The Tape & Frisket Bible

crewchief227

Needle-chuck Ninja
I propose this as an ongoing pointed thread in the tips and tricks subcategory.

My goal in posting this lead off is to create a reference bible for tape & frisket. You can post not only your awesome finds, but also criticisms of not so awesome finds. I'll lead off with my gold standard for tape. Frogtape Delicate Surface in 1.88" x 60 yd. As seen here:
yellow-frogtape-painter-s-tape-240966-64_1000.jpg

This by far is worth the extra money, and here's why. First, it is super thin, which benefits in two ways, you can see thru it clear enough to use it as frisket, and will give less spray offset, as well be less brutal on your xacto knives (cuts like a dream). Next is that it has the best, repossitionable to an extent, non-resedue adhesive I have ever used. And finally it has a very clean edge.

See that's the problem with say regular blue painter's tape is that because the fiber that makes up the backing is made from a coarser pulp, and even though they are probably cut to final width in similar machinery, this coarser pulp creates a rougher edge, just rough enough to be frustratingly noticeable.

I can post quite a few more products coming up, but I'll wait for someone to post their gem.
 
I dont have enough experience with tape/frisket to comment, but if you put your location in your profile then the rest of the world will understand that the product you recommend may not be available to them.
 
I can recommend Oramask 810 and 813 and also the Airbrush Mask Film from Mick Neill at the Custom paint shop.
The 810 and the custom paint shop stuff are very similar and are very flexible /stretchy good for curved surfaces, the 813 is a little thicker but stull has some flex, clean edges no adhesive residue good all round stuff.
Mick Neill is in the UK. The Oramask you can get from amazon, ebay and other places worldwide.

Lee
 
I like 3M Gold tape.
Not special from 3M. It is available under different brands.
It is half transparent / very thin / you can draw on it / you can leave it for a long time without getting too stuck.
244.jpg
 
@crewchief227 how do you find it compared to other paint masking tapes (3M etc)? I mean vinyl tapes.
I have tried lots of painting tapes. I have quite a few blue rolls sitting in my studio, but their only used for taping transfers, or making at least what I call dams (when you make a ridge of tape around frisket to stop overspray). The reason I tend to not use these painting tapes for actual paint edges is as I mentioned above. And also they have more of a tendency to allow paint creep under them. 3M tape is nice for working on a house, but the adhesive had a tendency to either peel up paint from a finished area (which really sucks cause then you have to repaint that entire section if it had gradients, or possibly have to remix a color cup up trying to match the color before). Or it left a bit of residue that would stick out like a sore thumb, as it will attract more pigment to it, and not dry with the same sheen. I only wish you could get yellow frogtape in a 4" roll.
 
I can recommend Oramask 810 and 813 and also the Airbrush Mask Film from Mick Neill at the Custom paint shop.
The 810 and the custom paint shop stuff are very similar and are very flexible /stretchy good for curved surfaces, the 813 is a little thicker but stull has some flex, clean edges no adhesive residue good all round stuff.
Mick Neill is in the UK. The Oramask you can get from amazon, ebay and other places worldwide.

Lee

810 is that one grey? How do you stick it to the surface? It's so low stick. Which paint (surface) do you use it on and how do you prepare the surface to get good results with 810?
 
FBS is always touted by the pros I've been watching. I don't have any though. I have a ton of 813, which can get on my nerves when it comes to the actual transfer of the mask.
I've used Oracal 631 and 651 vinyl, but you better be dang sure your paint isn't gonna pull up. I've also used semi transparent transfer tape. Works well but is pretty thick.
I have used press and seal stuff by Glad. Works pretty good and super thin. But it can leave behind little noticeable dots, but they will disappear with more paint or clear coats.
 
I haven't used FBS myself, but I have two rolls of Auto Mask from Coast Airbrush (the big rolls). Which I kinda liked at first, but is so thick and low tack the only thing I can get it to truly stick to is the birch plywood boards that I gesso and sand myself. I also used to use Artool's frisket, but it is too crinkly and a pain to lay down bubble free, especially if you have to peel it back up for a crinkle. I have found though a gem of frisket, that technically isn't even marketed as frisket. It is the perfect balance of thin, tacky but not paint pulling up so, easily laid down, and nice & clear. I don't have a specific name for it, as I have to get another roll, but you can find it at Michaels for $14 ($9 with coupon), for a decent size roll. I'll pick some up later today probably and post a pic.
 
I use duct tape, after a bad experience with frisket, I find the result when peeling it off of my printer paper far less surprising:)
 
Going for the popular torn edge completely destroyed look.

lol precisey:)

I actually only ever use this stuff which was really intended for glass but leaves no residue and there's never any creep, can also be re-positioned, but I only use for borders, if I need to mask anything I just make a cut out from my reference and hold in place with magnets, my experiences with the frisket has left me afraid to place anything sticky actually on my work, nothing worse than getting 80% through a painting only to rip the lot off trying to pull tape off :eek:
 
lol precisey:)

I actually only ever use this stuff which was really intended for glass but leaves no residue and there's never any creep, can also be re-positioned, but I only use for borders, if I need to mask anything I just make a cut out from my reference and hold in place with magnets, my experiences with the frisket has left me afraid to place anything sticky actually on my work, nothing worse than getting 80% through a painting only to rip the lot off trying to pull tape off :eek:


I remember I was doing a piece on poster board, which I used to use alot. I used actual frisket. I still have this roll. I ordered it in about 1994. Anyways, I put it on over an already painted part to protect it, but left the piece itself for several weeks at least till I got back into it. When I took that frisket off, it took off almost the whole first layer of painted paper. It completely destroyed it. Thinking back I'm wondering if using heat woulda helped. It was like the adhesive bonded to the paper chemically.

Since then I've always been weary of leaving any masking on for long periods of time.
 
I remember I was doing a piece on poster board, which I used to use alot. I used actual frisket. I still have this roll. I ordered it in about 1994. Anyways, I put it on over an already painted part to protect it, but left the piece itself for several weeks at least till I got back into it. When I took that frisket off, it took off almost the whole first layer of painted paper. It completely destroyed it. Thinking back I'm wondering if using heat woulda helped. It was like the adhesive bonded to the paper chemically.

Since then I've always been weary of leaving any masking on for long periods of time.

The problem I had with it was the very next day, exactky the same as yours, I don't know if hear would help but I do know it's not a risk I'm prepared to take, it really is soul destroying to lose 20+ hours of worh that could easily be avoided, I hate when it happens to but its also not amuding if it happens to anyone else, I would rather lose a piece through my own stupidity than through substandard or unfit materials.
 
"Frisket" is being used as a generic term. There is actually a brand Frisket but other brands also obviously makes. I have two types from Arttool. One I use on unpainted surface but can not use it over art work and the other I use over artwork but it is a bit thicker to cut. None of them work on canvas so I just use repositionable book covering vinyl on it.
 
"Frisket" is being used as a generic term. There is actually a brand Frisket but other brands also obviously makes. I have two types from Arttool. One I use on unpainted surface but can not use it over art work and the other I use over artwork but it is a bit thicker to cut. None of them work on canvas so I just use repositionable book covering vinyl on it.
You're right none of them work really on Canvas. And when I first started getting handy with xacto knives I used to paint on Canson art board, carry over from when I inked on them, anyways I ripped off faces of board on things I worked over a week on. After lots of mistakes, I can confidently cut on paper or Canvas and not cut into the surface. The trick I learned, besides feel, is you can hear when your cutting to deep, you can hear the individual fibers of the paper being cut. But my favorite surface now is gessoed board. It takes a week of prep, and sanding, but you can cut the hell out of it, scratch, and my favorite eraser, sand it.
 
I only use tape to mask the borders and it is the cheapest tape I can find in the Netherlands that give me the best results on the schoelershammer paper I am not sure in how many countries besides the Netherlands it is sold but for those in the Netherlands it is the yellow tape from the 'action' stores and it can stay on the paper for months on end without any problems and it doesnt leave any residue
 
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