Masking is the sealing of areas of parts that are not subject to staining with special adhesive tape and other masking materials. You can use masking techniques to create a design on the painted products. For example, it is popular to cover the edge of the wheel with powder paint in one color, and the spokes of the wheel in another.
Also, the following areas that are not subject to staining are sealed with masking materials:
- Electrical connections (grounding).
- Seats where gaskets are installed.
- Wear clean gloves during disguise.
The following materials are used for masking
High-temperature polyester tape is most common for masking in powder painting. It can withstand prolonged heating above 200 degrees. The high temperature tape is a little difficult to work with, since it is not flexible. It is easily cut. However, it is useful to have different sizes for different situations.
3M blue/green paint strips. 3M tape is much easier to work with than a high-temperature protective tape, since it is able to adhere to bends. The blue ribbon is able to withstand about 90 degrees of heating. The green ribbon is easily removable even after reaching 120 degrees. When using any of the masking tapes, it is very important not to allow too much heat. If you forget about it, leave the tape until the powder coating is completely cured, it will be difficult to remove it.
Aluminum foil is a great way to mask large areas, saving a lot of rows of tape. It holds perfectly in the oven at any temperature. Obviously, aluminum foil does not have sticky properties, so it will need to be supplemented with high-temperature adhesive tape.
Silicone plugs are cone—shaped silicone, which covers holes of various sizes. They are ideal for masking bolt holes. Since they are conical, each of them fits different hole sizes.
After the coating has hardened, you will try to remove the tape, the paint around the edge of the tape may peel off, leaving jagged edges. To avoid this and get clean lines, heat the part in the oven to about 80-90 degrees Celsius, carefully remove it, remove the tape with tweezers. Then put the product back into the oven.
If 2 layers are sprayed, it is better to mask the product 2 times. An attempt to reuse one masking for several sprays will give irregularities when peeling off the tape.
Wiping with a wet finger
There are some situations where you will get better results by covering the entire part, even the area you wanted to mask, and then remove the powder from that area before you start heating. It is best to do this on raised areas, such as raised letters on the intake manifold, valve cover or brake caliper.