Masking problem. Pleeeeaaase help!!!

:mad:

Hi Chaps,

Just wondering if you could help a rather upset modeller!! :uhoh:

I masked out my Focus RS 01 so I could paint on the Tamiya Spray Telfonica Blue. I thought I'd masked it really well, however some blue has seeped through onto the white of the body. Just small pieces (i.e. bits about 3mm square sort of area) but they're obviously really noticable against the white. What I want to know is:

How can I touch up these 'errors'? I have Tamiya acrylic white in a jar but I can't see this being acceptable for the shiny white finish.

Also, there is a lot of 'masking tape residue' in evidence on the white. How do I get rid of this?

Any help mucho appreciated! Thanx!

Whats kind of masking tape?

The paints are TS over TS? If so, give them a good week to cure before proceding.

You should remove the tape residue first. Soap and water should handle that.

Without seeing how bad it is, I can only say that careful sanding should be able to remove it. Make sure you're using 2000+grit and keep the sanding cloth/paper very wet, so you don't embed bits of blue paint into the white. Depending on the contour of the area in question, it might be good for you to use a sanding stick (like a padded laidies' nail file) because of its rounded edges...

In the future, when masking a 2-tone job like this: lay down the tape; rub the edge down with your fingernail; then spray a coat of either clear or the base color along the edge of the tape, so that it will seal it down, and any leakage will be unnoticeable.

Oh and always use high-quality tape. Tamiya is top-notch, but higher-end painters' tape will do well, too.

I think sticky fingers uses Tamiya Tape. The problem with using TS Sprays is that it's hard to lay down a REALLY light mist to seal the tape.

I was having massive masking tape problems, but then I started to use a airbrush with a very low setting to lay down a light mist coat to seal the tape. Works all the time, but with TS it's hard to do that, as the pressure of the can is hard to control.

I have tested the idea of clear with the tape first, but I found a few problems. I used arcylic clear, then used TS colour.. BIG mistake, as TS is a lacquer, and eats the clear seal coat. Therefore I think there is a rule to follow and it goes like this -

First TS coat - leave to dy 2 days
Mask of areas - seal with finger nail
Coat of TS clear to seal
Spray second colour
After second colour remove tape BEFORE paint has cured

The using micro mesh after TS paints have harden for 14 days, and ensuring the cloths are wet all the time, rub away the overlap line to make them both flush and there you go.. A two tone paint job..

Sticky fingers - I was having problems with masking.. I almost give up on the stuff.. But it does work. Can someone confirm if my method for working with ts paints and masking is correct? Thanks

Hope this helps

It's really hard to lay down a light mist to seal the tape edge out of the spray can, this is why I airbrush mine now.

Stickyfingers, how long did you allow the paint to cure before masking it?
The only time I've had a problem with residue is when I didn't allow enough curing time prior to masking.

Thanx a lot you guys! Knew you wouldn't let me down!!

So, just so I get my head round this:

Firstly let my two tone paint job cure for a week or so (yes it was TS over TS). Then, soap and water to clear off the tamiya tape residue. Then lightly sand the areas where the blue has seeped thru with wet 2000 grit.

One last thing though, when it comes to polishing out the car with compound, I prefer to coat the car in clear and then polish that out. Will the sanded areas (where I'm rubbing out the blue) be noticably different from the other white body areas once I put the clear on?

I do hope one day in the future I won't have to come on this site and embarass myself with novice questions!!!

Hey, we've all been there. Everything I've learned about 2-tone painting was from stripping and re-paining my kits several times.

I think the critical point for you will be trying to keep the white paint white. It's far too easy to rub any other color into the white paint.

The surface texture shouldn't be too much of a problem if you planning to clear it later. The layer of clear should level everything out again.

Sticky, just remember when your rubbing this out in a week or so that the blue paint is on top of the white. If your planning on sanding the paint where the tape residue was (which you will probably have to do if it's etched the surface) it will be hard to avoid rubbing through the blue.
One suggestion before you start the process is to mask the blue to assist protecting that side. Once you've cleaned up the white remove the tape and give it a clear coat before final sanding. Metalic colours are always better left un-sanded before clear coating.
The white won't be noticable where you've sanded it so long as you're using a fine grade paper.

Isn't the focus use Orange decal to "hide" the join of the 2 colors ?

If it's only 3mm, the Decal should cover this error.

http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/24241focus01_pre/focus_wrc01_1.jpg

Vric, yes you're right on that. The stripe decal WILL cover most of my bleed but some spots ended up just below the pillars!!! Obviously didn't seal the tape well enough. Oh, and those decals on the back.....I AINT looking forward to those!

By the way, Freakray, I let the white paint cure for roughly ten days before applying the mask. However because I had to do lots of mist coats & wet coats the masking tape was on the body for around 5 hours!!! This, I know, is why I have residue on the body now.

Thanks all for your help on this. Hopefully I can recover from this and turn out a model I'm happy with.