Masking for vinyl and solvent based paint

[Bradley D]

Is there a good masking to protect vinyl from matthews paint without bleeding. I have had some luck with a product called oramask that is blue but it leaves adhesive on the vinyl.

 

[geb]

I use 3m paint mask or blue tape or fine line tape I think its called. Each has a purpose for me.

 

[Eric H]

We use the Avery yellow paint mask with no problems.

 

[Bradley D]

As if making a trimless channel letter wasnt already challenging enough, I have clients that request that the lip of a trimless channel letter not be edge lit but that the return color is seamless with vinyl face. Usually there is a small lip that will light up white from the side. My solution is to mask the vinyl, chamfer the edge, and paint return and chamfered edge of acrylic right up to the vinyl. The problem is that my masking seems to either bleed or leave a residue on vinyl. Oramask is working okay but i hope to find something that doesnt bleed nor leave adhesive behind on vinyl.

 

[MikePro]

i use oracal paint mask & mathews paint all the time, no issues. possible you're coating it too hot&heavy?
paint mask resists solvents, but the perimeter is the weak spot.... its like having clogged gutters, a little rain is no big deal but a heavy downpour and suddenly your basement is leaking.

 

[Bradley D]

i use oracal paint mask & mathews paint all the time, no issues. possible you're coating it too hot&heavy?
paint mask resists solvents, but the perimeter is the weak spot.... its like having clogged gutters, a little rain is no big deal but a heavy downpour and suddenly your basement is leaking.

Do you use the blue or olive 810s paint mask from oracal? I really appreciate the comments. I think my paint job might be too hot and heavy. I need to make the chamfered part of acrylic opaque and it requires a thicker coat. I might need to do a thin coat of a color that is more opaque first and that would probably help.

 

[Bradley D]

I forgot about Gerber mask, but I've only used that on a non angled orientation (flat graphic stencils), and I think that is the real issue at hand. I'd almost recommend instead of camming the edges and painting them, cut your vinyl 1/16" smaller than your face, and then plot mask 1/8" smaller than the face. This way when your remove the mask you have paint over the edges of the vinyl. It does diminish the effect, the cam looks sharp, but since you are shooting at a 45deg angle to your mask, you're going to fill the void at the edge of the letter.
Just a thought, are these laying face up or face down when you shoot them?
BTW, I think your stuff is awesome, I wish I could find customers that want a superior product as opposed to a cheap one.

thanks for the compliment. I can do a basic trimless channel letters like this 6 in. Letter A in prefinished white with acrylic face for $100 min. or $12 and upright inch for the time being so dont be afraid to send me a quote request. We are a small company and cant handle too much work. Just had to turn down a higher end job for 300 letters cause they needed it done in 2 weeks. Kind of sucks but as much as i wanted the job i couldn't in good conscious pretend i could get it done that fast.

 

[ORAFOL Americas]

Is there a good masking to protect vinyl from matthews paint without bleeding. I have had some luck with a product called oramask that is blue but it leaves adhesive on the vinyl.

Good Afternoon Bradley,

I hope your day is going well. When using a solvent based paint we recommend using the 810s paint mask film which has a solvent based adhesive. The water based adhesives of our other paint mask products such as the blue 813 can be negatively effected by the solvents in the paint leading to a couple of potential issue such as the adhesive and vinyl separating so that adhesive is left behind when the vinyl is removed, or the adhesive can become more aggressive potentially causing damage to the substrate or any paint underneath the material. It sounds like this is the issue you may be experiencing we would recommend using the 810s instead. If you would like to speak with one of our product specialists directly please feel free to give them a call at 912-851-5000 or toll free at 888-672-2251.

Have a great day.

 

[Bradley D]

I guess it has been a couple years, but I just had to throw the entire roll of the green Orafol 810s away. It wouldn't even stick to itself. I was very dissapointed in the 810s product. I even keep my shop temperature controlled most of the year. I now use a yellow mask that works great.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Shelf life?

 

[Bradley D]

Shelf life < 3 years not sure if that is acceptable or not

 

[unmateria]

I know very little acrylic adhesives that are usable after 2 years even storing them in my bedroom...

 

[Roxanne Smith-Mansell]

There's a product designed for awnings called Fabtac. I find it works great with vinyl ink on vinyl awning fabric.

 

[Gino]

Best thing would be old fashioned frisket. You can get it to run on a sprocket or friction plotter. It comes flat or crinkled. It makes an edge that won't suffer from seepage, unless you put it down wrong. I know glantz sells it, but most of the people never heard of it, so you need to talk to someone with some smarts. It works just like the masking that come on acrylic.