tape damage ?

During assembly of my 1:12 Countach, it is required to tape the doors & lids in place while glueing. Problem is that after removing the tape, I can clearly see where the tape was. If it is adhesive, I can't seem to remove it. It appears like a fine orange peel in the finish. I'm worried that I will need to sand it out & that would not be fun now that I've got all these parts assembled as well as glass installed, all quite fragile.
Paint is duplicolor with rustoleum high lustre clear lacquer sanded up to 12000 grit & polished with meguirs show car glaze with Novus cloth. The tape was 3M low adhesive blue tape
Any ideas?

Just read the fine print on this tape. Says: DO NOT USE ON LACQUER
Grrrr

Give it a coat or two of clear... before the tape.

The tape was only used to hold parts in place. The adhesive in the tape clearly damaged the finish. I am now trying to carefully sand out the damage, but I'm afraid my clear coat is getting awfully thin, so I won't get my mirror like finish back.
I might be able to cheat a little with some Future...

It seems as though the clear you are using isn't that strong, or cured enough for the tape not to attack it.

I only use 2K clear and never have any issues with tape affecting it after it has cured, and I would suggest using Tamiya tape also, much better, and specifically designed for models. :2cents:


I hope that you can salvage your kit as it was really coming together great.




gpz900ra7.

That 3M Blue tape is too strong for models, even though it says it's low tack. Use Tamiya tape as already suggested and you shouldn't have any problems. Maybe the clear you are using is a little soft and not fully dry..??

Thanks. I noticed right on the tape in very small print, it says Not For Lacquer. I had to sand out the pits the best I could. It isn't perfect but you can no longer see where the tape was stuck to it like before. I don't think the tape was too strong, as it barely held the parts on. I think the adhesive in it is not compatible with lacquer & caused pitting.

I think the adhesive in it is not compatible with lacquer & caused pitting.

That is your issue right there. A chemical reaction! I had this problem a couple of times before I finally ponied up and bought some tamiya tape

Yea, I've got some tamiya tape, but was thinking low stick would be better for simply holding these parts in place. Oh well. Lesson learned!!

Two things; first is the paint has to be fully cured or any tape, even Tamiya, might cause a similar reaction (outgassing paint trapped by the tape will leave permanent marks in the paint that may or may not be saved by re-sanding and/or polishing).

Second, as you already know...don't use the blue (or green) tape.

If you want a BIG roll of Tamiya tape, get Shuretape Gold or the yellow Frogtape. Essentially the same as Tamiya. Sherwin-Williams stores are the most common spot to find the tape. They stopped selling the Shuretape Gold, but now carry the Frogtape variant, has latex-block edge that is invisible, and it's a non-issue, works like regular Tamiya tape, but you can get the rolls in much wider widths.

I had Tamiya tape do that kind of damage to one of my paint jobs ages ago.

I had left the tape on overnight and it left a orange peel effect on the surface when I removed it. Fortunately i managed to polish it out.

Always make sure your paint is thoroughly dry before applying the tape and then remove it as soon as you can after.

I was able to sand most of it out, but I'm gambling with going thru the clear, so I'm leaving well enough alone now...