Spray painting and taping

[Bill Baker]

I hope to attempt spray painting my O scale F-3 in the Rock Island Rocket scheme.  It is comprised primarily of three colors, aluminum-white, Maroon and Red.  It's not too unlike the Santa Fe war bonnet scheme.  My question is this.  Sections of the carbody will have to be taped while painting the remainder.  What type of tape should be used? I'm thinking of using blue painters tape since it doesn't stick very hard to styrene.  However I'm curious if it allows under spray beneath the tape?  Also does it conform and protect the molded parts like the rivets and other detail parts?  Other than blue painters tape, is there any other on the market that could be used for modeling?

Thanks, Bill

[Thomas1911]

I've always just used plain old 3M crepe paper masking tape with decent results.  If you're worried about paint bleeding under the tape, after masking spray a coat of the base color to "seal" the tape line before spraying the next color.  Or another thing that I've done is start spraying the next color further from the surface so it doesn't blow under the tape quite as bad.

[WoundedBear]

Thomas has the right idea....but use a clear (gloss or flat) to seal the tape edges before your first color coats.

Sid

[Doneldon]

BB-

Good ideas from the previous posters. You can also seal the edges of the masking (I suggest either blue painters' tape or - better - the thin film masking which is sold in hobby shops and at Micro Mark) with the color you are protecting. Remove your masking when the new paint is dry but not fully hardened. And pull it off by pulling it back over itself rather then perpendicularly to the painted surface.

Not so many people know this but the reason that the CRIP and ATSF paint schemes, and the paint schemes of many other railroads, are so similar is that EMD basically offered stock patterns to which the railroads made minor modifications and assigned colors. Few of the paint schemes were actually developed by the railroads themselves. It is to EMD's credit that the various lines liked the basic stock designs.
                                                                                         -- D

[captain1313]

Bill,  there is a tape called Frog Tape.  It actually congeals the paint that touches the edge so no paint runs under the tape.   Really gives a clean line.  I've gotten it at Home Depot.

Kevin

[poliss]

Take a look at Tamiya masking tape. I know that plastic scale modellers swear by it.

[NarrowMinded]

I  spray a coat of clear also to seal edges, but when ever possible I use flat colors to paint everything, then clear coat the whole thing. the reason I do this is flat goes on much thinner dries faster and almost never seeps under the tape. the down side is if your new to this style of painting color matching is harder.

NM