Most frustrating task

I agree  Masking and Masking is the most tedious, most boring and most difficult part of a model.  Sometimes I find myself not finishing certain models because I do not feel like masking that night.  But its a necessary evil, no way around it.

Don, I just chew on my fingers and swallow the bits of tape. It gets them out of the way forever. I learned this trick from my kids when they were toddlers! lolJack

checkmateking02

I believe it's some kind of law, that masking tape will stick twice as well to surfaces (including fingers) where you don't want it, as it will to the surfaces where you do want it.

Much like super glue.

Been there Don!  I use the following though it's more to prevent me from damaging a model than sticky fingers...

Take a long piece of spare sprue, heat the end and squish it between the flat section of a pair of needle nose pliers.  This will look something like a tiny spatula. Cut, sand or file the paddle shape very thin & to a point and leave it kinda scuffed from sanding.  Use this instead of a knife blade or you fingernail to lift making tape from a canopy or painted model. It won't scratch the canopy and is easy on the paint too.  Leaving it scuffed will prevent the tape from getting a good grip on it like smooth styrene would.  I usually stick the tape bits to the edge of my cutting board.  That way they can get caught in my arm hair later.

If necessity is the mother of invention then frustration is it's grandma.

The most difficult task I face is painting all those road wheels on WWII German panzers.

Okay.  The problem is with those small pieces.  They stick to my finger with the sticky side against the finger and the non-glue side facing outward. I can't seem to get that to stick to anything.  I have to grab the tweezers in the other hand, but then the tape sticks to tweezers, sticky side against the tweezers, so I am back where I started.  Yeah, the longer pieces that I can stick to my bench surface because of areas not sticking to my fingers are not a problem. I cover my bench with Contact paper, and the tape sticks to that okay.

Sorry about the confusing post Don. My wife says she wonders what I'm talking about sometimes too. It could be all the glue and paint fumes I've inhaled over the years. 

Gary said it correctly. I'm just transferring the tape from the glove to the edge of my work surface without touching the sticky side again. When done, I just peel the whole stack of tape pieces off the workbench and throw in the trash.

Jim 

Don, the way I understand his comments, and also the same way I do it, by the way, is he's placing the tape sticky side down and pressing down on the unsticky (or "plain) side to stick the tape to the edge of his glass.

Gary

fox

Don, I usually stick the removed piece to the edge of the piece of glass I have on the work top. This way, you just have to push down on the plain side and it sticks to the glass and not to your other fingers. I keep adding them as I go. When finished, I remove the whole bunch from the glass.

Groot, you can get the gloves at Harbor Freight Tools for $6.50 minus 20 to 40% off if you have a coupon from their catalog. If you don't have the coupon, grab a flyer as you go in the door and the coupon is in it.

Jim 

I don't understand.  Why would the plain side of the tape stick to the glass?

RobGroot4

You might try starting by pulling off bigger pieces of tape and rolling them into a small ball.  Then when you get to the tiny ones, rub your fingertip over the ball to try to somewhat "scrape" the piece of tape off.  That way you're transferring the tape to the ball vice the other hand.  Just an idea of course!

Another thing would be to wear a surgical glove on your off hand (if you're right handed put it on your left and vice versa.  I use them for airbrushing in case I have a minor spill or I need to hold something and I'm worried about painting my hand with the overspray, it has the added benefit that it won't allow oils from your hands to transfer to the paint, which won't show up until you apply future.  Then you just let the tape build up on your off hand and throw it away when you're done.  You can get a box of 100 gloves for about $10 at a hardware store.

Groot

I do have such gloves on my shelf for airbrushing and especially spray can work.  I am afraid I do so much masking removal I'd go through 100 gloves pretty quickly.  Also, I use my nails a lot for removing tape.  Do those gloves prevent using the edge of your fingernails?

I just lift a tiny corner of the tape with an Xacto blade, just enough to get a hold of it with a tweezers or my fingers, then pull it off and stick it down on a piece of paper towel.

I believe it's some kind of law, that masking tape will stick twice as well to surfaces (including fingers) where you don't want it, as it will to the surfaces where you do want it.

I get my disposable gloves for free. LOL! A brother-in-law gets them for me.

Don, I usually stick the removed piece to the edge of the piece of glass I have on the work top. This way, you just have to push down on the plain side and it sticks to the glass and not to your other fingers. I keep adding them as I go. When finished, I remove the whole bunch from the glass.

Groot, you can get the gloves at Harbor Freight Tools for $6.50 minus 20 to 40% off if you have a coupon from their catalog. If you don't have the coupon, grab a flyer as you go in the door and the coupon is in it.

Jim 

Don, here's a tip from the days of mechanical drafting and paste-up artwork. Tear off a hunk of masking tape that's too sticky to be useful in modeling, or a length of the old school glossy 3M tape, and use it to pick up those pesky little pieces of low tack tape.

Mike

My most frustrating task is fixing my own goofs.

You might try starting by pulling off bigger pieces of tape and rolling them into a small ball.  Then when you get to the tiny ones, rub your fingertip over the ball to try to somewhat "scrape" the piece of tape off.  That way you're transferring the tape to the ball vice the other hand.  Just an idea of course!

Another thing would be to wear a surgical glove on your off hand (if you're right handed put it on your left and vice versa.  I use them for airbrushing in case I have a minor spill or I need to hold something and I'm worried about painting my hand with the overspray, it has the added benefit that it won't allow oils from your hands to transfer to the paint, which won't show up until you apply future.  Then you just let the tape build up on your off hand and throw it away when you're done.  You can get a box of 100 gloves for about $10 at a hardware store.

Groot

Sorry Don.  I've got the same problem.