09-13-2016, 10:19 AM
The blurb on it when I googled it sounds pretty good, but you can do pretty-much the same thing with regular masking tape.
I always remove the factory edges of masking tape when using it for actual masking (as opposed to all the other things for which most of us also use it). To do so, a strip of tape is placed, sticky-side-down, on a sheet of clean glass, then a straightedge and sharp blade are used to remove about 1/8" from each edge. This removes the nicks and dings on the edges that occur through normal handling, and the accumulation of dust and fuzz that collects if you've had the roll of tape for some time. It also removes the small portion of the tape right at the edges which has been somewhat exposed to the surrounding air, making that edge a little less sticky than the more well-protected balance of the tape.
To cut strips of tape, either as masking for thin lines or as the thin edge masking (easier to curve than a wide strip) for wider lines which need to be curved, I use a simple set of dividers to make the measurement marks at each end of the trimmed strip - this keeps the cut edges parallel. You can also use the dividers to situate the masking tape as it's applied to the model, keeping it parallel to certain edges when necessary or simply to demarcate where a curve begins and ends, etc.
The dividers are also useful for locating lettering - I usually refer to a photo of the prototype to find a reference point(s) applicable also to the model, then apply a fairly wide trimmed strip of masking tape immediately above or below where that lettering will be located. You can then use the dividers to measure accurately for the places where the lettering will start and end, and also for the spaces between words and/or individual letters, marking those points on the tape with a sharp pencil. This is especially useful when using alphabet sets for lettering items for which there is no commercially-available lettering.
If you do try that Fine Line Tape, I hope that you'll let us know how it works for you.
Wayne
I always remove the factory edges of masking tape when using it for actual masking (as opposed to all the other things for which most of us also use it). To do so, a strip of tape is placed, sticky-side-down, on a sheet of clean glass, then a straightedge and sharp blade are used to remove about 1/8" from each edge. This removes the nicks and dings on the edges that occur through normal handling, and the accumulation of dust and fuzz that collects if you've had the roll of tape for some time. It also removes the small portion of the tape right at the edges which has been somewhat exposed to the surrounding air, making that edge a little less sticky than the more well-protected balance of the tape.
To cut strips of tape, either as masking for thin lines or as the thin edge masking (easier to curve than a wide strip) for wider lines which need to be curved, I use a simple set of dividers to make the measurement marks at each end of the trimmed strip - this keeps the cut edges parallel. You can also use the dividers to situate the masking tape as it's applied to the model, keeping it parallel to certain edges when necessary or simply to demarcate where a curve begins and ends, etc.
The dividers are also useful for locating lettering - I usually refer to a photo of the prototype to find a reference point(s) applicable also to the model, then apply a fairly wide trimmed strip of masking tape immediately above or below where that lettering will be located. You can then use the dividers to measure accurately for the places where the lettering will start and end, and also for the spaces between words and/or individual letters, marking those points on the tape with a sharp pencil. This is especially useful when using alphabet sets for lettering items for which there is no commercially-available lettering.
If you do try that Fine Line Tape, I hope that you'll let us know how it works for you.
Wayne