Shawn C. Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 How long should acrylic paint be allowed to cure before masking? Also, is Tamiya tape a good masking material over acrylics? I've always used enamels and I'm worried about the fragility of acrylics. Thanks all! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
William G Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I have found that Tamiya Tape is good for most masking jobs ( Except soft edges ) when I use any tapes on any surface I wait almost 1 hour for acrylics, But then again I will use an old hair dryer to speed the curing time. Watch the heat so as to not melt the plastic or soften it. I have also used a food dehydrator to do the same thing with car bodies when I am trying to get that Heavy gloss. As soon as the surface is dry I apply the tape, burnish the edges and then apply the same paint that I am masking over, this way I seal the edges fully and dont have to worry about bleeding edges. after this drys I hit it with the next color of paint. repeat as needed based on the number of colors in the paint scheme. I have used this on mostly auto kits where you need that razor sharp line of demarcation. On models like space ships I use squares and rectangles of the 3M tape (The stuff has the adhesive used on PostIt notes) this is low tack and I apply it in layers after the base coat had dried. I built the Star Destroyer kit a few years ago using this method, after the base has dried I apply the tape segments overlapping, covering one another with gaps, Spray the next color, let dry remove part of the segments, next color repeat until desired effect is realized in styrene and paints. If you are working in a High Humidity area you might want to wait a day or two to allow the paint to fully cure and outgas. Hope this Helps William G Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn C. Posted December 10, 2003 Author Share Posted December 10, 2003 William, Thanks for the input. It is bone dry here and it has sat for about 22 hours so I'm going to do the masking. Neat technique using the food dehydrator too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
William G Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I can not take the credit for that one. I read about it in Scale Auto Enthusiast a few years ago. So... But glad it helps and gives you a few ideas. I am going to try to build a large stage for the dehydrator to work on so that I am not restricted by the little trays that came with it. Want to also put a filter onto it as well to prevent any dust gtom collecting as well... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn C. Posted December 10, 2003 Author Share Posted December 10, 2003 Yes, the circulating air would create a lot of dust. You could rig something pretty simple using some cardboard, duct tape and a coffee filter to see how well it works before you commit to doing something more elaborate. Sometimes my engineering mind works and other times I get lazy and resort to duct tape. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
William G Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Sometimes my engineering mind works and other times I get lazy and resort to duct tape. :lol: Ah Yes Duct Tape The handymans secret weapon. Remember fella's If women dont find you attractive, they should at least find you handy. Oh how much fun Sorry ya made me think of Red Green William G Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kuma Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Hi Shawn! I mask (Tamiya tape) over Gunze acrylics (matt) after about 1/2 hour and only once in numerous times found peeling of the underlying paint. Gloss gunze acrylics take a little longer, usually 4 hours. Martin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Old72s Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Depends on the paint and the method of application. PollyScale shot from an airbrush (except for PollyS silver) can be handled within a minute. I mostly mask by attaching 3M masking tape patterns with balls of blue-tac (to get a slight feathering on the edges). That can be safely done within a couple of hours. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggie96 Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Another tip. I usually stick and peel the tape to my cutting surface a couple of times to reduce the tackiness before masking acrylics...just to be on the safe side. And peel it off the kit slow :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ricardo Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Tamiya masking tape kicks ***! Ricardo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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