Two Tone Paint Jobs

Secrets, tips, tools, design considerations, materials, the "science" behind it all, and other topics related to building the cars and semi-trucks.
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birddog
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Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by birddog »

Well, we tried some two tone paint jobs for the Mid-America cars we are building. The kids seem to really like to do that.

We are having a problem with execution however. None of them turned out very well. It seems that the blue painters tape I purchased from the local big box store many times leaves adhesive residue, especially if you leave it on overnight.

What do folks use for tape that won't leave a residue? Or, do you try to get the tape off before the paint is even fully dried?

thanks,

birddog
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sporty
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by sporty »

This is kind of why I use decals so much, however. in the past. Pre mask tape works well. I think the blue tape is a pre mask tape. But there our other kinds.

Often I would peel mine off, about 5 minutes after I painted light coat of the other paint. See. its tricky, wait to long it leaves the ridge and some of it lifts off. take it off to soon and it runs out off the line seperation. Different local towns and states seem to play a role in that drying, cure time.

But I found if I left it on overnight too, and fully dry. peel it off and then wet sand it lightly with 400 grit and then clear coat. I had a good finish and no bleeding and it worked out well. But If I didnt add enough paint, I sanded thru it, if I added to much. I could not get the two surfaces to match up smooth.

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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by whodathunkit »

birddog,

If your useing rattle can lacquer type paints the blue tapes can be murder on the finsh.

Sporty, pointed out some good tips to try by leaveing the tape on for no longer the 5 minutes.
Any longer then that it will leave a foot print on the finsh.

Good luck with your cars!
And give it your best at Mid-America.

Mark.
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
Speedster
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by Speedster »

There is a tape called "Fineline" that is sold in stores that service Body Shops. It leaves a super clean line and will leave no residue behind. It comes in all widths, from 1/16" to 1" and maybe more. If you stick with lacquer paint there is no need to sand the paint unless you get a lot of dust in the paint. Lacquer will always bite into lacquer. If you want the finish surface to be smooth (color buried under the clear) then you simply build the clear, block sand the clear, give it a couple more coats and you won't be able to feel where the two colors meet. Let's say you want your car to be red and blue. Paint the whole car blue with Testor's one coat lacquer and let it dry overnight. Mask off the blue and shoot it red. Wait 15 minutes, unmask it, and shoot it with clear lacquer. Let it dry overnight. If you don't want to feel where the two colors meet, block sand it and when you can't feel where the two colors meet, give it a couple more coats of clear and you're finished. Good Luck.
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by Noskills »

Birddog,
I take mine off while the paint is still tacky. Also make sure you base coat is totally dry. Our humidity here in the Pacific Northwest is killer for making the paint tacky. I am going to use a hairdryer next time I tape off. Blue tape pulled the lacquer right off my last car.
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Speedster
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by Speedster »

I'd like to caution everyone about force drying lacquer. Lacquer is an air dry product and dries through evaporation. It does not dry chemically. You may, or may not, get away with force drying it. When you force dry lacquer you dry the outside and can trap thinners underneath. Those thinners can be very determined on getting out. You might end up with blisters and wrinkles. If you are Two Toning, before masking off for the second color, put a piece of tape on your first color and remove it. If it leaves a track (cleverly called Tape Tracking) then your first coat is not dry. The tape should leave no track. A good practice is to apply clear between your colors. If a problem happens it can be corrected without ruining all the work you've already done. When removing tape it should be pulled straight back at a 45 degree angle.
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whodathunkit
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by whodathunkit »

Speedster,
What about how one is applying the tapes also?

You don't want to stretch the tape while masking as it causes the edges of the tape to lift
also causeing bleeds under the tape.
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by Speedster »

I suspect many problems with painting might not be the refinisher but the product that is being used. Masking tape that is purchased from Walmart is asking for problems. 3M is no doubt the leader in automotive tapes. Fineline tapes are very strong and designed to do a job. They are plastic, for want of a better description, designed to be stretched a little bit if laying a straight line, and will release clean. You can accomplish nearly anything with the correct width of tape. An example: You want a very "curvy" 1/2" line down the center of your car. A 1/2" wide piece of tape, not even Fineline, is going to work. However, 1/4" Fineline can easily make the turns. You lay out the curves with a piece of 1/4", lay another piece of 1/4" next to it and you have your curvy 1/2" stripe. You then simply place another piece of 1/4" tape over where the other 2 pieces of tape meet to seal the line between the 2 tapes. I would not use newspaper for any of the masking. Get quality masking paper when you buy the tape. There are very narrow rolls of quality masking paper sold so you don't need to spend a lot of money. Multiple colors are great when working with your scout. He can lay out any design he wants and he has "One of a kind" when he's finished. It doesn't matter whether he sprays the color or puts it on with a brush. It'll look great when he's done.
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by pgosselin »

There are a couple of other tricks to make sure you get a crisp line with masking tape.

First, once you have your base coat color on, tape off the section you want to paint with a different color. Then, before you spray paint it with the new color, give it another shot of the base coat color. This essentially seals the edge of the tape. If any paint gets under the masking tape, it'll be the base color, not the new color.

Secondly, before I remove masking tape, I will often lightly score the end of the tape with a sharp xacto knife to ensure the tape will lift at the seam and not take part of the top coat with it.

Hope that helps.

Paul
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birddog
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by birddog »

Thanks for the great tips everyone. We'll try them out on next years builds!

birddog
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Vitamin K
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by Vitamin K »

When we did our last cars, I used enamel spray paint (rustoleum) and standard masking tape from Home Depot for masking.

I made sure that the undercoat was extremely dry. As in, a full 24 hours since last spraying.

When I applied the masking tape, I went over the edges with the back of my fingernail.

For the exposed area that was going to receive the second coat, I roughed it up with some steel wool, then wiped it clean with a paper towel.

After spraying, I removed the tape after a few minutes. Turned out pretty well.
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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by Mr. Steve 316 »

There is some real good info in this post. Something we do is always paint the lighter color first. It is much easier to paint the second color on top if it is darker. If you go say yellow or orange over black or blue it is almost impossible to have good coverage without 3 or 4 coats. Then you are left with a noticeable step down between your colors.

For tape we like to use the bright green painters tape, I think it is called frog tape. There are several brands that make it now. Use it to tape over the light color and remove within a few minutes of spraying. We like to lightly sand with 1000 grit automotive sand paper before clear coating and then lightly sand again between coats of clear. We have had good results doing this with standard spray cans.
Keep Moving Forward!

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Re: Two Tone Paint Jobs

Post by Speedster »

This topic reminded me of a technique called "Soft Edging". It is a masking technique that will not leave a sharp edge. An Example: For simplicity I'll use a "Hershey Bar" type car, 3/8" thick. You want most of the top of the car Red but a 1/2" on each side of the top you want Orange and Orange down the sides. Paint the entire car Red so you have a smooth finish on the entire car. When the Red is dry, mask off the Red on the top you want to remain Red with a piece of 3/4" tape. Cover the rest of the Red with easy release tape. Fold up one side of the 3/4" tape so it is not touching the paint. When you spray the Orange the folded back tape will cause the paint to not leave a clean line. Do not try to load up the Orange in the area of the tape. You'll be clear coating the car later to give the car an even gloss. When you unmask the Red it will appear the Red has changed to Orange. Clear coat the entire car. Just something to have a little fun and make your scout friends wonder how you did it.
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