Masking Over Metallic Paints ??

Here's what I do, although my experience is with acrylics. Perhaps it will help anyway...
I just finished Hasegawa's 1/32 P-51D. I primed with light grey and let cure for 48 hours. I then used PollyScale's railroad stainless steel, thinned about 40% with distilled water. Application was several light coats, then polish with dry paper towel. I let this cure for 48 hours, then masked the anti-glare panel using Tamiya masking tape. Worked like a charm; no lifting, no residue, no marks.
My mustang, after a coat of flat clearcoat, is quite pleasing to me. I know other folks get a more "realistic" finish with Alclad or something like that, but enamels are out of the question for me so this is what I use.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,

John,
Metallizers will not allow a mask, period. Don't even try. Always apply metallizers as a last coat after you have masked over Alclad, SNJ or Floquil.
Alclad will do well with 3M *drafting* tape but not *masking* or painter's tape. Alclad does very well with Tamiya masking tapes.
SNJ does better than Alclad with the above.
Floquil railroad colors (lacquers) do better than Alclad or SNJ.
None of the paints will tolerate any kind of vinyl tape such as the Chartpak brands.
Art

I've used Post-It notes- extremely low tack... it doesn't leave any residue nor does it pull off the coating or alter the finish like most masking tapes will.
The only downside is that application of post-it note masks is rather painstaking...It's easy for flat surfaces like wing panels, not so easy for curved areas like fuselages.
I've tried Tamiya tape on Alclad- and while Alclad is very tolerant of masking materials (the finish won't peel off if you apply the coats correctly) you'll still get an obvious mark where the tape was.
You could also try "de-tacking" your masking tape by applying it to a clean surface like a glass pane and pulling it off to make the tape less sticky. Then mask your model.
Sat

I have found two different ways to get Testor's Metalizers to 'stick' without pulling off or at least making them repairable during the multi- shading of panels.
One way is to spray a shell of Future over the primary buffed shade. Then mask with drafting tape for the following shade. Another shell has to be put down before the next metal shade. I allow the Future to cure at least 24 hrs. before applying the next mask and metal shade.
The other way is a bit quicker but a bit more labor intensive. 1. After buffing out the first shade, apply a dusting right back over it. 2. Then mask with drafting tape. Very lightly burnish around the edge ONLY 3. Buff out the 2nd shade (if it is buffable) 4. Follow the spray, buff, dust, mask routine until finished with buffables 5. Spray non buffs last but lay them on a bit heavy. 6. As you lift the last mask, you'll find that the only thing, if any, lifted is part of that dust coat. All you have to do is rebuff. 7. Unmask, rebuff each layer till you get back to the beginning.
Just be sure you trim the tape for a sharp edge, stay in the appropriate panel while rebuffing and plan your panel sequence ahead of time.
Chuck Ryan Springfield OH snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEearthlink.net

I use the Tamiya masking tape with a little bit better results, but I still sometimes pull some of the metalizer paint off. I've even tried to pre-stick the tape to remove some of the glue, but then the paint runs under the tape line. If I burnish down the tape it will always pull some paint with it. If you figure out how to get good, crisp, nondestructive masking let us all know.

Weathering and battle damage work pretty well!
Peter

in article bsbr5q$6ns$ snipped-for-privacy@bunyip.cc.uq.edu.au, Bushy at snipped-for-privacy@reply.to.group wrote on 12/24/03 4:56 AM:
Used to be a real problem but now I use Alclad for all metal parts and no more lifting. Not even duct tape will lift that stuff!
MB

ive had pretty good results with scotch restickable adhesive (like on post-em notes) as i can control amount and tackyness (by letting it sit out if need be)