Greetings all. I taped off and painted some stripes on my shaped blank (acrylic paint) and when I pulled the tape off it left a ragged paint line. I think I waited too long before pulling the tape and pulled up the edge of the paint in some places. I’m going to pinline the edge the of stripes on the hotcoat so hopefully I can hide that edge. Is that the right aproach? Has anyone had a similar problem and been able to make it go away?? Many thanks to all who reply.
Hey R
Before you painted the blank, did you sand with 220 at the borders and then blow off the dust really well?
Also, as you found out, paint on the foam has to be thin, just barely covering the pores.
Did you spray or squeegee?
Before you pinstripe the hotcoat, make sure you sand the resin with 320 at the pinline area, going with the tape off.
Yes, you should pull the tape when the resin kicks, but before it gets hard.
richard,
LeeDD is right… and here`s a few more details to consider:
Apply a thin, consistent coat of clear (or matching background color) over the paint line. The clear will slightly wick under the tape and invisibly seal off any subsequent paint, preventing any further bleeding. Using acrylic over acrylic is a good idea.
Dont apply any more clear sealer or paint than absolutely necessary. Thick acrylic coatings form a tough skin bridging foam and tape that wont peel off evenly, making clean paint lines impossible. The longer a thick acrylic coating cures over a tape edge, the worse the results. Avoid pulling the tape upward. Instead, slowly peel the tape back against itself (parallel) at a low angle.
I`d re-tape the blank… laying down a slightly wider stripe to cover any ragged paint edges. Seal with clear, and re-apply the color coat. Remove tape immediately… keep the time between application of acrylic and removing the tape to a minimum.
If you decide to apply the paint line on the hotcoat, try to completely hide the previous paint line on the foam. IMHO, its better to apply a single, consistent paint line, to either one visual plane, or another. Im referring to the perceived depth between shaped blank and hot coat surfaces.
If in doubt, test and practice on a scrap panel.
Then from the lower left hand corner If I may take the stance of art dog…these abnormalities can add to the unique quality of this adventure … the quest for perfection though truly noble can indeed ,in the beliefs of some aborigninal cultures ,anger the gods…heck whats a little blood under the tape…put another stripe on an see if you can really get this effect to go off big time … thick paint ain’t great since it can goof up the bond of resin and foam…but tecnique?..let it roll… watch the material get it’s thing on up and over the top…I heard of a friend ,though it scares me just thinking about it , wash the whole blank with a hose on the grass when he didn’t like the waterbased paint job ! How do you ever feel secure about he blank being dry?..ambrose…let the flaws be the window to the soul of the project…fling em wide open and enjoy the view
Yup
Screw-ups ARE the opportunity to be creative and reflect on possible cures. You didn’t say whether you sprayed or brushed on the paint. I have yet to have good results brushing onto the foam around tape lines. There will almost always be some bleed under. Sealing the edge with clear acryllic will help but not cure all infractions. Have had great results spraying though. Must blow the dust off before taping! Been spraying entire blank with clear after shaping. White is so white it hurts my eyes in the water!
Krokus
Great information!!! Thanks. Today I went into the garage and looked at the blank again. I thought I might take some 80 grit and sand the paint off. But I was afraid of causing more grief for myself. What I did do was go over the whole deck again with 220 screen and that helped knock down the real rough edges of paint. This is my second board and I am enjoying the task. To build my own surfboards has been a long standing dream, now I am doing it. I sometimes think with the money I have invested I could have bought a couple of famous label boards, but where is the adventure there? Keep shaping all and keep surfing!