Spraying with Masking Tape

[Rich1978 28]

I'm just about to spray some cobra stripes into a lunchbox ABS shell,

I've spayed a wide yellow stripe using masking tape and after peeling the tape off I see some edges to the paint which Ive sanded off. Now I plan to run two thin strips of tape down the yellow to mask off the stripes and spray the whole shell dark blue, i.e. using the concept of spraying light first dark last.

Question is how do I avoid having raised edges of the blue paint when I take the masking off, or do I not worry about this and sand it all flat using 1200 sandpaper as I am giving it a coat of clear acrylic varnish afterwards ?

Any help much appreciated...

Cheers

R

[Theibault 1535]

I'm not sure why you have raised edges. My guess is that you may be spraying too thick. Multiple light coats is what you want to do. Also, what kind of tape are you using and how long did you wait before peeling the tape?

[Rich1978 28]

To be honest my patience got the better of me so I didn't wait long.

Maybe I can get away with light coats as it's going to get a dark coat now.

I used regular masking tape for that but have got some thin tamiya making tape for the stripes. I'm just going to do one layer.

[KEV THE REV 2307]

Make sure you use good quality modelling masking tape as it is thinner than B&Q type tape , and make sure you press the edges down well as that can lead to bleed and raised / thick paint edges . You can flat the raised paint edge off but be careful not to go too far as you can lose the sharpness of the lines . Use light even coats and avoid paint 'puddling' to the edge of the masking tape

[RichiPuppy 42]

The better quality masking tape has stuff to help repel paint from going under.

[Rich1978 28]

First coat of blue drying...

[Rich1978 28]

ok not to everyone's taste I'm sure but given this was bought for a tenner to be a basher for my 2.5 yr old using some left over paint I've enjoyed it. Also good learning experience as its the first time I've masked ABS. Only two very tiny bleeds so pretty happy actually.

[Rich1978 28]

Anyone used Humbrol Acrylic Varnish before ?

[kontemax 1725]

I used a lot these colors.

Max

[njmlondon 570]

Anyone used Humbrol Acrylic Varnish before ?

Nope but I bought some Humbrol matt varnish this weekend from ym LHS and the owner swears it is is at least as good if not better than Tamiya. Will find out soon enough!

[TongueTied 56]

To avoid bleeds, use a paint that carries a clear paint colour. I don't mean a clear coat, I mean a clear paint. Many of the companies that make paint for airbrushes make a clear paint e.g. Createx. So, after you put your masking tape down (and please buy good masking tape) spray a couple of light coats of the clear paint. This seals the edge of the tape so when you paint the next colour, the new colour can't bleed under the tape.

If you can't find a brand with a clear colour, make sure you start with very light dusting coats over the tape edge to create a seal along the edge of the tape. You should always spray light coats but this is yet another reason.