Custom Paint - Workshop specials.

Is this because you plan to do it or you've already done it?
I'd urge you against using anything not specifically designed to be used over paint and after a suitable curing period. Even 3M Helitape has it's issues... it's very strong and could pull paint if not used properly.

It depends on a great many factors to be honest.

A traditional cromovelato finish would likely peel off because it's just paint on a shiny chrome finish and the bond isn't very strong.

I've seen paint come off a bike after a small sticker has been applied and I've also seen stickers and tape peeled off a bike after many years and not affect it.

The glue on the back of the tape is not likely to have any dissolving effect on the finish but instead what will happen is that the solvents leaving the paint finish will not be able to travel through the barrier created by the tape and they'll be trapped there... the solvents will have an effect on the glue and on the finish itself which will soften and they can potentially fuse together. Then in removing the tape, you'll be pulling off the clear and even the paint if they're chemically bonded well.

Applying any kind of to a custom wet finish must only be done when the frameset is fully cured naturally. Oven assisted curing is a great tool but it doesn't make for the strongest and most robust finish.

At Cole Coatings Workshop, we recommend to all customers that they don't build their bike for at least three weeks in order to allow the finish to reach its optimal strength but in a perfect world, customers would wait longer!

The more complex your finish is, a greater amount of product will be applied and in turn you then have more solvent to deal with. So a single colour finish with a second colour graphic would have less solvent in it than say, a four or five colour camouflage finish and in this case, you should leave the camo frameset longer. There are less obvious examples of finishes that have multiple layers... candy finishes for example utilise multiple layers... fades too have much more solvent if they're done properly. These types of finish really shouldn't have tape on them if it can be avoided.

If it's something you've already done, I'd suggest gently heating the tape to soften the glue and carefully removing it rather than whipping it off like a plaster on a skinned knee.

If you've had a frame powdercoated, these rules don't apply in the same way... unless you've had a clearcoat over the powder but this is not best practice.

What's the tape for, can I ask?

Hope that's useful.