I know I've seen the answers to these questions before but now I can't seem to locate them using the search feature.

When using 2 or more colors on a rocket, do you prefer to paint from light to dark or dark to light, and why?

How do you deal with "bleed under" when using masking tape? Boy that's a pisser

And lastly, if you've masked an area off to paint a different color, how do you keep the first color from peeling (or lifting for lack of a better word) off the rocket when the tape comes off? or do you peel off the tape before the paint dries?
I have problems with this area in particular. I've tried peeling the tape off when the paint is still wet, (but what if you need to give it another coat?)screwed that up. Tried peeling it off when the paint has dried and screwed that up too.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Dave
Fire is the leading cause of fire.
Was once SAM#0132

Generally, it's easier to cover light colors with dark. But, depending on what needs masked, it's sometimes easy to paint the lighter color first.



Paint the rocket with the first color and let it dry. Use good-quality masking tape (like the blue stuff) and mask off the parts to stay the original color. Then spray a coat of the original color (or clear) along the masked edge and let it dry. Then apply the next color.



Make sure the first color is dry then mask it using good tape - such as the blue masking tape - and you shouldn't have a problem.

-- Roger (who usually just paints his rockets one color if he even bothers to paint them at all)

I put dark over light, because the shade of a light coat is affected by what's under it in some cases.

To keep the base coat from lifting, I use a decent quality tape, and I still put the tape on my skin to lessen the tackiness of it before application.

If you are talking about the top coat lifting as you peel the tape, it has a lot to do with the angle you pull the tape, and how dry it is. If you wait until it has completely cured, it will sometimes flake off. If you get it within 30 minutes or so, it usually comes off clean as long as you pull the tape off at a severe angle to keep it from lifting.

For the new coat bleeding under tape, I usually just lightly burnish the tape edge right before paint application. Some people hit the model with another coat of the same color base coat to seal the tape, then let dry and paint with the new color. I've done it a few times with mixed results, plus it takes that much longer to let the extra coat of paint dry before starting the new color. Burnishing right before first application works a little better for me.

Don't use masking tape. Instead use vinyl masking. That's how to get the cleanest lines. http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/gpm/gpmgpmr1000.htm

Also, with any tape, you need to push the edge down with your thumbnail to get a good seal.

Take it off while the paint is wet. It helps to have the bird securely affixed to a paint stick so that you can get a good hold on it while you're pulling the mask off. It also helps to apply the mask in steps that are easy to work backwards thru while removing it. You gotta kinda plan it out. You'll get the hang of it over time.

[EDIT] I should add, the likely reason you're pulling the first color off is that you're leaving the mask on too long. Seems the longer some tapes are on, the stickier they get. Also, as stated elsewhere, pull the tape off an an angle.

Doug

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YORF member #11

+1 vote for always putting dark colors over the light color base.

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Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

As far as masking tape goes, I use nothing but Tamiya tape. It leaves a nice sharp line and it (as of yet) hasn't ever lifted up the paint. It isn't cheap by any means but I'm sold on the stuff and so are a lot of modelers. Here is Tamiya's site, but it is sold in various widths at my LHS:

http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/it...roduct-id=87031

There are refills for the plastic dispensers.

Thanks for the responses guys.
A brief painting weather window has opened here in the Mid-South this week. I'll try some of these suggestions and see how it comes out. I'll post some pics if they're worthy.

Roger - I agree with your comment about one color rockets, however, a few of mine have different color nose/tail cones. I do have a Big Daddy with 2 color paint but the "overspray blend" is the desired look on that one.

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Dave
Fire is the leading cause of fire.
Was once SAM#0132

I have to agree that Tamiya tape is great. I have tried the blue tape and Frog's with poor results and ended up going back to Tamiya. I apply the tape and press it down with a blunt object and that's it. Spray a couple of light coats of the color you want followed by one wet coat. Wait an hour or two and peel the tape away. Good luck

I will enthusiastically second that recommendation. After many, many frustrating experiences with poor masking jobs, I finally started achieving consistent success when I picked up some of this tape. Get it, use it, and you'll never want to use anything else.

I usually do hit the masked off area with another light coat of the base color, too. I apply this layer, like I apply all layers, in very, very light coats; the object is not to add more of the base color to the masked area, but rather to seal the edges of the tape. Light coats dry fast, so I usually go right ahead and spray with the contrasting color about 20 to 40 minutes after I spray this "tape sealing" coat. I use the same interval regardless of whether I am using old Krylon or new Krylon, but I would like to pass on one warning. If you are applying old Krylon over a coat of the new stuff, stay toward the shorter end of this interval range; the lacquer-like Old K dries so fast that it is better to apply it when the New K base coat is still a little sticky - it will be less likely to cause the base coat to wrinkle that way. (The notorious "1 hr. recoat time" of New Krylon may work when you are putting one coat of NK onto another, but you are definitely risking a wrinkle - or lots of them - if you try to put a coat of Old Krylon on over NK anywhere between 40 minutes and 24 hours after putting on the base coat. Putting the OK on around 20-30 minutes after applying the coat of NK seems to work, though.)

As for when to peel off the masking tape, I would say that it really depends on what type of paint you are using and how heavy is the top coat. Light, light coats seem to help here as well. The lighter the top coat, the sooner you can peel off the paint mask, so try to put on only as much of the top, contrasting paint as you need to get an even color that has the depth you want. (Another good reason why it is usually better to paint the darker colors over the lighter colors.) This is also why I prefer to use fast-drying acrylic spray paints over slow-drying enamel spray paints for rockets - it is easier to lay on multiple thin coats with the acrylics, and you will not have to leave the paint mask on for as long.

So, when should you peel off the tape? I wait until the paint on the masking tape is dry to the touch. Be careful to only touch the tape, though, and never, ever touch the painted area until at least 24 hours after you have applied the last coat, if you can possibly avoid it. Before you start to peel, check over all of the tape to make sure that it is dry all over. Look out for "puddles," "drops" or "crevices" that can hold small or large gobs of wet paint that can smear as you pull on the tape. (Careful masking can minimize this.) I find that pointed-tip tweezers are really helpful in grabbing and peeling off the tape. And always peel straight away from the piece (not at an angle) and do it SLOWLY.

Mark \\.

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SAM # 0011

One other tip no one has mentioned - if you are having trouble with the tape peeling the paint next to it and not under it, you might lightly scribe along the tape edge with your Xacto knife - that will break the seal between the tape and the paint alongside it.

Greg