ORIGINAL: jzinckgra
Well I just finished painting what is supposed to be an ABS cowl with ultracote and lustrkote. In between the two colors I used some white pinstripe (and blue tape) to avoid getting splatter of one color on another. When I went to pull the pinstripe off, some of the paint came right off[:@]. I've tried priming the cowling 1st as well and neither paint seems to stick to this plastic. Maybe it's not ABS.[&:]
Part of the problem is definitely the pin stripe. It has a much higher adhesive rating than the majority of masking tapes.
To prep an ABS/plastic cowl/part for painting you need to do the following:
Sand the item with 320 or 400 grit paper.
Thoroughly clean the cowl/part with ALCOHOL. Make sure you do not touch it after you clean it since the oils on your fingers will get on the piece.
Prime the cowl/part.
When the primer is DRY. apply the paint.
If you are masking, use the 3M blue masking tape. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE "60 DAY SAFE RELEASE" TAPE, not the 14 day safe release tape. The 60 day will not pull underlying paint.
To eliminate any "bleeding", clear coat the edge of the tape and let dry prior to painting.