masking question


It means to use something to press down the edge to make sure it's got a nice tight seal against the surface you are paint. This prevents the paint from seeping under the edge of the tape.

I use the back side of an x-acto knife myself and do it in small increments. (NOT THE BLADE SIDE)
 
Also keep in mind when removing masking tape to pull it back over itself at a sharp angle to keep it from pulling up the paint and allowing sharp lines.
 
Another idea is to hit the edge of the tape with a quick spray of the color you are wanting to cover. For example, if you have sprayed Blue and then want to spray Red, hit the edge of the tape with a quick shot of the blue first, spraying away from the edge.
 
wombat457 said:
Another idea is to hit the edge of the tape with a quick spray of the color you are wanting to cover. For example, if you have sprayed Blue and then want to spray Red, hit the edge of the tape with a quick shot of the blue first, spraying away from the edge.
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In forty years of spraying, I've never done that. You don't want ANY paint build-up against the edge of the tape. The more paint there is against the edge of the tape, the more chance it will lift the paint edge. Burnish the tape edge really well (I use round toothpicks), the time spent doing this is worth more than anything. When spraying the second color, never spray on a long angle right at the edge of the tape. Spray at a very slight angle so get paint gets up TO the edge, you don't want to bond the tape to the shell with paint.

Mark.
 
I've always used a curved dental tool to smooth the edge of the tape on models.

Years ago my daughter helped me paint a room. I gave her very specific instructions on how to seal the edge of the tape against the baseboard. She gave me the typical teen response, rolled her eyes, said "whatever", and went on to mask the baseboard. When we got done I had her pull the tape off. Surprise, surprise, the paint crept under the tape onto the baseboard. I looked at her and asked her if she followed my instructions. She turned red in the face and apologized. I think she realized at that point that her old man wasn't as dumb as she thought I was. :)
 
josephbw said:
I've always used a curved dental tool to smooth the edge of the tape on models.

Years ago my daughter helped me paint a room. I gave her very specific instructions on how to seal the edge of the tape against the baseboard. She gave me the typical teen response, rolled her eyes, said "whatever", and went on to mask the baseboard. When we got done I had her pull the tape off. Surprise, surprise, the paint crept under the tape onto the baseboard. I looked at her and asked her if she followed my instructions. She turned red in the face and apologized. I think she realized at that point that her old man wasn't as dumb as she thought I was. :)
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Kids! ha ha. Mark Twain said it best: "When I was 18 my father didn't know anything. When I was 21 I was surprised at how much the old man had learned in 3 years."
 
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