rough looking wood after removing tape

[rljohn56]

recently i've noticed that when i remove my tape & pattern from my scroll saw project it is pulling up tiny slivers of the wood.  I use 3m blue painters tape.  i sand the wood first before i do anything.  I use mostly Baltic Birch for just about all my projects just because it's easy to work with. With this particular project i cut using a Pegas #1 SPR modified geometry blade. if you look close around the letters "E" & "W" and around the handle u can see the wood is rough. i sanded it as much as i could before i painted it, but still.  so several questions: is this happening because i'm cutting detailed using a soft wood? the wrong type of blade? the wrong type of tape? not sanded enough before hand?  Any and all critiquing. tips. advice is always welcome for this old guy.  

[Chiloquinruss]

Thinking out loud here, if the final product is to be painted anyhow, how about a light coat of sealer, let dry then do the taping?  Might help keep the wood slivers.  Just a thought.  Russ

[redwine]

I have always had that problem with the blue tape and it seems it is just the plywood and the way it is made. I have often thought about using the tape meant for delicate surfaces to see if that would help or do away with the pulling up of the small slivers. I have since stared using the clear shelf liner and found that it does not pull up the slivers from the ply. The blue tape will stick so much stronger and I assume that is the reason for pulling the wood. Russ's idea for the light coat of sanding sealer may stop the pulling of so much of the wood. It would be worth while to try.

Erv

[tomsteve]

you could have two things occurring here. one is the tape pulling on the fibers of the wood as you pull the tape of. solution? i dont know. o personally dont use tape. i put all patterns on with spray adhesive, then mineral spirits to get the pattern off. you may be able to try applying mineral spirits to the pattern and tape and see if it peels off easier. let the MS sit on there for 5 or so minutes.

the roughness after painting- im guessing youre using a water based paint, which will raise the grain and cause the roughness. a couple ways to correct it.

one being a sealer that Chiloquinruss mentioned beforehand. although you may still need to use it on the cut edges after,too. so maybe the sealer after would be a good idea. you may still need a little sanding after the sealer,though.

or

switch to oil based paints.

 

heckuva nice project there!

[WayneMahler]

Nice looking project. As for the peeling issue, I go through that too. I sand mine with 220 before and after cutting. I use the blue painters tape and the final sanding brings it back to super smooth except for the large ones. Be careful not to sand though the top veneer. Using a water based paint will raise the wood fibers so sanding sealer is a good way to help correct that. Also works on soft woods that get blotchy when staining them, pine for example. Spraying the pattern and applying it directly to the wood is another way for help prevent this. Wet it down with mineral spirits then lift, wipe off the remaining adhesive with a soft cloth dampened with mineral spirits then set aside and let it dry. Seems the BB they are putting out anymore is not the quality I got used to back in time. Sometimes you have to make adjustments your procedures to obtain the product your producing. 

[Dan]

I'm with Wayne on this. I do thing the sealer would also work, though I've never tried it. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Sanding sealer should help some. What is happening is the use of plywood and the small pieces left after cutting the frets is weak. Would not get that with solid woods. You can also try switching to purple painter tape or for even less tackiness the green but be warned the tack is far less than blue and may start to peel when cutting. I know nothing about shelf paper but it too has adhesive that can do what is happening to you. 

[Brianr24]

It's tear out basically. I would say try shelf paper and it still could happen. If I was doing something delicate and didn't want risk it as someone above mentioned I would spray adhesive the pattern directly to the wood and then use a heat gun or mineral spirits to remove.

 

[Bill WIlson]

I typically apply the pattern directly to the plywood and have never had a problem with fibers lifting when removing the pattern.  Like others have already said, just spritz a little MS on the pattern and lift it right off.

If I intend to paint a piece, I often apply clear shellac as a sealer first.  It dries quick and very hard.  If there is any roughness, it will easily rub right out, leaving a nice smooth surface that acrylic paint bonds to quite well.  No raising of the grain and you get a pretty smooth finish, even with the acrylic paint.

[Rolf]

How thick is the wood? If you use one layer of 1/8 the reverse teeth may be coming up above you wood causing the tear out. I  very rarely get any tear out or fiber lifting with either the blue tape or the contact paper.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Rolf

[NC Scroller]

It is going to happen with tape and even clear shelf paper.  It shows up more with tape.  While nothing is 100% there are a couple tricks that might help.  

- Not all painters tape are the same.  You want the clean release tape.  It is normally more expensive.

- The less time the tape is on the wood the better.  No more then a couple days.

- There is grain pattern on wood even plywood.  When applying tape try to go across the grain and not with it.  Remove the same way.

- When removing tape or shelf paper peel slowly and at a 45 degree angle.

[rljohn56]

a couple of responses to the advices, tips, etc. the main reason i went to using tape was i had read it helps in lubricating the blade while cutting. as for spraying the pattern directly on i never even thought about using mineral spirits to get it off afterwards (i'm still new to all this woodworking world). the other suggestion of using sanding sealer prior to cutting is something i've not done before either.  will also try using a shellac prior to painting also. Thank you! thank you! thank you! one last question: if i start  applying my pattern directly & then using ms to get the pattern off afterwards is there a waiting period before i can stain or paint since ms is a dissolvent?

[JackM]

My method is, sand with 220 grit, 2 -3 shots of spray shellac, blue painters tape, then apply the pattern

Have had tape on for months and never a problem when removing it

Jack

[NC Scroller]

8 minutes ago, rljohn56 said:

a couple of responses to the advices, tips, etc. the main reason i went to using tape was i had read it helps in lubricating the blade while cutting. as for spraying the pattern directly on i never even thought about using mineral spirits to get it off afterwards (i'm still new to all this woodworking world). the other suggestion of using sanding sealer prior to cutting is something i've not done before either.  will also try using a shellac prior to painting also. Thank you! thank you! thank you! one last question: if i start  applying my pattern directly & then using ms to get the pattern off afterwards is there a waiting period before i can stain or paint since ms is a dissolvent?

If you are using an oil based stain or finish they contain MS  already so there is no need to wait.  If using alcohol or water based paint, stain or finish wait 24 hours.

[Ron Johnson]

Baltic Birch ply is available in different grades. I use a card scraper which gives me a fine sheen finish prior to applying my pattern with spray adhesive and adhering it onto the wood. When done cutting I apply MS, let sit for a couple of minutes and remove. Apply a second coat to remove any residue. I'll seal the wood first if the item is to be painted or stained. As for lubricating the blades I use a bees wax stick along with a crepe eraser.

'

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

I would think long and hard about the suggestion of spraying the wood. I mean sincerely. Those that do it may have good luck but what you are doing is getting glue in the grain of the wood and yes you can wipe with MS but now you are transferring that glue to the edges of the fret cutouts and that can cause problems. I would try heat gun or as I said a lighter tack tape. Not a fan of spraying the wood. Sealing the wood ahead of time can help too. But good luck and hope you figure it out.

[crupiea]

Simple solution. Dont use blue tape. Just a light coat of spray in the pattern and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Put it on the wood and cut. peels right off, no hassles. Takes some experimenting but once you have it dialed in, you will never look back.

[Rolf]

As you see there are lots of opinions. We all get to a point where we are happy with our own methods.  I don't like using solvents, and I find a heat gun with a pattern directly on the wood leaves a residue. I am also not a fan of spray adhesives (smell and mess) So I use a Xyron machine to put the adhesive on my patterns. Pricey but I don't care it is just too easy and neat. I still use 3m painters tape under it on small projects , Contact brand removable shelf liner for large projects. Con-Tact® Brand Self-Adhesive Shelf Liner in Clear

Some club members use the Xyron with removable adhesive directly.

This is the new version Xyron.

https://www.xyron.com/en-us/new-creative-station/ 

Edited April 3, 2018 by Rolf

[3Dface]

i use a lot of luan. it is so easy to pull fibers out as you remove tape.

i have learned to use blue tape only to tape layers together for stack cutting and applying  "Duck" clear shelf paper to glue the pattern down.

but above all never remove either "with the grain". slowly remove across the grain and you will have much less tear out.

-chris

[tomsteve]

On 4/2/2018 at 5:07 PM, rljohn56 said:

\

john, something you can do if using spray adhesive is put a layer of clear packing tape over the pattern after its attatched for blade lubrication.

best to do it BEFORE drilling holes,too.  the tape can peel off rather easy and then some MS sprayed on to remove the rest of the pattern.

you'll find the methon that works best for you.

as far as waiting after staining, i dont wait, but using oil based stains. the MS actually works as a wood conditioner and helps for more even staining- helps stop blotchyness.

if oil based paint the same thing.

if water based stains/paints, let dry thoroughly. 

[craneman54]

You might try  coating the BB with 1/3 Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac Quart, Clear ,2/3 denatured alcohol. I use this when I am turning soft wood such as cypress or poplar. This mixture is also an excellent base for just about any finish you want to put on your work.