here suggested masking the boundary with proper Tamiya masking tape (de-tacked, of course) and using aluminum foil to protect against the rest of the overspray. Or you can use post-it notes, or wrap in plastic wrap. Or just about anything except hardware store masking tape.

I do have a roll of the 18mm Tamiya tape, but I don't recall ever using it.