tape/stripping

[bgoatsw]

I was wondering what type of tape you all use to tape locomotives before you start painting them. Also what do you use to strip all the paint off a loco? thanks

 

[Espeefan]

Depends on the project.

For masking tape I have used Scotch 3M drafting tape. It's a little lower tack than regular masking tape and less likely to lift paint. I also use the Tamiya's masking tape. It comes in different widths, goes around corners nicely and also does not lift paint.

You can go to a store that sells automotive painting supplies and get the green masking tape as well. This will be the most expensive but it is designed for painting. Blue painters tape will work too, but can be too sticky. I've had mixed results with it.

For stripping, also depends. Polly S Easy Lift Off (ELO) works well. Scalecoat makes a good stripper. On brass I have soaked the model in lacquer thinner, and these days I use a blasting cabinet followed by an ultrasonic cleaner. Be careful of brass models and lacquer thinner. Any repairs made with ACC will be undone, and if there are any plastic detail parts (some passenger cars have plastic roof vents) they will dissapear in the lacquer thinner. Guess how I know this.

 

[bgoatsw]

I was wondering what tape to use for adding stripping, like 1 long stripe down loco side, or like multi tiger stripes. I have used the blue painters tape and like you said, it is tooo Sticky. the polly and scalecoat, are those a spray that just removes all the paint from the loco? Thanks for help

 

[Cjcrescent]

The ELO is like the gel strippers often used in furniture re-finishing. The Scalecoat Washaway is a soaker. You place the body into it an let it soak. A toothbrush is used to remove the paint from the bodies.

 

[montanan]

I was wondering what tape to use for adding stripping, like 1 long stripe down loco side, or like multi tiger stripes. I have used the blue painters tape and like you said, it is tooo Sticky. the polly and scalecoat, are those a spray that just removes all the paint from the loco? Thanks for help

Here's a picture of some of my Alcos I painted for my freelanced Logan Valley. I have put a black stripe on all of my locomotives just to break up all of the ellow. I uesd decals. I believe Microscale and Woodland Scenics both carry them.For masking, I use a latex, Magic Masker. I'll use a lightweight masking tape, apply the Magic Masker and when tit is dry, apply almost any masking tape over the Magic Masker to about an eight of an inch of the desired edge. The Magic Masker will give a crisp clean line even over fine details such as access doors on a car body.These Alco started off undecorate, gray in color. The safety striping on the pilots are also decals.

 

[nmaniac]

I use Tamyia tape for the edge first,then I cut some of the 3M blue tape to which has the paper I'm using to mask and then good old scotch tape to hold the paper to the inside of the shell,I posted some pictures of it funny thing it tapes longer to tape and mask then it does to shoot paint,but I think the end product speaks for itself.I also tape GHQ kits when I do a mulit color paint job.

L

 

[NH Mike]

For a stripe I paint the body first with the stripe color. Not the entire body but just wide enough to be sure it will mask off correctly. When it dries I then use Tamiya stripe tape over the paint where I want the stripe. For these FP7's I painted the white and then masked off the upper section and sprayed the red. When that was dry I masked off the lower and nose sections and sprayed the grey. For both colors the Tamiya tape stayed covering the white. Except for the stripe mask, all the rest was done with Scotch blue painters tape.

A tip I learned ages ago from a sign painter was totake the tape and lightly stick it to your pants leg before applying. This makes it slightly less tacky and won't lift paint when you pull it off. Also pull tape back slowly along itself rather than pulling it at a 90 degree angle to the work and you will have a lot less chance of it lifting the paint it is covering.