[mrzedexsixargh]

Most of my work is freehand, but I’m starting to get into things where masking has its benefits. The problem is, though, when I remove the tape ( I use 3M), I get those jagged edges, no matter how I pull it, what paint I use, or how long I let it dry.

What am I doing wrong? Do you have any tips for me?

Thanks!

 

[Artistimo]

You mean the tape is pulling some of the paint off and giving you a serrated edge? If that's the case you need to work on prep b/c the paint is not sticking properly to the surface you're painting on. Or if you mean there is a buildup (tapeline) on the edge of the paint then there's too much paint being put on.

 

[mrzedexsixargh]

You mean the tape is pulling some of the paint off and giving you a serrated edge? If that's the case you need to work on prep b/c the paint is not sticking properly to the surface you're painting on. Or if you mean there is a buildup (tapeline) on the edge of the paint then there's too much paint being put on.

Even when I'm down to bare metal with the right primer, I get it.

 

[pitts4pets]

are you using fine line tape or regular masking tape?

 

[alaska cajun]

Yep,you need to use fine line tape to seperate the colors then regular tape behind that.Works like a charm.

 

[Blue1]

Use 3m fineline tape (1/8th inch or 1/4 inch) to mask around your graphic. There are a few kinds, I personally use the blue colored vinal kind which is great for curves and such. The p/n for the 1/8 inch is 471 if ya want to look it up.

 

[Grashopr]

Try to keep your film thickness down and work on your preparation...if your film thickness is thicker than the overall thickness of the tape, you'll end up with a solid layer of paint across your paint line, and no matter how good your adhesion is, you'll have a ragged edge. I personally perfer to keep my edge to less than two solid coats. Also, try to keep from putting on super 'heavy' coats, as the layer will sag up against the tape while curing and cause a huge 'lip' up against the tape edge, even if the tape pulls off cleanly. Make sure you're reducing your basecoats right and with the right speed of reducer for your temp, then put on two or three light/mist coats to get coverage rather than one solid 'wet' coat. You'll end up with the same coverage, but with less film thickness....

Post pics!!

Phil

 

[mrzedexsixargh]

Cool! Thanks, guys.

 

[mrzedexsixargh]

Too much paint turned out to be my problem. I like my paint & a whole lot of it.

I’ll post pics when I paint something that doesn’t suck.

Thanks again for your help, all. :cheers