How to Fix Peeled Paint During Mask Removal

[MiG Hunter]

Disaster struck today. Airbrushed paint was partially peeled off while I was gently removing masking tape.

What should I do now? Is there a local quick fix or should I airbrush the whole area all over again?

Should I sand the damaged area before painting.

Please help.

Edited January 28, 2016 by MiG Hunter

[86Sabreboy1]

Disaster struck today. Airbrushed paint was partially peeled off while I was gently removing masking tape.

What should I do now? Is there a local quick fix or should I airbrush the whole area all over again?

Should I sand the damaged area before painting.

Please help.

If I had to guess you are using a water based acrylic based paint. You don't give any specifics so all I can do is shoot in the dark here. With that said you need to lay a primer coat first. With many water based acrylic based paints they don't have a very strong bond directly on plastic like that of enamels or alcohol based acrylics such as Tamiya or Gunze Aqueous.

[MiG Hunter]

You are absolutely right. I only use TAMIYA acrylic, not enamel. I did primer the model but I had to put black stripes over partial white which sits on base coat(primer+base color+ white+black stripes).

See the photo here and look just to the left of tail wheel. P-51D

Now the white which is on top of the base silver coat is partially peeled off. How can I fix this issue?

[Lancer512]

Sand the edges smooth with a very fine grit paper and then and rebuild the paint layers that have been destroyed in the process.

What masking tape were you using?

[jinmmydel]

Well Tamiya acrylics aren't water-based. I'd have guessed you were using Model Master Acryl since it's the only paint I've ever really seen peel in my experience.

The only think I can figure is there was a contaminant under the paint. The only way to fix it really is to gradually sand down around the edges of the peel with successfully finer sandpaper...preferably micromesh, and repaint. You'll have to build up the layers some.

[MiG Hunter]

No contamination for sure. I guess the problem is that the white which is sitting on top of the silver base coat (which is obviously not a primer) has a weak bond. That's why it peeled off. There should be a work around in situations like this when you need to mask layers on top of each other. I used TAMIYA masking tape.

Should I airbrush the whole white area again or just a touch up?

Edited January 28, 2016 by MiG Hunter

[jinmmydel]

I think I misunderstood what you did here. So you painted the white and black stripes over the metallic? You really shouldn't do it that way. The metallic paints aren't going to let overcoats bite in. It's fine, in theory, if you don't plan to mask over them, but with masking it's most assuredly going to pull up.

You're just going to have to touch it up some.

[MiG Hunter]

I had to paint white over silver. The base coat is metallic silver. Should I have masked the area where white was supposed to sit before the base coat?

[jinmmydel]

If you're talking about the invasion stripes on the fuselage of the Mustang you should have primed, painted the white, masked, painted the black, masked, and then painted the silver.

[MiG Hunter]

I see. I am a newbie. That is how we learn.

Now, what is the best way to fix this now that the white is sitting on top of the silver?

Edited January 28, 2016 by MiG Hunter

[balls47]

You've got some great advice from the other posts. Here is some advice for "next time." The next time you pull up your tape(after following posted advice), take a brand new, or very, very sharp #11 blade or use a scalpel. Now, carefully make a light cut at the edge of the masking tape (where it pulled paint up) that separates the two colors. The weight of the X-acto knife or scalpel should be enough to cut through the color. This, in essence, separates your paint from the masking tape. If you have a paint ridge, you may have to lightly sand it down. By the way, I use Tamiya masking tape. I also try and pull the tape up when the paint is still a little bit wet, but has set. The only time I use the procedure above is if the paint has dried and cured. Good Luck!!!

[godfrey1775]

I see. I am a newbie. That is how we learn.

Now, what is the best way to fix this now that the white is sitting on top of the silver?

My $.02 is the mask off the areas around the white stripe that is damaged to protect your paint there. Then sand down the area where your paint lifted and try to feather out the edges as much as possible. Step 3 spray your primer and let it dry. You will probably need to sand again, this time with increasingly finer grit. Once it's smooth, Spray the white again, let it dry, remove mask, and tah-dah!