Painting on windows

[PrecisionPine]

I tried to paint windows on a car I was doing. I taped it off and made sure the tape was on real tight. But after I added the paint and took off the tape, it had bled into the seams where the tape met.

How do you paint on windows or anything extra on top of your first coat?

It's frustrating being new at something that you're excited about.

[nigal]

I don't know how well this will work on a car, but it works great on the wall to ceiling transition.

Apply masking tape to mask off the area you want painted. Now paint over the tape with the base color (effectively sealing the tape). Now paint the color that you want inside the masked off area. Remove the tape and you should have nice clean windows.

[builderjim]

PrecisionPine,

The best way I found to do any kind of painting using masking is to paint the base color first. In your case this would have been the window color and allow it to dry for a full 24 hour period if using lacquers, longer if using anything else. Then to mask over the area you want the color to remain and paint over the body color. You will want to make sure that you have a good sharp exacto blade and run it along the edge of the tape once the body color has dried. This way you get a nice clean line. A lite feathering with 1000 grit sand paper and then a good 3 coats of clear should do the trick to make the edges fan out perfectly. Always start your paint on the body color with light mist coats moving to a medium coat for the final allowing dry or flash time in between, read the can directions. For more painting tips feel free to shoot me a pm. ;D

J

Another tip for those of you out the trying to mask something off is to run your fingernail or a thick credit card along the edge of the tape to kind of burnish it into place and to make sure it stays where you will want it to. I prefer the green masking tape from the auto parts store because it seems to hold up to the pressure of the burnishing. Be careful not to stretch it though.

[PrecisionPine]

So let me see if I have this right...

I start out painting the whole car the color of the windows.
Then I mask off "the windows" so they are protected.
Then I spray the whole car the color of the car. lol
Then I xacto the borders of the windows and remove tape.
Then I sand the seam of the windows with 1000 grit so it feathers.
Then I apply 3 coats o clear coat.
Is this right?

[builderjim]

You wouldn't have to spray the whole car, just the area where you are going to have windows plus a little more for a smooth transition. Then masking to protect. and you have the rest correct. Sometimes you don't have to exacto the edges of the tape if you spray light coats of body color, so as to not build up too much at the tape edges.
This is the best way that I have found when using spray cans.
This is the way I have done both of my WIRL cars, Turret and Loc Ness.
;D
J

[nigal]

Here's how I do it...

1. Paint car your base color.
2. Use tape to outlline the window area.
3. Now paint window opening with your base color and be sure to overlap the paint onto the masking tape. Let dry. This will seal the edge of the masking tape.
4. Now paint your window with the window color and overlap the window paint onto the masking tape. Let dry.
5. Carefully peel off masking tape (a hair dryer may be useful to heat up the masking tape adhesive).
6. You should have nice clean lines.

I learned this from a painter. He used it when the ceiling was a different color than the wall. After painting the ceiling and letting it dry, he ran a strip off masking tape on the ceiling, with one edge where the wall to ceiling joint is and the other edge on the ceiling. He then painted over the masking tape and onto the wall with the ceiling color (sealing the masking tape). When that was dry, he painted the wall with a different color and extended the paint onto to the masing tape (but not onto the ceiling), when dry, he removed the masking tape and had a perfect line.

Hope this helps.