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Q: A:
JEFF MALMER is an advanced application engineering specialist for 3M. He has 40 years of masking product development experience and regularly trains 3M customers, end-users, and sales professionals on proper use of the many masking products the company produces.
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inPAINT | Jul/Aug 2021
What are some tips for training new painters to use a 3M Hand-Masker M3000 Dispenser effectively?
Prep is key to the success of any paint job and masking is a big part of that. Using the 3M Hand-Masker M3000 Dispenser, or a similar masking tool, can turn a multi-person task into a single-person effort if the pro knows how to use it correctly. Our 3M dispenser applies Scotch and ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape to plastic or paper in one step, and can help you mask up to four times faster. Here are a few tips for anyone using the tool for the first time: Get comfortable with assembly. It’s a relatively simple three-step process. Start by inserting the cutting blade into the hand piece. There are four tape width options and a pin-hole slot for each one. Insert the blade into the correct slot for your tape width. Make sure you hear a click so you know it’s locked in place. Then, slide the film roll on and attach the stabilizing bar by sliding it down until it connects with the roll. Third, place the tape on the hub and track it onto the tool. You can now pull the tape to marry it to the film. Once the tool is correctly assembled, have your crew member reassemble it several times until they’re comfortable with the process. You should also know the masker is a right-handed tool. A left-handed crewmember may need a little more time to get comfortable with it. Practice tearing the tape. Once the device is assembled, practice tearing the tape and film—but don’t do it on a wall surface yet. First, practice tearing away from you with the tool in your hand. The biggest thing to remember is once you start, you need to commit and pull all the way through the material and tape. Never stop halfway through or you could damage the roll. Practice on a window or wall. When going across the top of the window, move from left to right
and push down the tape with your left hand as you go. For the last 12"–18," grab the tape and film with your left hand and rotate the masker out 90° toward you so you don’t cut into the wall or window. This also allows you to use the space behind the film and tape, adjacent to the wall, to rotate the tool to fully tear through both the tape and sheeting. People typically extend their right hand out fully when moving from left to right. For more control, keep your right elbow at 45,° then let your elbow and hand roll—in one motion—away from you. This better assures an even cut through the tape and sheeting. Again, this takes practice. Practice with different films. Our 3M HandMasker M3000 Dispenser works with different masking film, plastic and paper widths. Some rolls extend to 99" to cover something like a patio door, but come in 9"–12" width rolls so they can fit on the masker. After you make your cut, you can then pull down the film to its full length. Crews should have more than one hand-masker available to them. If you have several already set up in the toolbox with different film and tape widths, your teams won’t need to swap out materials more than necessary in a day. A final note. The hand-masker saves time. It prevents from needing one painter to hold plastic or poly in place while another tapes around the edges. With a masking tool, one person can mask off a large window or wall in minutes while another focuses on other prep tasks. Allow for a little extra time so crewmembers can get comfortable with the hand-masker. They’ll reward you with improved efficiency and time savings.
