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For masking partly painted figures, swords, armour etc, what do you folks use?
Can I just grab any old masking tape, or is it too harsh? Would that pull up the paint?

I've been recommended masking fluid, special tapes, etc, but I thought I'd check, being that it could be an expensive way to learn.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Whoops, sorry guys, asked for moving. [facepalm]

Tamiya's tape seems to be very very popular in the community.

Yeah, my roomie bought some recently, I'm just being a grumpy cheap artist by wondering if I can use the stuff more readily to hand in supply stores.

I use blue tack and the tamiya tape.

Blue tack is also a decent alternative to tape if you need to mask complex shapes. Tape is especially good for straight edges.

Thanks! I had not thought of Blu-tac! I've used cling film before, suppose that's similar concept.

If you're in the UK, try out a store called Boyes, they have much cheaper Tamiya-style tape. It's great, much finer than household tape and adheres better.

Blue tac is great as a mask. I've been painting Ork boys - now 5 short of a green tide - and sprayed their faces black, then masked with blue tax and sprayed the helmets white (or yellow). works brilliantly.

I'm off to Boyes in a few hours, actually! Their arrival in my town has made a real difference to my arsenal. Especially knives and that tempting NMM Vallejo kit...

Tamiya tape is sold in many places for a reason. It is that good.

The tapes Boyes sell seems indistinguishable from Tamiya, I can't tell the difference. They are both great.

I use two things, (although this is for airbrushing, I haven't tried masking while using brushes)

Firstly just some cheap thin tape from amazon, low tac to prevent removing paint and quite thin so that I can do hazard stripes.

Secondly I use this goo-thing, I can't remember what its called, but I highly recommend it for blocking off areas, or like large body parts. Far superior to blu-tac imo, as the only thing it sticks to is itself. So you can press it onto a model without any worry whatsoever. It also is more malleable than blu-tac.

Silly putty, that's what it's called.

I've always just used your basic kind of masking tape like you get from the supermarket.

Sometimes you can cheat and cover the majority of the model with Clingfilm and then just mask the immediate area. (useful with airbrushing)

I use the sticky parts of post-it notes, for the most part, or this surgical tape I have which has the consistency of skin. It is VERY flexible and stretchy, it has an EXCELLENT seal, yet it is very easy to remove (but it costs a freaking fortune, something like $20 for a roll of about 15').

You can also by Frisking Solution (used for airbrushing) that works just as well with brushed paint.

Frisking paper is also awesome (It is VERY SIMILAR to the surgical tape I mentioned, but it is finicky when removing, and can be a bitch to get off cleanly), especially for doing very complex patterns (which can be very tricky to position).

After I learned a trick using the post-it notes, though (which are easier to deal with than frisking paper), I found that cutting a negative for your pattern into the sticky part of a post-it note, and then positioning it on your model, and THEN using the post-it note as a mask for frisking fluid to be painted on (since the fluid is easier to remove than the paper), I stopped using frisking paper on almost everything (miniature related).

Obviously, on larger models the post-it note trick would be difficult, due to the small size of post-it note's sticky part.

MB

I get by with regular old masking tape for any straight edges that are longer than a post-it note, but it takes a bit of extra effort to give results comparable to Tamiya tape. First, I decrease the tack (just a matter of repeatedly sticking and peeling the tape), then I refine the edge with a razor/knife and metal straightedge (you don't need a super crisp edge to close boxes or paint a wall, so the cut is usually a bit rough for our purposes). With sufficient burnishing after positioning the tape edge, it gives results just as clean as Tamiya tape. It does, however, take significantly more time and effort to get there.

This stuff is a good alternative too:



(notice the delicate surface version -- the regular frog tape is green)

I just started using it a few models ago, and it's pretty good. It's much cheaper per meter than Tamiya, though I love my Tamiya tape. One of the nice things about Tamiya is the convenient, model-sized widths like 6mm.

Crikey. So many options! Thanks guys.
I hadn't thought of post its either.

I ended up waiting in all day for a parcel (replacement compressor, funnily enough), but I'll take a look at the Boyes tape tomorrow, and see if I can order some Tamiya if I don't get on with it very well.
I'm itching to have a go at tanks and large blades, so straight lines would be very helpful.

Normal masking tape is fine. Masking tape was intentionally made for painting jobs so have at it without worries. Only has enough adhesive to stay in place, not pull things apart. Play Doh if you want roundish camo patterns.

I second the yellow stuff with the frog in it. I have used it for RC helicopter canopies, works great.

The Tamiya tape is awesome, humbrol maskol is also awesome

Tapes are generally rated by color for how adhesive they are. White masking tape will do ok, but do not leave it on your model over night. The longer it is adhered, the greater the likelihood of it pulling off a layer of paint. White masking tape also has the most inconsistency between brands. Some will be lower tack and high bleed and some will be high tack and leave nasty residue. Always test it on a spare model to avoid heartache.

Blue tapes are all very similar except the really cheap ones. They are lower tack than white and may bleed if you use a thin paint. I would also be wary about leaving it taped overnight, but it has less of a chance of harming your model. I would stick to 3M brand blue masking tape. It's worth it.

Next up is green tape. It performs a little different than the two previously mentioned tapes. It's a medium tack but creates a nice seal to prevent bleeding. Frogtape is the most accessible (at least in the US) but 3M makes a teal colored tape that doesn't have tack on the edges to create a soft lined mask. It's very cool stuff.

Yellow tape is the best of the masking tapes and is generally preferred by modelers. It's more common to find in useful sizes (pinstripes and thin rolls) that are more appealing for miniatures. Tamiya is good if you need thin straight lines, but I would just get Frogtape. You can always stick it to your cutting mat and cut it with a knife and ruler.

Theres also liquid masking, frisket, play dough, hard masks, and so on, but I'll save that for a different long-winded post.

 Talys wrote:
This stuff is a good alternative too:



(notice the delicate surface version -- the regular frog tape is green)

I just started using it a few models ago, and it's pretty good. It's much cheaper per meter than Tamiya, though I love my Tamiya tape. One of the nice things about Tamiya is the convenient, model-sized widths like 6mm.

I just got some Frog Tape at HD on Sunday, and though I have not used it (only applied the tape to the model but not yet the paint) I am a little concerned the fine print says "works with all latex paint" and nothing about acrylics. Tape application seems versatile enough. What can I expect once the paint is flying?

I just remembered something about when you remove the tape producing different effects at the seam between the colors.

I looked it up, and Google says that removing the tape as soon as possible (and before your paint is completely dried) helps create a less noticeable seam, as the paint "relaxes" into the seam.

Whereas if you wait longer, the seam will have more of a "lip" to it.

I remember painting motorcycles for the first time in the 80s that that seam between colors was a real bitch to get rid of.

The motorcycle painting guides say to add several coats of Clear-coat (thick, gloss sealer), and then sand after every coat after the third to fifth coat of Clear-coat (to keep from sanding through to the colors beneath).

I do not know if that will be relevant to miniatures, though.

MB

Well, as all my plans this week have fallen theough, I've borrowed some Tamiya tape in the end.
I'll be grabbing some Boyes tomorrow to compare.

You may also want to try Silly Putty for masking.

Silly putty lifts newsprint, will it not lift ink?