Pulling the tape - am I too late?

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Blast it Tom!

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Quick question I shouldn't be typing right now... (critical report at work... and it's our wedding anniversary!)
Masked & sprayed a rocket last night, Rustoleum over Rustoluem pro that had been cured for a week. How soon do you guys pull the tape off? ASAP or wait for full cure or somewhere in between? I can't afford to screw this up and afraid I already might have. It's been about 15 hrs since I sprayed...
 
One thing I have found that helps minimize lifting paint is pulling the tape back at 180º angle, basically against the body tube away from the 'lift' area. You're minimizing the area the tape is pulling against which seems to help quite a bit.

Maybe it's common knowledge but I learned it the hard way.

Good luck,


Tony
 
One thing I have found that helps minimize lifting paint is pulling the tape back at 180º angle, basically against the body tube away from the 'lift' area. You're minimizing the area the tape is pulling against which seems to help quite a bit.

Maybe it's common knowledge but I learned it the hard way.

Good luck,


Tony
Thanks! Yeah, I do that with stickers, in a different sort of way. most adhesives are great in shear, not as good in tension, so if you get it started, pull the sticker straight back over itself and go slow- most seem to come off cleaner with less adhesive residue.
 
I pull it not long after I have sprayed to give the paint a chance to "settle" at the edges and to prevent any chipping.

Let us know how it goes.

-Bob
 
Ah! a vote for patience! Do you score along the tape line with a razor or just pull? Any rough edges? Do you wet sand/clear coat then? (I'm figuring to clear coat to protect come decals).
I don't score along the paint line because I don't trust myself to follow the edge precisely. It might be a good idea though.

*Usually* I get a decent edge, with an occasional bit of chipping that is usually very easy to fix in touch-up (I've been getting very good at doing touch-ups with these guys). My biggest problem is paint bleeding under loose areas of tape that I somehow failed to burnish down properly.

It is very possible that pulling the tape much earlier would be better, but I'm reluctant to handle the rocket until the paint is cured. Also, I once tried to pull it at exactly the wrong time... after the paint was only partly cured. The paint created strings as I pulled up the tape, leaving a mess. Would need to do it either earlier or later. I decided to just wait rather than try to figure out exact correct timing.
 
I don't score along the paint line because I don't trust myself to follow the edge precisely. It might be a good idea though.

*Usually* I get a decent edge, with an occasional bit of chipping that is usually very easy to fix in touch-up (I've been getting very good at doing touch-ups with these guys). My biggest problem is paint bleeding under loose areas of tape that I somehow failed to burnish down properly.

It is very possible that pulling the tape much earlier would be better, but I'm reluctant to handle the rocket until the paint is cured. Also, I once tried to pull it at exactly the wrong time... after the paint was only partly cured. The paint created strings as I pulled up the tape, leaving a mess. Would need to do it either earlier or later. I decided to just wait rather than try to figure out exact correct timing.

The guys wanted to paint last night so I did, and recalled later that I'd pressed all the tape with my finger but did not burnish it. But I did spray the white again just to seal the edges of the tape, followed by several light coats of black. We'll see!
 
My biggest problem is paint bleeding under loose areas of tape that I somehow failed to burnish down properly.
@neil_w, have you ever tried first painting with a light spray of the base coat at the mask line? Let that dry for a few minutes, then spray with the second color. Any paint that leaks under the tape is the same color as the base coat and then it “locks in” the tape. So the second color won’t get under the tape. I find that I get sharper lines that way.
 
@neil_w, have you ever tried first painting with a light spray of the base coat at the mask line? Let that dry for a few minutes, then spray with the second color. Any paint that leaks under the tape is the same color as the base coat and then it “locks in” the tape. So the second color won’t get under the tape. I find that I get sharper lines that way.

I did that, at least...
 
@neil_w, have you ever tried first painting with a light spray of the base coat at the mask line? Let that dry for a few minutes, then spray with the second color. Any paint that leaks under the tape is the same color as the base coat and then it “locks in” the tape. So the second color won’t get under the tape. I find that I get sharper lines that way.
I generally haven't although I may try in the future since I seem to be having this problem over and over. Micromeister used to recommend clear spray for this purpose, since it creates less paint dam. I didn't have much luck with that when I tried it, but I only tried it once so maybe I could have figured it out if I stuck with it.
 
I pull the tape a soon as the rocket is safe to handle. So an hour or two. But I've also left it on over night. I don't like to leave it on that long because of tape residue.
Huh, I have never gotten tape residue with Tamiya or regular blue tape, even after a week or more. What kind of tape are you using?
 
I pull the tape a soon as the rocket is safe to handle. So an hour or two. But I've also left it on over night. I don't like to leave it on that long because of tape residue.
I'm always afraid I'll leave tape residue so hour or two, plus gives me an opportunity to scrape away with the hobby knife any that might have seeped past the tape.
 
Well, I want to thank all of your for the helpful advice. Over on my sort-kinda-build-and-asking-for-advice-thread, I posted the pictures. It came out very well, and I think it could have been 100% if I'd have remembered to burnish the tape edges. I did use Tamiya (straight) masking tape; I pulled carefully, no razor scoring along the tape, and then added the tail art.

Next week after a little wet sanding of some black mist that managed to find a small tear, she'll get her clear coat and then hopefully onto the 'chute construction, final weighing and stability checks!

Thanks again all!
 
Looks good to me. I think you’re almost always going to have to do touch ups on a rocket like the V2. Doing that checkered pattern on a flat surface is hard enough. Getting it perfect the first time on a curved surface requires time, patience, a steady hand and an even temper. So, nearly impossible for me.
 
If I am done with the last spray, I pull it off right away as there is little benefit on keeping it on. I use multiple thin coats instead of loading it on...seems to work better and less edge creep. Plus, less orange peel effect.
 
First, make sure your base coat is completely cured.
Then, I use Frog tape "multi surface" which has a strong adhesive and has paint block technology. When burnished, paint will not bleed. Apply multiple thin coats of paint allowing each to cure. My results have been excellent.
 
There's no hurry but I don't see the point in waiting. I paint outdoors so just as I set the rocket to dry indoors by a window, I remove the tape. So what does that make, 10 minutes of paint drying with the tape on? Easy and practical. If there's a problem, I know it immediately.
 
I'm kinda worried about my Super Big Bertha I'm doing for the wife. I had to mask off the fins, she sprayed it with Krylon Gloss Black and had large runs because she started and stopped spraying on the rocket instead of past the ends. Doh! I let it sit 50 hours to cure (the can says respray within 2 hors or after 48) and had immediate crinkles, etc. Let it sit a day, sanded all that off, had to wait til the next day to respray, still crinkling but less, sand that off within an hour, resprayed okay decent finally.

Now the issue is that I plan to let to let the paint dry while (a week?), then put on some purple color shift paint. So the length of time the tape is on the fins is 4 days now, will be around 11 if I let the black cure a week, because I don't trust Krylon paint. Thankfully I used Tamiya yellow tape and burnished it well, but I did notice that it did damage the paint on a previous rocket if left on for a long time.
 
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