best curving masking tape?

mikeadamstattoo

Coast to Coast
what sort of masking tape would be best to achieve this sort of thing, for a two-tone tank?

any tips?

0607_stcp_04_z+1981_harley_davidson_fhl_custom_motorcycle+right_gas_tank.jpg
 
best way is 1/4" tape for the edge then paper in the middle and then use 1'2 tape to fill the other areas though....
 
haha oh yeah i forgot about that.

im thinking of doing this, its a mockup. two tone tank, olive/light tan with a vincent style decal saying honda that id have to get made

xnzsrk.jpg
 
looks cool....paint the green first, mask spray cream in very light dust coats so you dont get too much paint build up, peel tape, use an exacto blade very gently and scrape the paint edge, clear coat, and if it were me id get a goldish orange pinstripe to break up the cream and green.
 
try using the 1/4" pinstriping tape, it's blue and some kind of plastic, you can get it at good auto paint stores, use that to make your edge mask, then fill the rest in with regular masking tape.
 
rockcitycafe said:
try using the 1/4" pinstriping tape, it's blue and some kind of plastic, you can get it at good auto paint stores, use that to make your edge mask, then fill the rest in with regular masking tape.

It actually comes in a lot of different colors, but that's beside the point.

Pinstriping tape works great but you have to hold the slack end low to the tank, pull it fairly tight (don't snap it though), and keep a finger pressed right where you want it to stick. Can make really tight bends with it.

And make sure the part + tape are at room temp when you finish and pull it off or else it will just break apart into little chunks
 
Why would you want to paint light over dark? Everything I've done and have been told is to work your way dark with your colors.
 
rockcitycafe said:
try using the 1/4" pinstriping tape, it's blue and some kind of plastic, you can get it at good auto paint stores, use that to make your edge mask, then fill the rest in with regular masking tape.

+1 this is a great way to do it. It's how I striped Gretta's tank, and how I plan to paint the stripes on my Buell tank as soon as the new tank gets here. Works very very well.
 
Basement rat said:
Why would you want to paint light over dark? Everything I've done and have been told is to work your way dark with your colors.

you never mask the negetive when painting something....you always mask the outside edge for a couple reasons. first off its a lot easier to get both sides to match shape wise, second, the tape will be a lot easier to work on the outside edge, and third when finished itd be more pleasing to the eyes to see the white over the green than the green over the white, if you are a painter like me then this is something you would notice.
 
I'm not a painter but I know how to paint. I can use a gun, mix/ shoot poly, enamel and etc... In my line of work, there's never need to shoot beyond primer, white, red Teflon and three shades of gray.

So when I did this (with rattle can), I laid my green 1/4" tape line then another 1/4" on both sides of it. When it came down to the intersection with the thick green line I carefully used a razor blade to make a nice sharp clean point with my tape.

So, I primed, sanded, primed, etc... painted the white, masked, prepped, green, masked, prepped and black in that order.

DSC02792.jpg


Yes, It does make sence to paint it that way for ease of taping. What about when your going for a black stripe on white? What do you do? black where you need it, stripe it, primer and tons of white? What about that huge step your going to have in the paint? Dump the clear on, wet sand and buff?
 
if its just a black stripe on white and its thin it should be pin striped not sprayed....if its a thick stripe it depends on the design, there are always exceptions to the rule, i always dust a coat of white too before spraying color to kill the color underneith and prevent it from coming through or killing the brightness of the top coat.
 
If you go down to your local paint shop, that sells automotive paint, ask them for some "fine line tape". It will come in 1/8" and 1/4". It works great. There is also a frisket paper that is very flexible like plastic wrap that you can cut your pattern into directly on the piece being painted.
 
forcefanajd said:
looks cool....paint the green first, mask spray cream in very light dust coats so you dont get too much paint build up, peel tape, use an exacto blade very gently and scrape the paint edge, clear coat, and if it were me id get a goldish orange pinstripe to break up the cream and green.

I wouldn't use a knife and cut the edge, it will make it painfully obvious you have a hard edge there and even your clear won't mask it. You'd definately need a pinstripe doing it that way or it would look poor.

I'd pull the tape once the final coat has been applied and started to tack (always pull tape AWAY from the painted area to avoid it pulling any paint with the tape. We've all seen those lines that look like a parkensens patient taped it off) and allow the paint to roll giving a much cleaner look. Pinstriping was originally used as a cover up of poor transitions in paint. IMHO a job like the above pictured shows you have more talent and looks much cleaner.
 
charlesskelter said:
I wouldn't use a knife and cut the edge, it will make it painfully obvious you have a hard edge there and even your clear won't mask it. You'd definately need a pinstripe doing it that way or it would look poor.

I'd pull the tape once the final coat has been applied and started to tack (always pull tape AWAY from the painted area to avoid it pulling any paint with the tape. We've all seen those lines that look like a parkensens patient taped it off) and allow the paint to roll giving a much cleaner look. Pinstriping was originally used as a cover up of poor transitions in paint. IMHO a job like the above pictured shows you have more talent and looks much cleaner.

you can say what you want all you want, but i am a painter and i know the proper way of painting. i never said cut anything with the exacto, i said peel the tape then then gently rub it over where the 2 colors meet to get rid of the lip that is there....if you dont do this then you do need a pinstripe.....heres some pics of my work...i know the lines arent even on the one with a panda but there is a story behind it that i dont wanna get into so dont ask.

P1030474.jpg


DSCN0372.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom