Best masking order

[MK999]

Sketching out a few designs on photoshop i think i finally found one I like enough to put on a shell, only problem is which order to mask it in, this probably won't follow the exact lines and hopefully will be a bit better aligned so all the chrome edging isn't touching etc... colours are spaz stix liquid metal orange and blue, blue with darker detailing around the curvature of the body, chrome edging, with plain faskolor white to make it stand out a little and spaz stix black backer where seen (hopefully )

At the moment i'm thinking the best order is, unmask the blue, i'm not sure whether to spray the black behind or in front of the translucent blue though but then unmask the chrome edging for the blue, back it with chrome, back it with black as per spazzy instructions, unmask the orange part, spray that, unmask the edging and back it with chrome (also do window edges possibly) and then unmask the white area and shadow it, and then spray the white.

That seems like an awful lot of steps though, there must be an easier way? Also i'm not sure if i'm ok to be using black backer as a 'normal' colour, as far as i know it's just black paint like any other?

edit: pic got a little distorted in colour it seems, but you get the idea, any general comments/ideas welcome !

[telboy]

Yep, deffo the blue first. But put the black down first though, cos if the blue is put on to thick(too many coats) you won't see it properly.

Then do your orange, white or silver edging. then chrome backed with acrylic (faskolor) or pactra white flourescent covercoat.

[MK999]

hmm back the chrome with white you say? The blue will be translucent, spaz stix liquid metal if you've ever used it all? was just thinking it may give a more gradual effect used behind, but feel free to correct me, you've most definately painted a few more successful shells than me !

[telboy]

What I've found with the alclad chrome (not used the spaz stix) you can back it with either faskolor black or the pactra stuff. I found the pactra stuff out by mistake. but generally I would back it in black.

I normally back the transucent blue (whatever make) with chrome as it gives a nice deep finish.

[MK999]

alclad is pretty much the same as far as backing goes as far as i know, it's the same kinda stuff and the earlier spaz stix looked pretty similar, spaz stix actually do their own black backer though, and obviously the chrome kicks alclads ass and throws it out in the street and yeah the spazzy blue with chrome behind looks fantastic in pics, and i'm told they don't do it justice ! the only downside is it's not so versatile as standard colour paints, being translucent you can't really fade it etc (I tried after being warned not to, it failed )

edit: do you find backing it with white gives it a 'brighter' finish since the white reflects any light that gets through the chrome, and have you ever used the faskolor white as chrome backer at all?

[telboy]

yes I have tried faskolor white as a backer, but it doesn't make a great deal of difference realy, unless you dont put as much chrome down.

The pactra stuff is solvent based, but for some reason hasn't affected it so far, and the solved stuff holds up better when its wet.
I've has a few probs with chrome coming off lately when it gets wet, especially when using faskolor to back it up.

[MK999]

Okay, cheers for the help Might put a couple of coats of "nitro blocker" I have left over on the back so it doesn't get wet, or the other 8th anti paint scrape favourite, a nice thick coat of fender mender, adds about a kilo to the weight of the car, propa' job