Blu tak

[Guest]

Can you reuse Blu tak after it has been used as a mask for spray painting ?

[Dave W]

Can you reuse Blu tak after it has been used as a mask for spray painting ?

Not sure .You would have to clean the old paint off first.Is it worth the hassle?. One thing about Blue tack is if you use it on a Matt surface you will notice it leaves an oily stain behind. I use White tack which leaves nothing on the model after its removed

[BarryW]

I agree with Dave white tac is better than blue. I too would not reuse it.

[Guest]

I agree with Dave white tac is better than blue. I too would not reuse it.

Sorry guys I actually meant White tak, I have read in the past that Blu tak leaves an oily residue.

[monica]

I,m not a big one,on masking,but have used the white ,blu-tak,the move you fiddly with it,
the paint seams to come off or blends into it,and I find you can reuse it,
as for it leaves an oily residue.I have not real notice it

[flyjoe180]

I'd use fresh tac Alan. It's not expensive stuff, the last thing you want is the tackiness to be reduced and the mask to lift during painting. The old stuff is good for filling in gaps, such as on canopies or those pesky tiny gaps in your tape masks.

[colin m]

Just to confuse the issue, I use and re-use blutack ! Maybe because mine is old, it doesn't leave any marks.

[stona]

I do re-use Blutack for masking, but only up to a point. Once it gets very 'dirty' I use it for lots of other things, not least for sticking cocktail sticks in, or attaching bits to said sticks.

I've never had a problem with an oily residue from Blutack, but I do always give my hands a good clean before using it. I suspect that it is from human hands, rather than the Blutack that the oily residue comes.

Cheers

Steve

[Dave W]

I do re-use Blutack for masking, but only up to a point. Once it gets very 'dirty' I use it for lots of other things, not least for sticking cocktail sticks in, or attaching bits to said sticks.

I've never had a problem with an oily residue from Blutack, but I do always give my hands a good clean before using it. I suspect that it is from human hands, rather than the Blutack that the oily residue comes.

Cheers

Steve

I've had it leave an oily stain.Same as it did when I used it in my youth to stick posters to wall papered walls.Im not the first person to notice it.

[stona]

I've had it leave an oily stain.Same as it did when I used it in my youth to stick posters to wall papered walls.Im not the first person to notice it.

A few people have noticed it and it has undeniably been an issue for them. As I've never had the issue, and I've been masking with Blutack for as long as I can remember, I just wonder where this 'oil' is coming from. Oily fingers can be an issue when painting, and not just when masking.
I have left Blutack masking on for a couple of weeks (at least) when work has unexpectedly interrupted play, still with no oily issues...just saying
Cheers
Steve

[Dave W]

If it was oily fingers, surely the same would happen with white tack?. Anyway, best leave it there. These 'differences of opinion' on social media can end up getting a bit silly.

[stona]

No worries Dave, it's just that I've never had the problem and a lot of others certainly do, no doubt about that. Maybe I've just been lucky

Cheers

Steve