Hands up here .... when it comes to paint , or anything "artistic" .... I'm a cack-handed cretin . I've done my surface prep on the various bits , and then all of the masking , so I'll make my best attempt at spraying tomorrow . But I never know how long to leave it before taking the masking away . I'm in no rush , I'll happily leave it a week if that's the smart thing to do , but I'm just clueless ... so any tips will be much appreciated .
What are you spraying and what are you spraying it with? also what type of masking tape ? it’s a minefield out there !
Also if you spray clear around the edge of the masking tape let it go off before colour then that eliminates colour bleed under your edge...
I've learnt the following "rules" and my results turn out much better than they used to! Get professional tape, its not that expensive and it makes a huge difference. When you consider the cost of doing it twice in terms of paint and time its a no brainer. Make sure the room and the paint are at least 20C /68F When you think you have sanded and prepared the surface, spend another half an hour doing it some more. Before you clean the area to be painted clean your hands. Then once you have cleaned the area to be painted, clean it again. Lets see some before and after shots!
Thanks for all the advice folks. I've got two minor paint jobs on . Brake reservoir cap and clutch lever .... gloss black , no masking needed . Paint is from a hardware store , and claims to be for iron gates etc . It's on a fourth coat and looking good so far .... Second job is a pair of red mirrors with some scratches on the paint , and I don't want them red anyway , so I'm aiming at matt black ..... ..... with maybe a lacquer coat later , if I don't like the finish . I found a roll of decorators masking tape ( paper ) and chucked that as useless, then I came across an old multi-pack of coloured electrical tape ( pvc ) It had lost most of its sticky .... I tested a patch for residue and it came off clean. Since reading the advice here , I found this , Harris Automotive Masking Tape (24mmx25m) £3.79 pale blue coloured and looks to be paper based ... is that what you mean ? The thing is ..... I get yelled at for even thinking about going outdoors .... but I'll put that to the test later , by saying that there's no chocolate or ice-cream in the house .... Hmm ! Couldn't agree more on that point ! Here are some "before" pics .... and yes , there is still more surface prep needed ! I might take some "after" pics , and place them on top of bins , which should distract attention ..... ....... if they are truly gruesome to behold .... Ha !
Metal parts are done , but the only " before" pics that I've got don't show the sides with the flaking paint ... Doh ! My photos are crap , as usual .... but I'm available for weddings .... BTW - that adjustable lever in the pic is not needed , if anyone has a use for it " After " I'm coming to realize that my problems with paintwork ( and the same for woodwork ) are actually patience problems . But things are very different now ....
If you use satin black on metal its childs play. Normally only needs one coat and looks great. I did the brake reservoir cap on my project last week - one coat onto bare metal and it looks great, lasts a fair while too: EDIT - P.S. Is that a baked beans tin tray you have used? Got any spare beans???
Damnation ..... There aren't half some sharp-eyed folks around these days ... ... how did you spot the beans , just from the tray ? Don't you know the Commandments ? " Thou Shalt Not Covet Another Man's Beans " -
I bought the tape I used from the place that mixed & matched the aerosols of spary & used it all up. I just had a quick look on Amazon and theres quite a few options all with delivery so lockdown no problem!. Just avoid run of the mill stuff we all use when painting walls etc.
