Is this normal?

[OzarkSawdust]

I use the blue painters tape...spray glue the pattern method. Once I get the wood cut to size and trim the pattern to size, I give it a sanding...I think I've got 220 in the sander. Then I put on the tape overlapping each piece slightly. Then I give the back of the pattern a LIGHT spray of glue (I think I'm using Loctite brand) and let it sit 30 - 40 sec. then place it on the blue tape and smooth. I let it set 5-10 min,  to get a drink, then start. The piece soothes out with a little sanding afterward, but I didn't think you needed to sand a second time. Also what's with the tape pulling up wood?

What am I doing wrong...or is this normal?

[fredfret]

Sadly it's normal,  however this is a little more than normal.  I sand, remove dust, apply finish allow to cure, apply pattern, cut.

[kmmcrafts]

How long was that taped up.. or how old is the tape.. as that tape ages.. it gets harder to pull it up as if it gets stickier.. I've not had that happen that badly except one time when i left the project half done for about 2 years and then finished it up..

In this case.. I now will set the project out in the direct sun for about 30 minutes.. then it will peel off more normal.. you almost always get a very small amount of these splinters but not nearly that bad.. Can also use a hairdryer or heat gun to soften up the tapes glue..

Also as mentioned, I pre-sand the wood down to around 220 - 320 grit.. and clean off any sanding dust.. I use shelf liner now days instead of blue tape.. but keep blue tape on hand in case it's a real small project that would only require a couple strips of 2" wide tape.. 

[OzarkSawdust]

It was only taped up last night and cut. Didn't peal till today. That is a partial roll of tape I've had about 1 1/2 yrs. when we bought this house and repainted the inside.

You think if I got a fresh roll it might not do it that bad? Does blue tape or frog tape make any difference? I'm still going to look for your clear shelf liner.

[CharleyL]

There is a clear sticky backed mylar sheet available through hobby and stationery stores called "Applique Film". It comes in 8 1/2 X 11 and can go through a laser printer or copier. The top surface is kind of frosted or semi gloss in texture. It may work with inkjet if the printer has a setting for it, since so little needs to be applied as it does not soak in. I use it mostly for power carving, printing my image on it with a computer laser printer. I carve the outlines through it, then peel it off. Then I go back and carve shape and relief into it with different shaped bits. I use an air powered carver with 1/16" shank bits, the same as used by dentists.  Gun stock relief carving is similar to what I do, but I do it on cabinet doors, jewelry boxes, etc. Some years back I cut out a cross with vines and leaves, then went to work shaping the vines and leaves, cutting them back lower than the face of the cross as I shaped them. I added veining to the leaves and bark texture to the vines too. I've made 16 of these crosses. The wood used was mahogany, except for one that was white oak. The white oak took forever to look nice. It didn't carve well at all The mahogany carves really well. The cross is all one piece of wood and has a router made key hole slot in the back for hanging. It is 14" tall.

Charley

 

[Rockytime]

I have two different blue painter's tape. One 3M 2017 is a very aggressive tape and acts like yours. The other is 3M Scotch 2080 and is made for delicate surfaces and is what I use to cover my blank when not using shelf liner.

[OzarkSawdust]

47 minutes ago, CharleyL said:

There is a clear sticky backed mylar sheet available through hobby and stationery stores called "Applique Film". It comes in 8 1/2 X 11 and can go through a laser printer or copier. The top surface is kind of frosted or semi gloss in texture. It may work with inkjet if the printer has a setting for it, since so little needs to be applied as it does not soak in. I use it mostly for power carving, printing my image on it with a computer laser printer. I carve the outlines through it, then peel it off. Then I go back and carve shape and relief into it with different shaped bits. I use an air powered carver with 1/16" shank bits, the same as used by dentists.  Gun stock relief carving is similar to what I do, but I do it on cabinet doors, jewelry boxes, etc. Some years back I cut out a cross with vines and leaves, then went to work shaping the vines and leaves, cutting them back lower than the face of the cross as I shaped them. I added veining to the leaves and bark texture to the vines too. I've made 16 of these crosses. The wood used was mahogany, except for one that was white oak. The white oak took forever to look nice. It didn't carve well at all The mahogany carves really well. The cross is all one piece of wood and has a router made key hole slot in the back for hanging. It is 14" tall.

Charley

 

WOW! that's some piece of work! Beautiful.

[OzarkSawdust]

24 minutes ago, Rockytime said:

I have two different blue painter's tape. One 3M 2017 is a very aggressive tape and acts like yours. The other is 3M Scotch 2080 and is made for delicate surfaces and is what I use to cover my blank when not using shelf liner.

Thanks Les! I never noticed different types. I just grabbed a roll of blue tape and went to painting...I HATE to paint! I'll look for that also tomorrow.

[JimErn]

I've used blue tape, shelf liner, packing tape, and  they all work,  but,  in my view  the added work when cutting fretwork is not worth it to me.

Added work - picking out all the small pieces of tape left behind after cutting

I sand the piece with 220, blow it off, spray the pattern, stick it to the wood.  When finished I use  a sponge brush dipped in mineral spirits on the pattern, wait 30 sec and the whole thing lifts off.  Dip a paper towel in the MS, wipe down the surface and let dry

[Foxfold]

1 hour ago, JimErn said:

I've used blue tape, shelf liner, packing tape, and  they all work,  but,  in my view  the added work when cutting fretwork is not worth it to me.

Added work - picking out all the small pieces of tape left behind after cutting

I sand the piece with 220, blow it off, spray the pattern, stick it to the wood.  When finished I use  a sponge brush dipped in mineral spirits on the pattern, wait 30 sec and the whole thing lifts off.  Dip a paper towel in the MS, wipe down the surface and let dry

Yep, that's what I do too. It suits me.

[crupiea]

The trick is to use a very light spritz of glue and let it site for at least 15-20 minutes.  It will be hardly tacky at all but will stay in place.  Also peels right off when done.  You have to play with it to get it right but once you do you it will have been worth the effort.

[Sycamore67]

I missed it maybe....what kind of wood are you using?  The wood makes a huge difference.

[OzarkSawdust]

4 hours ago, Sycamore67 said:

I missed it maybe....what kind of wood are you using?  The wood makes a huge difference.

1/4" B/BB plywood . I got some clear shelf liner and fresh blue tape today.

[Roberta Moreton]

Plywood from a big box store is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.

[OzarkSawdust]

4 hours ago, Roberta Moreton said:

Plywood from a big box store is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.

Yea...but this was from Ocooch Hardwoods. The tape was 1 1/2 - 2 yrs old so I just got a fresh roll, and I got clear shelf liner. We'll see how that works.

[bcdennis]

Aspen wood is the only wood that has pulled like on me. 

[Rockytime]

I just received a roll of 3M Scotch 2080 from Amazon today. I is specifically made for delicate release.

[OzarkSawdust]

14 minutes ago, Rockytime said:

I just received a roll of 3M Scotch 2080 from Amazon today. I is specifically made for delicate release.

Walmart doesn't have that in the store. I may have to order it if I don't see it next time I'm in Lowe's.

 

[Rockytime]

I think it is not worth looking for when you can order it from home on you cell phone. Often next day delivery depending on where you live. I find myself using Amazon more all the time. And their selections are outstanding. Easier than spending time and gas looking for things. That being said, I sometimes feel guilty not using local vendors. A sign of the times.

[JimErn]

8 hours ago, Rockytime said:

I think it is not worth looking for when you can order it from home on you cell phone. Often next day delivery depending on where you live. I find myself using Amazon more all the time. And their selections are outstanding. Easier than spending time and gas looking for things. That being said, I sometimes feel guilty not using local vendors. A sign of the times.

I try to support our local businesses but that said I am not going to pay double.  Quite often I print the amazon page and ask a local manager if he can match it, some do some don't.

That of course is for things I am in no hurry for.

Bought a rocker recliner that way, saved $350.  We found one she liked in the store, googled it, and surprise delivered it was that much cheaper

[Sycamore67]

I often check prices at HomeDepot or others against Amazon.  It is hard to beat Amazon one day delivery.  For more expensive things on Amazon, I use CamelCamelCamel.com to look at price history.  Prices there seem to change prices a lot over time and you can set a price alert for a certain level.  

[JimErn]

43 minutes ago, Sycamore67 said:

I often check prices at HomeDepot or others against Amazon.  It is hard to beat Amazon one day delivery.  For more expensive things on Amazon, I use CamelCamelCamel.com to look at price history.  Prices there seem to change prices a lot over time and you can set a price alert for a certain level.  

Yeah I have a whole amazon wish list set up with camelcamelcamel, gotta love both the price history and the drop in price alerts.

Wikibuy is another I use

[Wilson142]

I use Amazon a lot. I am a Prime Member because I use the Prime Music and Video a lot. In fact I plan to cut the cord as far as cable TV and simply stream. No matter what I am looking to buy and where I plan to buy it, I always find myself on Amazon reading the reviews about it. You have to take the reviews with a grain of salt but I find them valuable.

[Bill WIlson]

I use a fair amount (for a hobbiest) of Baltic Birch ply.  I've also used various brands of blue & green painter's tape and/or spray adhesive on it.  I've never had the fibers lift off like that.  I suspect it has more to do with thin veneer and/or poor glue adhesion of the veneer than it does with the tape or pattern adhesive.

You said it was B/BB ply.  This denotes the grade, not really the type or brand of plywood.  Is this true Baltic (or Finnish or Russian) Birch ply or is it birch ply from the home center?

[OzarkSawdust]

2 hours ago, Bill WIlson said:

I use a fair amount (for a hobbiest) of Baltic Birch ply.  I've also used various brands of blue & green painter's tape and/or spray adhesive on it.  I've never had the fibers lift off like that.  I suspect it has more to do with thin veneer and/or poor glue adhesion of the veneer than it does with the tape or pattern adhesive.

You said it was B/BB ply.  This denotes the grade, not really the type or brand of plywood.  Is this true Baltic (or Finnish or Russian) Birch ply or is it birch ply from the home center?

No, The stuff from Lowe's turned out to have a top and bottom layer of birch and the center was more of a MDF glue and sawdust. It's ok I guess if there are NO narrow places, cutting a silhouette maybe, or good for backer board. 

I got some true 5 layer Baltic Birch plywood from Ocooch Hardwoods in Viola WI. This stuff is much better to cut than the Lowe's stuff!

I took a piece to my local lumber yard and he had the same stuff, 3 layer, as Lowe's. Might have been a bad piece...I've seen some but not that much. I haven't used the new blue tape yet. I used the clear shelf liner and that was ok, I didn't think it held as strong as the blue tape...but maybe it doesn't need to. There was no splintering with the shelf liner. I may try some of that delicate release blue tape Les was talking about...I didn't know there was anything but standard blue painters tape.