I am putting the clear coats on my vinatage Eyeball and I have a residue left by the masking tape that I cant seem to get rid of.

When I put the clear coat over the color coat there appears to be a very fine crackling of the surface where the masking tape was adhered. I have tried to sand away the finish, including the color coat, but the problem still comes back. It almost appears the new coats have driven the contamination into the finish. The finish is Sig Butyrate dope and I am using 3m blue painters tape as the mask.

Has anyone experienced this problem and how do I prevent it from happening?

Dave

you can get rid of it by using goo gone and a clean rag. I prefer goof off but it's based on something like Xylene because it has that magic marker smell to it. I don't know how well dope will hold up to that but the goo gone is a citrus based product and it should be ok on the dope. Just wipe once or twice and then wipe down with some alcohol.

WD-40 also will remove masking tape residue..

Thanks for the reply's This is my first time doping and wondered if this is a common phenomena?

Dave

You could also try Naptha or Rosonal lighter fluid.

In the old days we would remove masking tape residue from our drafting boards using lighter fluid...

timskitim

I have just cleaned up some areas with Goof Off, I will know in a day or so, when I put a clear coat on, if it actully works.

Dave

Try painters tape (the blue stuff) I don't beleive it leaves residue behind and if so, will be much much less than standard masking tape.

I had once taped a spinner with normal masking tape, then forgot to remove it for several years. I tried all kinds of removers with no success. What finally worked was PVC pipe cleaner, and it worked great. I always have acetone handy in the shop as it also works on most things.

I was using blue painter tape. The one thing I cant remember was how long I left it on.

Dave

I beleive the label says 14 days mazx but the longer you leave it on the more difficult to remove.
Mike

I finally put on my clear coat (SIG Clear Coat Dope) and I still have the same problem, to less of a degree. I use 3m blue painters tape, medium adhesion, and it was on for about 1 1/2 days max. I cleaned the surface with goof off, wet sanded with 1200 grit paper and inspected the surface with no signs of any residue. After I applied the clear coat and it dried, you could see the areas were the tape was adhered. It looks almost like the top surface of the tape but much more subtle.

Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong??

Dave

I have had this happen in home improvement areas but not on a plane but I think this could help. It seems as if like you said, contamination has penetrated deaper than you are sanding down. I have had to sand down a little further than i care to and go over the area with balsa or wood filler very lightly then repaint/clear coat. This could also be from your treating only the affected spot. This could lead to a diffrent finish their than the rest of the area. You could sand down the whole surface, sand/fill the specific spot, resand whole surface then paint/clear coat. Or cover that spot with a nice decal and move on. Another thought could to be clear coat, sand lightly and apply a second coat.

You may want to try using the Green 3M automotive body shop masking tape available at many auto parts stores.

I have put on 3 - 4 clear coats and it seems to have gradually disappeared. My guess is if the surface is not fully cured the tape will cause and uneven curing and a roughened the surface when pulled off.

Next time I will try the green 3m tape

Dave

Issue resolved

I spoke with the 3m Tech service dept today and they indicated that the 3m blue masking tape is not compatible with solvent based paints. The solvent will dissolve the adhesive into the paint therefore contaminating it. There is nothing you can do to fix it other than sanding off the finish.

He suggested to use the green tape and the best solvent to remove the adhesive is an ammonia based cleaner like Windex.

Dave