Masking

[h2w]

hello I have finished spraying the shell of the gp40 yellow for the it to become NYSW 3040. next comes the black. what is the best tape to use the mask the yellow so I can spray the black on? and how do you make sure none of the black runs under the tape? when I sprayed the yello I  had the shell upright should the shell be lying on its side while I spray the black?
thanks
Mark

[C855B]

My preference is Tamiya tape, since it's thin and, frankly, made for the fine contours of scale models. YMMV, and I'm sure others here will pipe-in with additional, perfectly fine suggestions.

Spray horizontally to a vertical surface whenever you can to assure even and well-controlled coverage. Spraying with the model flat invariably means you're spraying at an acute angle, resulting in more paint in the areas closer to the airbrush. The angle also increases the risk of spraying "under" the masking.

[JSL]

What Mike said! Tamiya works great.

[peteski]

+1 on both of the above posts. 

[VonRyan]

Tamiya all the way

[Spades]

Burnishing the tape help stops the bleed/seeps.  Tamiya is great as well as 3M's fine line tape.


G

[flight2000]

Once the tape is down, you can spray the yellow again along the edges to help seal any areas that are not completely flat from the burnishing.

I use Tamiya tape as well.

Cheers,
Brian

[jpwisc]

I also use Tamiya, burnished with a toothpick to get it down between all the details.

[ednadolski]

Tamiya is good for karma too

Ed

[robert3985]

Tamiya tape is excellent.  However, I've had excellent results buying flexible masking tape down at the automotive paint store too.  I've also had great result with plain ol' blue or green masking tape I bought at The Home Depot.

One thing that you have to do with tape you don't know how long it's been sitting on the shelf is cut the outside edge off and discard it.  I always cut off at least 1/8", then use my cut edge for the masking.

Burnishing the tape is essential.  I use commercial stainless burnishers and a couple of Teflon burnishers I've made myself.  On complex surfaces, often it's better to "burnish as you go" rather than laying the tape down, then assuming it will stretch to fit the irregularities.  Often, the tape will stick to the irregularities for a while, then lift off all by itself after a few minutes...or hours.  In other words, don't leave your masking on your model any longer than you have to.

Also, paint running under your masking is usually encouraged by spraying it on too wet.  The ideal "wetness" of your spray cone is wet enough to adhere to the surface, but dry enough so it's not runny (dry enough not to run) almost immediately.  If your paint is sagging due to the position of your model, or there's a big layer on top of the edge between your masking and your model, then you're applying it too wet and too thick.  If your paint forms "orange peel" or a pebbly surface as you're spraying, then it's going on too dry.   The correct solution is achieved with fiddling with paint consistency (paint/thinner ratio), volume of paint, and air pressure.  Additionally, hovering over a single spot is bad spraying practice...your paint cone should always be in motion.

The best way to learn correct techniques for your brand of paint and your spray equipment is to practice on equipment you're not going to ever use.  Never start painting a model that you've spent a lot of time on using either new equipment or new paint.  Always do a test before you start painting where it really counts.  Also, write down important information so you can refer back to it next year when using that particular brand of paint, or you use that particular airbrush.  Write the date when you purchased your masking tape on the inside of the "tube", and don't use it if it's over a year old.  Plan your projects ahead of time...which will save you a lot of headaches.

[sirenwerks]

One thing that you have to do with tape you don't know how long it's been sitting on the shelf is cut the outside edge off and discard it.  I always cut off at least 1/8", then use my cut edge for the masking.

What Robert said.  I don't think it's sitting on the shelf so much as the fact that when things sit around they collect dust and schmutz, especially sticky things.  And it gets banged around, which rubs the tape against itself and the underside tackiness gets transferred to the outside of the tape underneath it.  Losing adherence capacity, even a little, makes it bleed easier.  At least that's what my brother the award-winning custom auto painter says.

And for models, Tamiya is the best.