Recommendations for tape that removes cleanly

[tostadas]

I've been using the Scotch blue painter's tape for covering up parts of my blade that I don't want to scuff up when doing work on it. However, I find that it often leaves behind residue that I need to clean up. Any recommendations for tape that removes cleanly every time?

Specific brands or models appreciated

 

[gabdo]

Interested in this, as my last polishing session took out some KU finish a little prematurely…

 

[RonB]

Gaffers tape is made to be removable, but it's a bit expensive.

 

[Chopper88]

Look for a high end professional masking tape painters use. Also look at the intended use, there's tape which is meant for delicate applications like covering wallpaper to paint ceilings, but there's also tape that's meant for outdoor applications, you don't want that for this purpose.

Not sure about the availability overseas, but (real) washi tape is one of the best types of tape you can get for this application, and it's really affordable as well, like $6 for a 36mm wide, 50m long roll.

 

[MarcelNL]

Not sure how this translates to working in knives, but for paintwork it's important to remove masking tape ASAP after being done...hoping to spare yourself another round of masking usually comes with the penalty of painful removal of glue and tape bits and bobs

 

[Jovidah]

Not sure how this translates to working in knives, but for paintwork it's important to remove masking tape ASAP after being done...hoping to spare yourself another round of masking usually comes with the penalty of painful removal of glue and tape bits and bobs

Sounds like we've had the same experience...
On the better painter's tape there's usually a specification somewhere for how many days you're allowed to leave it on. I highly recommend you not ignore those... you won't be saving time.

 

[Pie]

Frog tape seems to work better than the standard green masking tape. Unsure if my blade was just dirty and not that sticky or if it’s actually easier to take off.

 

[Jovidah]

Look for a high end professional masking tape painters use. Also look at the intended use, there's tape which is meant for delicate applications like covering wallpaper to paint ceilings, but there's also tape that's meant for outdoor applications, you don't want that for this purpose.

Not sure about the availability overseas, but (real) washi tape is one of the best types of tape you can get for this application, and it's really affordable as well, like $6 for a 36mm wide, 50m long roll.

Professional isn't always better in this case; you don't need fancy tape that gels up for your knife project. Generally speaking there's different 'strengths' of painters tape... Look for stuff that's marketed for delicate walls, or relatively freshly painted surfaces; they hold less glue and should release easier. Usually any brand will offer a bunch of different flavors / strengths.

 

[Chopper88]

Sounds like we've had the same experience...
On the better painter's tape there's usually a specification somewhere for how many days you're allowed to leave it on. I highly recommend you not ignore those... you won't be saving time.

With proper tape (and a roll that hasn't been laying in a hot attic for 11 years) you can leave it on for months.
There's also specific tape that's meant for use in high heat, like 80 or 120°c, it helps to pay attention to this as well, for example when painting window sills in summer etc.

 

[Chopper88]

Professional isn't always better in this case; you don't need fancy tape that gels up for your knife project. Generally speaking there's different 'strengths' of painters tape... Look for stuff that's marketed for delicate walls, or relatively freshly painted surfaces; they hold less glue and should release easier. Usually any brand will offer a bunch of different flavors / strengths.

Thats basically what I said

 

[Jovidah]

With proper tape (and a roll that hasn't been laying in a hot attic for 11 years) you can leave it on for months.
There's also specific tape that's meant for use in high heat, like 80 or 120°c, it helps to pay attention to this as well, for example when painting window sills in summer etc.

Err no... even with decent brands we had issues after a week or 2 with brand-new tape. You notice a lot more tearing issues and it's generally just harder to get off. But we did notice the cheap garbage was even worse. There might be tape that allows you to keep it on for months and still pull it off easy, but I wouldn't make this assumption unless it's specifically mentioned in the specs.
With painting there's also another reason to pull it off straight away though; there's less risk of the paint chipping on the edges and you get a cleaner look. Some tapes would also 'leak through' after a while.

 

[Jovidah]

Thats basically what I said

Yes I was mostly agreeing with you and adding to it. But the important thing is that 'just getting professional tape' isn't the solution. The solution is to pay more attention to the specs of the tape and what surfaces it was originally intended for (as that's usually an indication for the bond strength).
Some of the professional brand tape we used actually had the strongest bond.

 

[Chopper88]

Yeah I'm not saying you can do that with every tape...

Of course specs are different between types.
Just saying if you intend to leave it on longer, and buy the proper tape, there's tape you can leave on for like 4 months, it's even in the spec.

I think we're on the same page here, I'm just putting more emphasis on 'dont buy crap, buy something proven' and you're putting more emphasis on 'buy the right kind'.

Agreed, do both

 

[ahhactive]

It depends on the application. Scotch masking are developed for low energy surfaces such as walls/cement which is why they can be easily removed. Metals on the other hand have high surface energy which will bond even better,causing the tape to have cohesive failure. Unfortunately there is no one product that fits all nature of work.

try going to an auto shop that sells autograde masking. Those are made to withstand high reanges of temperature and better cohesiveness.

But the price is not worth it in my opinion.

 

[Troopah_Knives]

Another thing to consider is that WD40 does a pretty darn good job removing that residue. So you could just stick with your current stuff and use a tad of that.

 

[ahhactive]

With proper tape (and a roll that hasn't been laying in a hot attic for 11 years) you can leave it on for months.
There's also specific tape that's meant for use in high heat, like 80 or 120°c, it helps to pay attention to this as well, for example when painting window sills in summer etc.

Yeah those that can withstand till 80-120C are automotive grade. Very good cohesion,but those are not off the shelf. Auto shop should have it.

 

[zizirex]

Tamiya Masking Tape

 

[Steampunk]

CARPRO Automotive Masking Tape 1" - 30% More Tape!

Best I've ever worked with, and I've gone through a lot of auto-grade masking tape.

 

[ahhactive]

CARPRO Automotive Masking Tape 1" - 30% More Tape!

Best I've ever worked with, and I've gone through a lot of auto-grade masking tape.

Hoo this is quite ok. I was expecting they cost more

 

[Heckel7302]

Painters tape comes in different levels of stick. What do you want is low tack, or delicate surface.

Scotch 2080EL-24E ScotchBlue Delicate Surfaces Painters Tape, 0.94" Width x 60 yd, Purple https://a.co/d/5vhsYLd

Usually it will say the tack level on the side of the package.

Though I usually use electrical tape and it always come off clean.

 

[MarcelNL]

I was not so much referring to the type of tape, although that matters too, yet to the fact that leaving it on AFTER painting is what separates the OK tape from the crappy tape. IME taking it off as soon as the paint allows helps to minimize tearing/residue. For a knife that may be different.

 

[palindrome]

With proper tape (and a roll that hasn't been laying in a hot attic for 11 years) you can leave it on for months.
There's also specific tape that's meant for use in high heat, like 80 or 120°c, it helps to pay attention to this as well, for example when painting window sills in summer etc.

I'd say Kapton tape might be a good fit. Or any generic variation. This tape is made of polyimide backing with silicone adhesive. Both can withstand high temperature, and silicone pressure sensitive adhesive doesn't leave residue in my experience. But it's more expensive than masking tape so I'd use it only if its strength is an advantage, for example if making tape gets shredded.

But a quick wipe with the right solvent will remove most kinds of tape residue. That's probably either naphtha or pure isopropyl, with tons of alternatives for the oil like orange oil, WD-40, or baby oil. The only good alternative for the alcohol is denatured alcohol or possibly a ketone.

 

[McMan]

Sounds like we've had the same experience...
On the better painter's tape there's usually a specification somewhere for how many days you're allowed to leave it on. I highly recommend you not ignore those... you won't be saving time.

Exactly this. Check the data sheet.

There are multiple low-tack options... I like yellow frog tape. The pink 3m is decent too. I've heard very good things about Blue Dolphin (Washi tape) too but haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

Are you using it to mask some of the blade during sharpening? If so, some of those low-tack tapes are really thin and a brush against a stone would tear them. Might make sense to go with something that can stand up to a little abrasion. Or, are you masking the whole blade? If the whole blade, just wrap tightly in newspaper/plastic bag/whatever and then crank on some Scotch "33" electrical tape. It's stretchy and holds tension.

 

[gentiscid]

Giving this a try but probly better suggestions above lol

 

[Jovidah]

If for whatever reason you have tape that's torn / hard to remove, try heat. Either hot water or a hairdryer. It softens up a lot of glues.

 

[Bear]

Frog tape makes two grades, the delicate surface one is very easy to remove.

 

[btbyrd]

I'd pay attention to specific recommendations of particular products. I wish I had a better answer to this question, but I can say that I had bad luck with two brands of gaffer tape. I use it a lot for other things, but both products stripped KU from blades I was trying to thin. Luckily only on small test strips. It did remove cleanly though... so I guess that's something?

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

You might consider plater's tape. I've never tried it for this type of application but it might work really well. It's a tape used in chemical plating and etching operations. We use a ton of it at work. Holds up well and my experience with it is it peels pretty clean. But, I'm also using it mostly on highly finished materials so it may be a somewhat different experience.

Problem is, I'm not sure how widely available it is.

This isn't the brand we use but gives you an idea:
https://www.echosupply.com/red-poly-tape