Masking Advice

[moon_knight1971]

Like alot of you, I am wondering if there are any proven methods that would make masking easier. I currently use masking tape, silly putty, play-doh & seran wrap depending on the area I am covering. Right now when I mask an area off I often find small areas where the paint has seeped under the mask. I tried liquid latex before but that can be a super big hassles to remove in an area with lots of nooks & crannies. Anyone have a solution that works for them that they can share?

[salmonjim]

I use strictly Tamiya masking tape...
One of the thing i do is just stick a big piece of tape on the area to be masked and use a pencil to trace it before cutting it on a cutting mat.

Another trick i find useful is to cut the end of the masking tape to a 45 degree angle so you can stick it in those hard to reach areas.

Hope that helps.

[FengShuiStein]

I've been hooked on Silly Putty, lately - it's been working fine for me!
Blue painter's masking tape also works well.

Liquid latex is best for getting those nice tight edges, but yeah - it's a huge pain to work with.

-Phil

[Danno]

Every masking material (thus far) has it's good and bad points.
But things that help with any material is to keep your airpressure down and try to spray away from the mask rather than towards if possible. Try to do your "hard to cover" colors first (white, flesh, yellow, red, orange, etc...) so that you are masking over these colors and spraying a color that covers better.

[moon_knight1971]

All great and valid tips guys. Someone on another forum suggested that perhaps my paint is too thin and that is why its going under the mask. Again, thanks for the tips!

[kenny]

If you have problems with bleeding under a masked area try clear coating it first after you mask then hit it with color, the clear should take up the space the color would flow into. I use that method all the time when a fine line is crirical:thumbs2:

[Vince-Vell]

I use silly puddy and have like 4 lbs of that stuff in a plastic tupperwear container.

I also use Ceran Wrap for bigger areas i need covered.


I still have yet to find the perfect tape, anyone got suggests and specific brands of tape to use and places to buy it? I more or less want tape for those edges that silly puddy just wont work.

not a fan of liquid latex, maybe cause i use a cheap brand.

Once in a while i use playdo, but i dont like that stuff due to the residue it leaves.

[RickDTM]

Vince - For the tape, I would recommend 3M Blue painter's tape. Pretty low tack and does a good job of not pulling dried paint up. You can get it at Lowe's, Home Depot or any paint store.

[Vince-Vell]

Vince - For the tape, I would recommend 3M Blue painter's tape. Pretty low tack and does a good job of not pulling dried paint up. You can get it at Lowe's, Home Depot or any paint store.

Ok i will try it, but question about that specific brand. if i were to leave the tape on over night after painting. Will it stick even more or leave a residue for longer exposure?

I have a habbit of staying up to like 3am painting and letting the items dry till the next night when i get home with the silly puddy still on them. Works perfectly with what i do and my FT job.

Also does that tape come in thing stipes or is it like the size of masking tape where it needs to be cut down.

Thanks! :thumbs2:

[DanPerezStudios]

You can lower the tack of the blue tape even more by sticking it to the leg of your jeans and pulling it off a couple of times before applying it to the model.

[RickDTM]

Vince- Not sure about that....I try never to leave tape on a painted piece longer than necessary.

Danno's suggestion to not spray directly into the mask is right on the money. Try to keep your spray perpendicular to the mask like or slightly angled away and you should be fine. I've never had paint bleed under a silly putty mask....did you burnish it down when you applied it?

[Vince-Vell]

Ok ill have to mess with the tape on some personal projects, never was a fan of tape tho. Even when i did paint on illustration boards back in college it was always frisket i used.

Seems as tho silly puddy is the best thing i use so far. I use it on everything and leave it on the statues over night till the next night. There is only once down side with that, if the apartment gets hot that silly puddy will melt off LOL. But most of the time its cool.

Side note; Few weeks ago i went into target and bought 15 things of silly puddy, lady in front of me asked if i love silly puddy. Told her i like to eat the stuff. She walked away fast.....:thumbs2:


Thanks for the tips guys.

[isculpt]

LOL...ahahahah. Anyways how would you mask eyes? They are so small and the shape is awkward.

[RickDTM]

Tear off a small bit of silly putty and shape it w/ a toothpick.

[isculpt]

Thanks. Never thought of play doh and silly putty as paint masking lol.

[jsoex]

Using Silly Putty sounds interesting. Can you re-use the silly putty after you get paint on it? Do you knead it or discard it?

[RickDTM]

You can indeed. Just knead it back up and use it over again. I've never had a problem w/ paint transfer or residue left behind.

[jsoex]

Cool! Now I want to try it.

Thanks!

[Vince-Vell]

Only problem that has occured with my silly puddy is when i want to clear coat certain areas of the statue.

Say i wanted to use a gloss coat on a black outfit to give it that latex look, and i use silly puddy around skin/base/hair etc.... Then use Testors Dull or Gloss coat, it sorta melts the silly puddy. So when ever i do this i throw out the silly puddy. The chemicals in that stuff dont mix well with the silly puddy, turns it into sticky gum.

But when i do that, i use the old silly puddy that has been recycled a lot and has ton of paint crap in it.

Try to keep two tupperware coatiners of silly puddy. One with newer cleaner puddy and one with the older reused crap filled one.

[jsoex]

Vince-Vell-

That's great advice. I'll make sure to use old Silly Putty for gloss and dull coats, and I'll have to get me two Tupperware containers.

[DanPerezStudios]

It's not as easy to use as Silly Putty probably is, but I use that white mastic stuff (sticky tack--used for stickin posters to the wall). You can put it between two sheets of wax paper and roll it though a pasta roller to make thin sheets. You can use a rubber tipped paint/clay shaper to nudge bits of it into corners and stuff like that. Works pretty well with both paint and Dullcote.

[Bartholomew]

Does it have to be the silly putty that comes in a the red egg shapped containers?
I went to Wal Mart, and I couldn't find that traditional putty, but was able to find this knock off putty for 86 cents.

[RickDTM]

Nahh, I don't think it has to be the "original" putty. Try it out on a scrap piece just to be sure.

[Vince-Vell]

Well those silly putty that change in color with heat are very very tacky, and allmost like using chewed up gum on your statues. So stay away from the silly putty change or color stuff. Im not a fan of that stuff.

The cheap knock off silly putty stuff i never used so no clue on that.

I just went to the crayola site last week and bought myself the 5 lb. silly putty containter. Only cause i cant find the stuff anymore at any stores in my area. it was $80 but i think this is like a year supply with 5 lbs of the stuff.