HELLP!!! Painter's tape is destroying my armor.

[cerebrus21]

Can anyone give me any tips to fix my issue with painters tape? It keeps pulling off my colors. Im painting my armor black on white and I even bought low-medium adhesion tape but that pulls off paint as well.

I also noticed if I dont press the tape down the paint with diffuse under the edges. Im at a stand still with my build until I could correct this issue.


HELP

 

[foxleader]

this should help.

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/5431-duct-tape

 

[Vrogy]

Wait until it cures? Read the can for that (#hours).

 

[Master Builder]

Yes make sure it's cured. Any paint from an aerosol can show definitely withstand tape of any kind.\

Make sure your base is prepped good, if not, lightly sand it with some high grit sand paper.

 

[Zaff]

Paying attention to drying times is certainly important (sometimes it's best to wait anywhere from a couple hours to a full day before laying down tape), but also how you remove the tape plays a significant role. You want to peel the tape back on itself at a sharp angle (somewhere between 45 and 20 degrees) and do your best to pull at a slow but consistent pace. Not only is it a little bit more gentle on the underlying paint layer, it also "cuts" the coat that you put on over the tape, which should give you a much more crisp and defined line.

Another tip that might help prevent peeling up your existing paint would be to throw down a coat or two of clear. That way if it does peel, it's just going to pull up the clear coat. There may be a lower adhesion tape available as well.

Also, as you've noticed, the tape needs to be pressed down firmly. The paint isn't "bleeding" through the edges, it's getting under the tape that isn't pressed down properly (commonly referred to as overspray, feathering, etc.). You want as tight a seal as possible when masking off areas you don't want paint to get into, as aerosol paints especially can get into just about anything(I've sprayed the back bumper of my car and had paint speckles show up in the wheel well and even on the door). This means a tight tape line around the border and heavy paper (or 2-3 sheets of newspaper) covering the rest if you are masking a large area and don't want to use huge amounts of tape (and have that much more to peel up after).

 

[HALOSPRTAN]

also i have found that if i put the tape down on a slightly dusty surface, peel it back up, and then put it on my piece the adhesion is lessened, but still works as a barrier.

 

[blue2k]

Also bear in mind, that some solvents in spray paints will destroy the adhesion in lower quality painters tapes (like masking tape). The paint will seep under the masked area.

 

[FlyinPhil]

It really depends on the type of paint you are using, your prep work, and the type of tape. I personally use krylon spraypaints, and can tape over a "fresh" coat after about an hour without risking it peeling off the layer below. I've had bad luck with other brands of paint in the past, and even after letting them cure for a day or two results in some being stripped away.

As for tape, I use blue scotch brand painters tape, and occasionally 3m autobody tape. While it doesn't leave the crispest edges (compared to the higher end autobody masking tape that I use on my cars), it also doesn't lift away the rest of my paintjob.

Lastly I'll just touch on the prep work. Paint likes to have a surface to grip. For example: If you spray a few coats of your average spraypaint onto a polished steel sheet, it will peel, scratch, or crack away fairly easily. Take that same sheet, "rough it up" with some 320grit sandpaper (i say rough, but 320g will still leave it quite smooth), hit it with a primer, which is designed to adhere to said surface, and then finally lay on your paint. The paint will be far more likely to stick to the project with a little more prep.

Good luck with your build!

 

[SPARTAN II]

[...]

Another tip that might help prevent peeling up your existing paint would be to throw down a coat or two of clear. That way if it does peel, it's just going to pull up the clear coat. There may be a lower adhesion tape available as well.

[...]

That's the approach I take with any of my prop builds, and it works great every time. Haven't had any paint come off with the tape since I started doing that, so I agree it's definitely a good suggestion.

It really depends on the type of paint you are using, your prep work, and the type of tape. I personally use krylon spraypaints, and can tape over a "fresh" coat after about an hour without risking it peeling off the layer below. I've had bad luck with other brands of paint in the past, and even after letting them cure for a day or two results in some being stripped away.

As for tape, I use blue scotch brand painters tape, and occasionally 3m autobody tape. While it doesn't leave the crispest edges (compared to the higher end autobody masking tape that I use on my cars), it also doesn't lift away the rest of my paintjob.

[...]

I use either Krylon and Dupli-color (automotive) spray paints, depending on the prop, and exclusively use Scotch brand blue painter's tape. I find it's got good enough adhesion to avoid paint bleeding under the tape's edge, but not so much that it could take the paint with it when it's removed.

 

[Ghost Bear 027]

what are you painting? If you're painting a plastic cast that was pulled from a mold, it may still have some of the release agent on the plastic. I learned about that after many many hours of frustration wondering why my primer or paint kept getting screwed up. If it's a cast, give it a thorough washing with a sponge and some dish soap. I even use a wipe down of the "Goof Off" solvent stuff just to make sure. Nothing like seeing a finished project turn out not to be... Good luck.

 

[Commander Siv]

I spray on a coat of black plasti dip, it gives the desired color and adds durability. That might help especially cutting out a color of paint

 

[VSMShockWave]

i would just experiment with different types/brands of tape. Depending on if your painting on a hard surface or foam.....it's going to take some trial and error. Also take into consideration the weather, some tape will melt (to stick better) by nature of it's purpose to and it's just a matter of finding which one works best for you.