Paint question

[jtpitkin06]

I prefer a product from 3M called "fine line". The tape is smooth and does not have wrinkles in it like most masking tapes. Unlike the Frog tape it can be used with solvent and epoxy based paints. Frog tape gel only works with water based paints.

According to 3M fine line is "Extruded matte finish polypropylene film masking tape that stretches easily over curves and tears easily by hand for sharp, clean paint lines."

The film tape acts like a knife cutting through paint lines to give a sharp clean line. It can be left on for a few days. I've left it on for a week or more. The only part I don't agree with in the 3M hype is the part about "tears easily by hand" This stuff is tough. It's hard to tear and I like it that way. It's stiff enough to stretch into very straight lines but will stretch and bend around corners without wrinkles.

Available at most auto finish suppliers, marine stores (West Marine) and Amazon.com. Comes in several widths. Expensive and worth it.

John Pitkin
Greenville, Tx

[HighWing]

I can second John's recommendation on the 3M Fine line. I am right in the middle of painting and the tape works great. In a book about painting airplanes, it recommends pulling the tape after about two hours and pull toward the wet side to allow any tear to to fall back onto the wet and blend. Well, I did that, but this morning, I found one piece of tape still on the rudder that I painted four weeks ago. I pulled the tape and it was absolutely fine, so who knows. Like John, I found that scissors works better than tearing. I comes in widths and I used the 3/8". Also, the blue masking tape for the paper sticks to it very well.

Auto Paint store.

Lowell

[MDHazelden]

Fine line is what we use when we paint aircraft.

One tip, don't lay the roll of tape down on a surface that is dirty or dusty. The dust will stick to the edge of the tape and will cause paint to bleed under. We always store our rolls of fine line in a zip lock bag.

Mark

[Dorsal]

I also used fine line and some 3M blue bendy stuff. Both worked well when I did good job burnishing down the edges, some bleed where I did not. I used the handle of a chip brush for this, worked well for me.