Guide to taping off a car

[bokchoiboi]

Add me to the list too? =D

[tuscarora dave]

Spend a little time in the show & shine forum section. Look at the pictures before during and after. There will be some good examples of proper taping in there. Forum Member Superior Shine has some great pictures in his show & shine threads as he's usually wet sanding and then cutting with a rotary and wool pads. He is incredibly efficient as well with 3 decades of experience.

[DLB]

I don't have the time to watch this and reply to everyone's request for a PM.

I will just say that Todd Helme did a guide, and it is on a competitor's forum, so I cannot post it.

DLB

[Mike Phillips]

Here's a how-to I did on MOL back in 2005... I've seen people talk about the tinfoil tip ever since then but now days I tend to use the Beach Towel Tip.

How to tape-off a car (http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=33720)

Photos Courtesy of MeguiarsOnline
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Tapecollection.jpg





During the process

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/21963CorvetteafterDACP1.jpg

Afterwards on display

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Sandys1963Corvetteatevent.jpg





Here are some examples of what I cover before doing what I call a "Complete". When I used to detail cars full time, if I had to start with the compounding process, then I would call the job a "Complete", because I had to start with the hardest and most time consuming process, (removing serious defect with a rotary buffer and a compound), and work my way through multiple steps until I had achieved a show car finish, in other words, I had to completely go over the car finish with all the steps required for a show car finish.

In order to prevent splatter on wheels and tires, you can purchase wheel covers and any good PBE store or just use what you already have, newspaper and tape

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_finishedshotwithgoldclass1.jpg

After covering the wheels and tires, start taping-off everything you don't' want to detail later, (Here the word detail means, get the wax out of the cracks, or anything you don't want to get excess product, (splatter), into, such as under grills where the area under the grill is not readily accessible, or you don't want to run the buffer over, like high points, edges and body seams, or even known thin areas.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_finishedshottapedoff1.jpg



Tape off small trim areas

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Tapedoff4.jpg

Sometimes I cut pieces with scissors to make for a neater taping

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Tapedoff5.jpg


Window gaskets and trim around side mirror taped-off

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_tapedoffsidemirror.jpg

Windshield wash water squirter taped-off

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_tapedoffwindshieldwatersquirter.jpg

This particular car was being prepped for the 2002 Bimmerfest, it was a side-by-side, before & after demonstration. This is why you'll see the car taped-off down the middle.

The first time we taped off one half,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_tapedoff0.jpg

After the show the car was brought back and we taped-off the finished side so we wouldn't splatter it with product while buffing out the un-buffed side.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_tapedoff2.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_tapedoff3.jpg



Here you can see we have taped-off the gasket and trim around the window and also a sticker in the lower right hand corner to protect it from splatter that would later need to be removed. (Just an extra safety precaution)

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2tapedoffwindowdecal.jpg



Normal kitchen tin foil can come in handy for wrapping around some items like windshield wiper arms because you can shape it and it will keep its hold.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2tinfoil1.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2tinfoil2.jpg



Here's a picture of the felt surrounding the sun roof to prevent it from product splatter. It's very difficult to clean this type of material so it's always better to tape it off.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2tapedoffsunroof.jpg



Before

(Kind of hurts your eyes to look at)

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2bmwbefore.jpg

Feather Sanding

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2RightSideBMW-med.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2RightSideBMW2.jpg



After Drivers side only

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BMWRightSideAfter1.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BMWRightSideAfter2.jpg



Meguiar's Booth at the 2002 Bimmerfest in Santa Barbara, California


You can't see it because it's cloudy out at the time of this picture, but as you see the hood open, only one side of the swirls have been removed.

IMG]http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BimmerFestBooth1a.jpg[/IMG]


Back for the other side after the show...

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LeftSideBMW.jpg


Completely Finished

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2hoodshot1.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2hoodshot3.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2hoodupshotownerreflection1.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2ownerreflection2-med.jpg

Taping-off is an important part of the process and the overall quality of the end results.



Then down the road a few years this dramatic before and after was used on the label when SwirlX was introduced...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/828/SwirlX1.jpg


:)

[cutter]

That is a question I have thought about too...Good question...What's the best tape to use...Painter's tape???

[Mike Phillips]

I have another article on taping-off, I'll see if I can dig it up.

The taping-off video is actually very "detailed", and instead of reading text and looking at pictures you can sit back and watch and listen...

List of Autogeek's Show Car Garage Online Classes (https://aspdn-02.onstreammedia.com/palmbeachmotoring/)


I had my friend Sam's Porsche back to use in this video...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/870/1994BlackPorscheOC012.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/870/1994BlackPorscheOC014.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/870/1994BlackPorscheOC015.jpg


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Here's a Lotus Elise I buffed out for a video I made with Richard Lin
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LotusTape10.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LotusTape11.jpg


http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LotusTape3.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LotusTape71.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LotusTape5.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LotusTape6.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LotusTape05.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2LotusTape06.jpg


Kind of a related tip...


The Soft Flannel Bed Sheet Tip
I like to cover up the engine on special interest cars and especially show cars or restored cars where the engine and engine compartment are clean enough to eat off of. The reason for this is because it's all to easy for stray splatter from either wet-sanding or machine compounding and polishing to spray onto the engine and engine compartment and cleaning these areas can be difficult and very time consuming.

Here's a video I made a number of years ago that explains why to cover an engine and shows my method of using a clean, soft flannel bedsheet to carefully cover and protect the engine. You can also do this for trunks and interiors if you're working on a convertible with the top down or off the car.


Covering the motor on the Panic Parrot

- Covering the motor on the Panic Parrot with a flannel bedsheet




The Panic Parrot - 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe

Keeping it covered, keeps the engine clean...

http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/PPFrontShot1.jpg

http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/PanicSpeedGlaze7.jpg




Keeping it covered means no detailing the very detailed engine afterwards...

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2PanicFinished1.jpg


:)

[Mike Phillips]

And for all the lurkers into the future, here's a related topic...

The Beach Towel Tip (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/30894-beach-towel-tip.html)



Here's a tip I use on some cars I detail to cover and protect the plastic surrounding the wiper arms at the back edge of the hood of cars, just before the windshield.

Beach Towels tend to be longer in one direction than the average bath towel; on average, beach towels run around 60" or 70" in length. Where this comes in handy over a bath towel is that your average car, truck or s.u.v. windshield is around 5' to 6' across so a Beach Towel is usually long enough to cover and protect the plastic, wiper arms, and glass in one fell swoop whereas the average bath towel falls short.


See if you can relate...
Sometimes it seems like splatter, that is the little white dots of product that land on the glass can be some of the hardest little things to remove 100%, not to mention time-consuming. So with this technique you can avoid the hassle entirely.

This tip is mostly for working with rotary buffers as they will tend to sling-out splatter more than machines like the Flex 3401, the Cyclo and DA Polishers like the Porter Cable.

I have seen people lift these other non-rotary buffers off hoods while the pad is still spinning at a high rate of speed and completely cover a windshield with splatter so it does happen. See these threads,

Here's a tip... don't lift the pad off the paint till you've turned the polisher off and the spinning pad has slowed down... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/28940-here-s-tip-don-t-lift-pad-off-paint-till-you-ve-turned-polisher-off-spinning-pad-has-slowed-down.html)

What not to do when detailing a car! (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/28226-what-not-do-when-detailing-car.html)



I know detailers that never tape-off or cover anything up and that's okay too, it's personal preference and it could be that you're just incredibly careful as well as incredibly good at this craft. It could also mean the cars you're working on it won't matter if you do get spatter into hard to detail areas.


For the rest us, here's how you use a Beach Towel to cover-up and protect areas you don't want to get splatter onto or into and then have to "detail" these areas and components later, after the polishing and waxing is over.


This is a stylish Beach Towel I found at Walgreens for around $6.00, my normal towel is white and ugly so I thought this would make for a more fun how-to article. Just to note you could also use paper or plastic, whatever works for you... I like Beach Towels for a number of reasons that paper and plastic don't offer but I have used both plastic, (2 mil painter's drop cloths), and paper, (usually newspaper but painter's masking paper works great too).


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip000.jpg


Here's the area I'm talking about that you want to cover up on modern cars, they often have plastic material with grill or vent openings that if you get splatter onto and into these areas it can be difficult and time consuming to remove.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip001.jpg


In most cases, if you're restoring the paint on someone's daily driver, not only is the paint neglected but the plastic is neglected meaning it's weathered, dried and dull and it seems like splatter really likes to stick hard to plastic in this condition.

If you do get splatter on these areas, it's also very unsightly and your customer might not appreciate it if you don't remove it. So with this technique, you never get splatter into and onto these areas in the first place. The old an ounce of prevention idea...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip002.jpg


Not only does a Beach Towel work well for this type of job you can also re-wash it and use it again... so it's green technique...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip003.jpg



Start by opening the hood and locating a place to tape one edge of the towel too, make sure the ends of the towel don't bind in the hinge mechanism and don't place dry cloth anywhere on a hot engine where it could be a fire danger or get caught into any moving parts. In other words, use common sense.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip004.jpg


After carefully closing the hood, then use some Painter's Tape to affix the towel to the windshield so it doesn't fall down and if you're also taping off other plastic, vinyl or rubber trim, then tape-off these components accordingly.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip005.jpg


In this instance the towel did not reach all the way to the top of the windshield; this is okay however because the sling and splatter is mostly an issue for the lower portions adjacent to the hood where the buffing is taking place. You can also use this for the rear window. Side windows are not usually a problem for the glass because the panels are vertical.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip006.jpg



Notice how I've run a couple of strips of wide tape along where the Beach Towel meets the rear edge of the hood?
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip007.jpg


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip008.jpg


In some cases, the design of the vehicle means there's no gap or air space between the edge of the hood and the glass or wiper arm area, in these cases, you have to be careful when running your polisher not to run the buffing pad into the Beach Towel because the nap is grippy and your buffing pad could grab it and yank it into itself.

So for cars with a low or no air-gap between the paint and the area you're trying to cover up, being careful when buffing these areas is important, but I also run a couple of strips of tape across this area as a buffing pad that's lubricated with product will just bump into the tape, it won't snag it and possibly pull it off the area and into the pad.

Just an extra safety precaution, you can decide how DO or AR you want to get.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip009.jpg


Then continue working around the car taping areas off you don't want to get compound or polish residue.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip010.jpg



Classic and Antique Vehicles
For classic cars, there's usually zero plastic around the windshield, wiper arms and edge of hood but you may still want to cover-up the windshield glass so you can use the Beach Towel Tip for classics too...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip012.jpg


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip013.jpg

And of course... since most classics have air vent grills in front of the windshield, so Tape it off and avoid a lifetime of ugly... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/29951-tape-off-avoid-lifetime-ugly.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip014.jpg




And any other areas that you don't want to run a toothbrush or some kind of detailing brush...

"Polishing paint is polishing paint, detailing is getting the wax out of the cracks" (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/22285-polishing-paint-polishing-paint-detailing-getting-wax-out-cracks.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip015.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip016.jpg


I've also used the extra large Guzzler Waffle Weave Drying Towels and while not always long enough to reach across 100% of a windshield, they do work as you can see in this thread,

Damp-Sanding Tools, Tips and Techniques by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/25915-damp-sanding-tools-tips-techniques-mike-phillips.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/836/redelcamino_015.jpg


The Beach Towel Tip... simple and effective plus a real time saver...



On the Autogeek.net Store

Meguiars Professional Masking Tape Combo (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-masking-tapes.html)
3M Automotive Performance Masking Tape 3 Pack (http://www.autogeek.net/3m-auto-masking-tapes.html)
The Ultimate Guzzler Waffle Weave By Cobra 28 x 44 inches (http://www.autogeek.net/waffle-weave-drying-towel.html)

[ExoticAutoDetai]

How much is the video AG has that covers very well the whole taping topic? Does it comes in a dvd or is a one time pay and watch?

Exotic Auto Detail via tapatalk

[C. Charles Hahn]

How much is the video AG has that covers very well the whole taping topic? Does it comes in a dvd or is a one time pay and watch?

Exotic Auto Detail via tapatalk

Go here:

https://aspdn-02.onstreammedia.com/palmbeachmotoring/

I believe that's the third time the link has been posted in this thread.... :props:

[mchant]

Thank you DLB and Mike for the great info. :dblthumb2:

[phoneguy44]

taping a rounded corner....... Thats the trick I want to know

[buddhadog]

Use 3M fine line blue tape for tight corners , otherwise you can stretch the tape to a contour if the curve isnt too tight.

[phoneguy44]

Ordered video yesterday. I'm hoping I learn some tricks. I mean it's not rocket science is it ? We'll see.

[Mike Phillips]

taping a rounded corner....... Thats the trick I want to know

When you watch the video, watch for the tip for corners, it shows having a foot or two of tape pulled out away from the end where I'm attaching it, this helps you to tape around corners because there's more tape off the roll and it is better able to stretch and curve.

:)