Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Need masking help

I am a supervisor over a aerospace paint shop and I do a lot of electrobonding which is chem filming the part and then masking before anodize, my problem is no matter what masking material I use the solution leaks under the tape, is there anything out there that will protect the chem film?

Thank You

Misty Whatley
metal finishing - Denton, Texas
2004

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Misty, You do not say what size or shape the masking needs to be or what you have tried. Anyway, welcome to the world of undercutting by the chemical.

If the area is not too big, you can use tape and use a piece of wood or plastic to burnish the edge. This will significantly reduce the undercutting (leakage). We have used contact paper for larger parts with a reasonable quality. I think that when people use liquid maskants that have to be cut, dull knives are the primary culprit. People getting in a rush is probably second. If you are wet masking to a tape edge that the tape lifts the cured wet mask edge just enough to give a very ragged edge,

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2004

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