rctoyguy

iTrader: (21)

OK - I tried liquid mask about a year ago and screwed up a body because I tried to rush the paint - not the mask.... but I want to ask about the masking again.

First the easy one - if your body has precut window masks, but you are going to mask the other stuff with liquid mask, do you still use the original window masks?

Second - What is the ideal timeline for masking and painting with liquid mask? I think I end up rushing the entire job, so this time, here is my plan, unless someone can tell me it is a bad idea. I will wash/dry the body and apply 1 heavy coat of liquid mask one night, then leave it alone - 2nd night, apply second heavy coat of liquid mask and leave it alone - 3rd night, trim mask and spray first color, couple of coats with it drying between coats - 4th night, trim mask, paint - etc....
Basically, should I be waiting a full day between each coat of mask and color of paint? Is that overkill? Will I cause problems waiting that long?

I have 3 bodies to do, and I want to do them right. I have the Bob Lively (?) liquid mask that I was told to get last year when I tried this the first time.

VenomWorldOrder

basically you do the following:

don't use window masks if you're using liquid mask. apply liquid to entire body

apply thick layer, let it dry or speed it up with a heair dryer or a oil heater (the type you have int he shower. i have one that doesn't get too hot so i can place it on the heater and it drys it in 1 hour max.

apply second coat of liquid mask. let dry, or speed up again with heater. once dry elt it sit overnight.

draw design, and cut ALL THE DESIGN uout but DO NOT PEEL OF. also cut the windows as well but don't peel of 'till last this is the best way as it is easier to peel of and and it is hard to see your design lines once you have painted over the liquid mask.

peel of the darkest area first if possible, then paint. dry the paint with a hair dryer, peel of the next layer/colour and continue. dry with ahir dryer again, repeat until finished

i didn't liek liquid mask when i started, but now that i am more experienced and know the tricks to using it i think it is excellent, especially for very tricky work. simple designs are better suited to contact paper, as it leaves a nice clean line without any glue residue. (i found 3M blue tape leaves a residue if you leave it on the bod too long).

here is some i did with liquid mask

Artificial-I

iTrader: (17)

Very good , I just want to add that I have some problems with liquid mask too....basically when cutting it , some would bunch of and get jaggy. Or paint would get built up and when I would peel the mask , it would leave jaggy lifted off paint that you had to rub against and pray that it would tear off paint from the body.

I ended up on my last body paint like 4 thick layers via brush. I literally would just drop clumps of bobs lmf on there and then would brush it around. So much faster and thicker. As well that time around the cutting and peeling wasnt causing trouble with the paint and it wasnt bunching up.

I might be pressing too hard with the exacto.

Kcdzim

iTrader: (1)

A-I, it sounds as though your paint hadn't cured yet when you peeled it. If you're using fascolor flourescents, this is especially true, and you absolutely cannot peel LM off adjacent to freshly painted flourescent until it's dried for at least a few hours.

Also... It doesn't hurt to not cut all of the design immediately. I used to cut everything prior, but I've found that cutting the main color blocks and leaving pinstriping for last makes for easier (and better looking) pinstriping. That is, if you're doing any pinstriping.

rctoyguy

iTrader: (21)

I'm going to start phase 1 tonight - I just hope I don't screw these bodies up...

Kcdzim

iTrader: (1)

Out of curiousity, is the back area of the car (where the mounting struts for the wing) a dark color (something you can paint first)? I've found with LM that drying can go relatively quick for large flat areas, but those mounts (and if it's a parma alfa, those darn slots in the wing) take about a week to dry if you get too much in there. This is especially irritating in the new G6 and Stratus 3.0 because they became narrower and taller. If possible, avoid putting any mask in there (seal them off with masking tape) so that you can accelerate drying time, or don't mask the rear entirely if that's the first part to paint (unless you're like me and have some silly arse signature in the back and you ALWAYS have to mask it off... stupid stupid stupid).

rctoyguy

iTrader: (21)

I know what you mean about the wing mounts - I found that out last year when I first tried liquid mask - that was on a Proline Mazda 6. This latest "test subject" is a Tamiya Ford Focus (for Spec class) - but I have 2 more Mazda 6's to do too...

I let 2 coats dry for a day each, and tonight I started trimming and threw the first coat of paint... So far, so good. When it gets done I'll post a pic unless I really screw it up -

A new question though - what is the best way to peel it back off? It was very difficult to pull up a corner with the exacto knife without either cutting the mask (so that it doesn't pull up), or scratching the body. I would assume that I shouldn't touch the unmasked area with my fingers or I will get oil on the body and cause problems with the paint.

TSR6

iTrader: (5)

Always use the 3 x 3 rule.

At least 3 coats of liquid mask, put on with a wide paintbrush in different directions

At least 3 X-acto blades. Even though the blade doesn't seen dull, if the blade starts to wander, or if the mask bunches up, it's because the blade is starting to dull. Replace it!

Also, I tend to use the window masks on mine. Sometimes the windows have funky curves, so I use the window masks as a guide sometimes - it depends on the body. It doesn't hurt to use them.

RPage

iTrader: (2)

Get as close to the corner as you can. If you scratch the lexan, most paint does a good job of filling a small scratch. You could also try to grab it with some tweezers near the corner and stretch it until it comes up. Give it a couple of practice trys in the scrap area/wheel wells

rctoyguy

iTrader: (21)

Well, I finished them last week, but thought I'd throw them out here for comments. I think they turned out pretty good. The Mazda 6 is the first time I have tried to paint window trim, and I found out on the Ford Focus that the window trim decals don't quite cover as much area as I thought they did - LOL - These pix were before either hit the track the first time...

Ford Focus - Tamiya TT-01 Spec Class Car

Ford Focus - Tamiya TT-01 Spec Class Car Again

Mazda 6 - X-Ray T1FK05 Brushless Class Car

Mazda 6 - X-Ray T1FK05 Brushless Class Car Again

I really like that light blue - I didn't know what I would think about it when I started, but I like the way it looks... And I LOVE the dark blue on the Focus - I normally try to stay with bright colors so the car is easier to see on the track, but the white/pearl white blobs on the Focus help.