Hey FSM, I'm back!
I don't have an update today, but instead I thought I'd post a quick how-to on how I masked my spinner. I woke up this morning to find a couple of personal messages in my inbox asking me how I did it. So, instead of answering them one-by-one, I figured I'd share my technique for those that asked and for any others who might be interested.
First off, let me start by saying this is not the best technique or the only technique. This is only the technique that I use and that I've had success with. Of course, your mileage may vary. I'm sure there are others that are better and/or easier. This is just what has worked for me. So, having said that, let's get started. Shall we?
I like to use eletrical (electrician's) tape for masking curves. The stuff I use is by Plymouth. (By the way, one roll will last you years. I can't even tell you how long I've had this same roll.)
I like this brand because it's more "rubbery" than others. Some are more "plasticky" and aren't as flexible or stretchy.
First thing I do is mark out my lines on my spinner. A mechanical pencil with a sharpened point works well. I place the spinner on some Post-it notes or something that I can use to easily adjust its height.
Once I have the lines drawn out, I start by cutting thin strips of tape with a sharp new blade. My strips are usually about 1-2mm wide. A straight edge helps keep my cuts, well, straight. This serves two purposes. One, it gives me a thin flexible piece of tape to work with. Two, it gives me a clean edge on th tape to "paint against."
Once I have my strip, I cut an angle in the start of the strip towards my painting edge. This helps the tape lay against itself when the circle is complete. I've found that by doing this, it helps eliminate a step where the tape doesn't lay flat against the part. Sometimes that's resulted in a bit of bleeding under the mask, or an edge that isn't sharp all the way around.
Then it's just a matter of laying the tape along your demarcation line. I pull it tight as I go, overlapping each layer a bit. It gives me a nice sharp edge, and it ensures that both edges of the tape pay against the part.
As you can see, the tape is flexibe enough to mask both the inner and outer diameter of your marking. Notice that the very last layer towards the tip of the spinner has both the larger and smaller diameter edges flat against the part.
Once the tape's in place, be sure to keep the direction of your spray as close to perpendicular to the tape edge as possible. Use low air pressure and build up the color slowly. This will help eliminte any paint bleeding under the tape and ensure a nice sharp edge.
Just to show you how well this technique has worked for me, here are some shots of a few of my spinners.
Anyway, I hope that helps. If anyone has any questions I am happy to answer them for ya. Feel free to share your thoughts.
Cheers!
-O
PS: This method would also work for those spinners that have spirals painted on 'em. Just cut the strip and lay it in a spiral pattern over your base color. Spray the top color, remove the strip and viola! A spiral!