Total nightmare..

[Pat]

Well,
Here I am with a model that has about 70% paint on it. The other 30% pulled right off while I was pulling masking tape. Seems that getting silk and dope to stick to SLC is more of a challange than I thought... Grrrrrrrrrrr.....

[RC Storick]

what is SLC?

[MarcusCordeiro]

I've had the tape problem too. That sucks
Once a friend gave a tip, to rub the glue on the tape on the edge of a table or something a few times before laying it down.
I've used this trick on my models and plastic models and so far it seems to work. Sometimes "stuff" happens though....

Marcus

[Tim Wescott]

Pat:

Bummer.  Really bummer.  Are you saying that the silk peeled off of the SLC, or just the dope, or what?

Robert:

Super Light Covering from the Core House.

[Jim Kraft]

I use drafting tape as it is lower tac and does not stick so tight. A heat gun also works wonders when removing tape without pulling up paint. Sorry for your trouble and hope you can fix it without to much work.

[Paul Taylor]

I had a friend that had a pink Nobler. He had problems with it too. He was almost temped to pull the SCL off and recover with poly and silk.

[tom hampshire]

     A few things you might try are:

Buy only 3M tape.  It comes in grades of 14, 30 and 60 days, representing the length of time it can be left on the work and still be removed safely.  My problem with off brand tape has always been spotty quality control, leading to big variations in the adhesive strength of the mastic.

Sticking the tape on your shirt and pulling it off 4-5 times before applying it to the work.  It kills enough of the tack to make help come off.

 Never pull tape cold.  Always use your heat gun to warm and soften the mastic before removing the tape.

     Both of these help, but you will still get an occasional tear.

[Derek Barry]

Masking tape does have some grab but I think his problem is with paint adhesion. I use different kinds of tape on my planes, I think it is all 3M but I use masking tape, the blue thin line tape (which I have had more pullups with than any other tape), and I use the blue "edge lock" painters tape that you can buy at your local hardware store or Walmart. All three have there own uses but like I said in the beginning, if the paint does not adhere you are screwed no matter what you use.

Pat, could you explain the process you used so we can understand it a little better?

Derek

[larry borden]

I had the same problem with the blue 3M tape and switched to the green 3M you can get at any automotive paint store such as Finishmasters. I use the blu plastic 3M tape for curves and haven't had any problems since I switched.

[john e. holliday]

Some won't beleive this, but on my Sheeks Spitfire I used  houehold product called Press-N-Seal.   Cut the outline I wanted for the camoflage and put it on the plane.  Sprayed the colors and pulled it off. 

Now did you buff the SLC(Super Lite Covering) before putting the silk on?

[Perry Rose]

I've used SLC and there's nothing you can do to get paint to stick and not be pulled up when touched by tape gum. The only option is to paint using enamel like Rustoleum and leave an unpainted space between colors. Acrylic paints are too brittle as is dopes. Enamels are a bit more pliable and will not scratch off as easy as the others. To protect painted areas that will be subject to scratching or hangar rash I put a strip of clear packing tape on. For example the wing and stab leading edges. Extreme care must be taken when you do this to avoild touching the paint before you want to with the tape. No repositioning here. Monokote reacts the same way when painted.

[Bob Reeves]

It's the SLC that's the problem. Used it on two airplanes but never again. It's advertised as paintable which it is but that doesn't mean the paint will stick. Last one I did I even sprayed with some stuff that is suppose to help paint stick to auto plastic bumpers, didn't help. And yes I buffed it with a scotch bright and cleaned it with acetone before painting.

[SteveMoon]

I've covered several planes with SLC and then painted them and had no
problem with paint pull ups. I always sand the SLC with 600 grit paper
before painting and then prime the edges, seams, fillets, tips etc and
then sand those areas with 600 grit. When removing the tape I use a
hair dryer moving the dryer along with the tape as I pull it up and haven't
had any trouble. The Gieseke Nobler and Furias 96 pictures on my website
were both SLC covered and painted.

Steve

[EddyR]

I used it under silkspan on my Bearcat and now you can see the edge of it as I only covered the open area. I think it added needless weight getting that edge smooth. Never again.
Ed