Masking Tape Secrets.

[mx250]

How do you get masking tape to follow a tight(ish) radius and how can you get a clean edge (no bleeding under tape)?

[LWC82PE]

The key is to use a good quality masking tape that stretches around bends/curves. I use a professional grade tape from a crash supplies mob that painters use and it is a lime green colour and about 20mm wide and its made by 3M. Some of that cheap stuff is really crap. I did the exact thing your talking about on some car rims off a old Cortina i polished the edges then masked off the polished part so i could bead blast the centers then removed the tape and was left with mags that looked a million bucks I use the same tape for paint work aswell, but for really tight bends i use another tape which is really stretchy and is a pin striping type tape. Its about 5mm wide and is a blue plastic material similar to electrical tape. It stretches well and is also made by 3M.

i will get the part numbers of these tapes and post it up here tomorrow.

[Billet YZ]

Hi mx250,
             i have always used a good quality electrical tape as the edge is sharp and the tape itself is flexible enough to go around corners. Gives a good seal to your part to stop paint getting in along the edges and it`s not super sticky to start pulling the dry paint off when you remove it.  Peter.

[brent j]

A painter friend told me once that masking tape will always bend one way easier than the other. I watched him masking a car one day and he did some curves arse-about so to speak. This was to take advantage of the way the tape would bend.

I've tried it and I think it works but my painting is a bit like laying asphalt so I'm no expert. The same guy also used narrower tape the tighter he needed to make the radius.

Worth a try I suppose

Brent

[mx250]

I went for 3m rather than Chinese 'one dollaar, special price for you' cheap stuff and I figured the narrower the better (about 15mm). I'll try reversving the edge.

[MX?]

Some tapes can be a pain. Even with the 3mm pinstripe tape I used on my tank, I had trouble making it lay flat on the sharp corners.

[mainline]

all of the above, go to a paint and panel supply shop, get the thin tape, use that to form your edge and then go over the top of it with the thicker stuff.

There's tonnes of videos on youtube re custom paintjobs which have info on masking. You'll have to wade through the heavy metal to get to the masking bits though Definately worth a look, especially the second vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SixeSFBERk&feature=PlayList&p=E798EEA7CEB7C819&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=83

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-bSIboS_Rk&feature=related

[Doc]

tight curving of masking tape can be done. I buy bulk and use the stuff all all the time. The trick is only press down the very inner edge of the tape until you have the curve as you'd like then press down the rest. The rest won't lay flat obviously and you have to do a little tuck and fold occassionally but it's the curved edge we're wanting to retain so who cares how pretty the overlap is. It can be done quite small and tight with a little practice  

[LWC82PE]

these are the 3 i use

3M Scotch 233. This is the 20mm wide green masking tape. made in Canada
3M 471 Vinyl tape. This one is blue and is 6.35mm or 1/4" wide. made in USA
3M Scotch 218 Fine Line tape. This one is a real light greeny/grey sort of colour is 3.17mm or 1/8" wide. made in USA

They are all professional grade tapes from automotive crash suppliers so they arent cheap.

[JohnnyO]

LWC is onto it, the best one i've used is the 6mm 3M light blue plastic tape. It goes round tight corners without creasing and sticks well and gives a good sharp edge. Then go over the top with 20mm masking tape. I'm a motorcycle spraypainter and that's what i've had the best results with.

[LWC82PE]

that makes 2 of us