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Hi fellow Dakkas - hopefully some help? I used Vallejo masking fluid which was then spray painted with Vallejo chrome as a base and some other colours. When I removed the masking fluid it tore the edges. Any advice?

Varnish before masking. Allow layers to cure fully before masking and don't over apply on top. For what you're dong there though, I'd have used tamiya tape.

winterdyne wrote:
Varnish before masking. Allow layers to cure fully before masking and don't over apply on top. For what you're dong there though, I'd have used tamiya tape.

Thanks for info. It's the layer over the mask not under that tore.

I've done almost those panels on the hull with tape previously and found it very tedious. The thing looks flat, but it has a lot of twists and turns to it when you do it with tape.

Because that was so tedious, I completely ignored the panel lines when I redid my eldar grav tanks and used pattafix / bluetac to mask my pattern lines on hull, and stuck ordinary paper to it to cover bigger areas.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 S.e.r.a.p.h.i.m wrote:

winterdyne wrote:
Varnish before masking. Allow layers to cure fully before masking and don't over apply on top. For what you're dong there though, I'd have used tamiya tape.

Thanks for info. It's the layer over the mask not under that tore.

Hmm.
Did you have the mask feathered out over the line - which can be difficult to see with it being semi-transparent?
Did you wait for the paint to fully dry before removing the mask? I'm trying to err on the side of caution and rather remove the masking tape, putty or liquid mask while the paint is still wet. That avoids tearing for me.

 Stephanius wrote:
I've done almost those panels on the hull with tape previously and found it very tedious. The thing looks flat, but it has a lot of twists and turns to it when you do it with tape.

Because that was so tedious, I completely ignored the panel lines when I redid my eldar grav tanks and used pattafix / bluetac to mask my pattern lines on hull, and stuck ordinary paper to it to cover bigger areas.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 S.e.r.a.p.h.i.m wrote:

winterdyne wrote:
Varnish before masking. Allow layers to cure fully before masking and don't over apply on top. For what you're dong there though, I'd have used tamiya tape.

Thanks for info. It's the layer over the mask not under that tore.

Hmm.
Did you have the mask feathered out over the line - which can be difficult to see with it being semi-transparent?
Did you wait for the paint to fully dry before removing the mask? I'm trying to err on the side of caution and rather remove the masking tape, putty or liquid mask while the paint is still wet. That avoids tearing for me.

Yeah i tried tape first and it bled not sealing well on the shape. More than 48hrs before I removed the masking. I think I was pretty tight on application but maybe not? Was wondering if the chrome was my problem.

Masking fluid can be challenging like that. Because it's so thin near the edge when you pull it up it's in the perfect position to tear up the paint you sprayed over it. Can be hard to avoid.

Try using thinner layers of paint (too thick and it'll want to tear off in chunks) and when you're pulling up the mask try and pull in the direction least likely to tear the paint.

Honestly for that, personally I'd use masking tape rather than fluid. The sharp edge you get with tape is because the ridge of paint caused by the thickness of the tape is a weak spot, so the paint pulls away cleanly instead of tearing up. I don't use fluid very often because even though it's easy to apply, that's the only easy part about it. Tape gives much cleaner lines, pulls up easier and I find is less likely to affect the underlying paint.

Bleeding under tape is a sign of overapplication of paint over it, or crappy tape, or poor application of tape, or a combination.

When you're airbrushing, your paint should go on very slightly glossy, not wet. Do not spray toward the tape edge from inside, spray from the tape side of the edge.

Tamiya tape will seal perfectly well on that. You need to rub it on (use the back of a paintbrush or a cocktail stick) to bed it down. Then use a very sharp scalpel to trim it to the edge of the panel line. Or push it into the panel line and repaint the panel line later. More short lengths are better than long lengths, espcially when conforming to a curve. Use torn paper and cheap tape (don't use this on a painted surface, just to paper or Tamiya tape) rather than Tamiya tape to form the majority of the mask, saving the expensive tape for the edges.

Note - I'm saying 'Tamiya tape' a lot. Thats because it's good, and is not like regular decorator's masking tape. It's waxier, stretchier, lower tack - don't expect the same result from dollar store tape. You won't get it. Downside, it's expensive.

Final note - leaving masking on a long time past the paint being dry isn't that wise, especially with cheap tape as the adhesive tends to dry, leading to a stronger bond. You end up leaving residue or tearing paintwork. Remove as soon as is practical.

If I'm using tamiya tape on a particularly challenging area (like the wing roots of an aircraft where it both has to twist around and also follow a concave surface) I'll use the back of my finger nail to carefully bed down the tape immediately prior to spraying because it'll slowly lift over time and spray will get a under it. But that's only in those challenging areas, 99% of the time you don't need to do that.

Yeah I have Tamiya tape - will give it a try again. Cheers for advice

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
If I'm using tamiya tape on a particularly challenging area (like the wing roots of an aircraft where it both has to twist around and also follow a concave surface) I'll use the back of my finger nail to carefully bed down the tape immediately prior to spraying because it'll slowly lift over time and spray will get a under it. But that's only in those challenging areas, 99% of the time you don't need to do that.

A cone clay shaper does a great job for this actually.

Did the top layer cure fully?

I dont think iv ever had liquid mask pull paint like that.