You pro's have probably answered this a million times...

R

racemx51

Guest
Hello everyone!
I'm new here so be easy on me, please!
I run a body shop here in Maine and do a lot of restoring, building street bikes, etc that is more custom than your normal every day body work.
I've always been very interested in airbrushing and started a few years back just doing easy stuff. Well I want to start doing my racing helmets (I race motocross) now that I am getting a bit better. The only thing is, my helmets are pretty freakin' curvy (I run Shoei's) and I need to use sticky paper for my hard lines obviously. I had bought cheap stuff off of Amazon a year or so back to do a big sign but its no good for this. It doesnt flex so I just get insane wrinkles, its in a role so I cant draw on it without it already being on the helmet. Basically, it just doesnt work and its really ticking me off. Im trying to research it online and seem to be seeing a lot of different answers.... Can somebody help me out here? I need sticky back paper, that is fairly flexible, and that I can lay out and draw on. I really look up to Tagger Designs if any of you know who Tag is, and just want to make some cool stuff my god damn self!
 
Hey there @racemx51. You can get flexible frisk film and even flexible stuff you get wrinkles on curves, that's the rules! Masking with tape may be the solution. Others can give some better info on this.

Can you do us a favour, to help us answer your question better and get to know you, can you please go to the introductions page and tell us who you are. I mean it's pretty forward asking a question without us shaking hands right...? :) Here is the intro page... http://www.airbrushforum.org/introductions/ Read the nettiquette as well, help you understand us... http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/introducing-netiquette.8799/

Look forward to getting to know you better.

Cheers Mark
 
If the helmets on his website are anything to go by I think you'll struggle to find anything at all to round the curves, your best bet would be low tack tapes of different widths with which you can cover the whole he let by placing strips, use the lesser width strips in the most extreme curves, you can still draw on, although you need to use a fine line sharpie to get you lines to stay in place, I used to do custom model helicopter fibreglass canopies in the same way, looking at Tag's designs it clearly all intricate masking work, look for for fine line automotive tapes ranging from 2 mm to around 25 mm, but you can also use even wider tape or your film for flatter areas.

If I was doing one of those helmets I would plan my design and do a mock up on paper and do each part of part of Tag's design as a separate element, this way the complete design takes care of itself.

You will find that when you get a grip on it, it's actually easier than you think, your being intimidated by Tag's work and your brain is telling you it's more complicated than it actually is.

It is also possible to use prices of paper and make it take the form by cutting skits and triangles into it and then taping around the edges, but that's not the approach is would use.

If you did cover the entire site helmet in tape as I suggested, you can re-use the prices you cut out, just stick them lightly to a price of glass or a sheet of grease proof paper.
 
I had a quick look at the Facebook page of Tagger Designs and he uses a lot more techniques than just airbrush, there's transfers and hydrodipping used on those designs also (if not mainly).

As indicated above there is no sticky paper you can put on an object as round as a helmet that won't wrinkle. If you do need to mask the whole thing stripes of tape will probably be the best option.

The tight designs of Tagger Designs are mainly done by working in layers and masking finished stuff off (when he's not using other techniques) this is in general mainly done by using fineline masking tape.
 
Hey there @racemx51. You can get flexible frisk film and even flexible stuff you get wrinkles on curves, that's the rules! Masking with tape may be the solution. Others can give some better info on this.

Can you do us a favour, to help us answer your question better and get to know you, can you please go to the introductions page and tell us who you are. I mean it's pretty forward asking a question without us shaking hands right...? :) Here is the intro page... http://www.airbrushforum.org/introductions/ Read the nettiquette as well, help you understand us... http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/introducing-netiquette.8799/

Look forward to getting to know you better.

Cheers Mark

You would ineed get wrinkles on curves as you say trying cover a large area in one go with even with the flexible frisket type film but by using different width tapes there are no wrinkles at all, I used the same blue tape I use for my artwork on my helicopters and plane's and never once had a wrinkle, the smaller widths are easier to stretch around curves without wrinkling or breaking, once my canopies were completely covered I could draw on and cut out parts for like chequered flags and such and then put the prices back to protect it if I need later when doing other parts of the designs, I used the same process doing graphics on speed boats.
 
Well basically....
I have all the fine tape that you guys are talking about. Well, not 25mm but Ive got the smaller blue tapes you guys are speaking of. I dont have problems with lets say.. Making just curves around the helmet, just basic designs and all that jazz. But I was just saying for small detail stuff, like right now I've got gold on the bottom back part of the helmet now Im taking a deeper gold and fading in a bunch of #51's (my racing number) so I need to make a bunch of 51's and obviously 5's are kind of a pain in the friggin ass. So I'm not trying to just mask the whole helmet off, I know thats just silly. But just masking that bottom part so I can draw the 51's on and cut them out seems like its not working. But I see what you guys are saying, maybe the fine tape is just the best option to make it come out the way I want it. I've seen Tag work, and get the fact they do everything in stages there and its just one big taping process. But a while back, one of his guys did Marvin the Martian with a square piece of sticky paper. He just stuck it on, traced it out, cut it out, and bam! I realize these guys are best of the best, I dont expect to be good like that any time soon, but it seemed like just getting the paper on there and tracing was a lot harder with what I was using. It wasnt even staying stuck on the helmet. So that brought me to the whole if Im just using excrementty paper or not.
But, you guys are awesome. Thank you for so many responses and help. This is awesome.
 
Do some geometry, its actually not to hard to get something to curve without wrinkles or with less at least, all it generally involves is cutting triangles nearly to the depth of say the numbers IE

Sphere.jpg

if its justa once of job a wouldnt take the time to bother and just basically mask as mentioned above, if i wanted to do numerous of the same design I would make something up out of acetate that would feature say a third of the design and just make 3 of them that eventually would wrap the whole work..The acetate is thicker so isn't a huge issue to line it all up each time...but would take a few minutes to cut it right remebering to leave little tags to keep certain things attached and then just paint the tags away later....Good luck.
 
Masking can go all the way up to 125 mm and sometimes even more, generally tapes will start at the smallest which might 1.5 mm, I normally cut my own fine line tape out of wider tape, what I have at home now is 25 mm and 40 mm and cut what I need out of which is more appropriate at the time.

Doing your numbers should easy enough, this is the tape I use;

blue_painter_tape_reprap_3d_pla_3.jpg

This tape often used on glass, it's designed/made to leave no residue and can remain in place for weeks on end, it remarkably easy to cut with an exacto knife and you draw or write on it with a simple graphite pencil although a pen would remain longer on the tape, because the tape is so easy to cut you'll require very little pressure to do so so you won't damage the helmet while doing pretty, this does require a little practice though.

You can easily cover the area where you want to put your numbers and simply draw them on and cut them out, remove the unwanted tape and spray, if you want the numbers overlapping simply repeat the process and add more numbers, you spray in such a way that you to numbers when done form a blend, meaning light at the bottom fading to light at the top and so on, you cane even just texture to your numbers for a Mablethorpe effect for example, your only limited by your imagination really.

I can only find this tape as big as 40 mm where I am but no now they make bigger versions, although there are many other brands that make suitable tapes, your main concern is that the tape or film you do use know for the inability for paint to creep under it, I've never had that at all with my tape and I also use it safely on paper.
 
I know because I've used it before, 3mm fineline tape. Which is from the automotive side of tape, is very flexible to do the curves and hardliners you are after.
Used to layout flames on automobiles to do a custom paint job. Very forgiven to pull tape up if you layer it down wrong. But just with anything else, the better quality you will pay more for it.
Around 30 a roll.

Just my experience
 
I was going to say if you cut triangles you can get stuff to lay pretty flat with practise, but I got beaten too it. I just find working in sections easier on the whole.
Some careful thinking about your design can help too, an individual part of an overall design can be placed where the curve of the helmet isn't as drastic. I find the middle of the back isn't so bad so the main feature goes there, then add to the rest of the lid in smaller sections. I find it easier to keep things symmetrical this way, its easier for things to go off kilter trying to lay out straight designs on a curved surface. Just what I do, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.
 
Thanks a ton for the help everyone! I guess just using masking tape and my blue fineline is the trick...
 
Thanks a ton for the help everyone! I guess just using masking tape and my blue fineline is the trick...
Pretty much , Layout design with fine line tape over everything than cut dead center on the fine line and remove tape from area you want paint in.
No different than doing a standard two tone paint job on a car of bike.
 
Hi, racemx51 and welcome.
As with most art, it's definately advisable to first sketch out your design.
It's a plan to help you create the image that you want, and also becomes a reference should you choose to alter your design as you go.
You just do smaller 'plans' of the alterations you make - but keep the original as well!
Most times, it seems to work out for me.
As for the tricky masking - ever thought about using masking ink?
Comes in a pen type applicator, goes on pink / green or some other visible colour then dries clear.
After it sets, you paint away on your design, then remove it when you're done. It goes over coloured paints just as easily, but be aware of the hard line edges you are going to get from using it. You'll soon see what I mean.
I've used it quite often, and so far have had very few issues with it [ the exception being watercolour high density cold press ] but that's another story.
On metal, fiberglass and plastic it's just great.
As for largish area application - use a silicone tipped sculpting tool - it looks a bit like a paintbrush, but has various shaped 'blades' on the end. Masking fluid just flows right off the tool and allows you control over where it goes, much like a paintbrush.
A tip - if you're finding it hard to lift off: just use a pencil eraser and rub over it firmly. That grabs it and makes it 'roll' off your surface, and leaves almost not traces behind.
Slowly does it with this sort of work, but as you've seen by Tagger's work - the finished works, that is - you build your image layer at a time and this requires PATIENCE!
Hope this info helps you get sorted.
Cheers,
Splasha
 
you can buy rolls of the vinyl mask for plotters from sign shop suppliers. Also, the clear contact paper from Wal-Mart will work as well-you will have to use a Sharie to draw on it though. A little heat and hard squeegee and pull, heat and work it down. You will still get some wrinkles but in the area you want to draw on, you can usually keep it flat. It might take a couple of smaller squares but much wider than tape. I have also done it with the fine line tape but getting sharp curves is harder because it will only pull so far in a corner before it bunches up.
 
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