Painting and Model Rockets or I didn't know I knew all those curse words

A circle template or cutout of the appropriate size sit down over the top of the nosecone or a large o-ring pushed down to the right spot maybe???

You can get circle templates at most craft or office stores in the art or drafting section.

Slip the size over to meet pre measured marks (like 2" from base) and draw a line around the cone. Then you have a mark to follow with your tape. I use this for everything - masking road wheels on Armor, painting the hubs on aircraft, marking the stripes for bombs , one of my most used tools on my bench.

haha welcome to the forums- first off let me say I loved the title of your post!

Make sure to stop back in and let us know how the rocket turns out, best of luck at getting that straight line!

-was the problem getting the tape straight or the paint getting under the tape? I've found that not all "masking" tapes are the same, sometimes even painter's tape has a problem with paint seepage, I guess it depends on the plastics and paints involved and how well one can really stick it down...

Here's a thought that just came to me.

What if you rolled up a piece of card stock (like an index card) to the diameter that you need and place it over the cone.

Maybe put a small piece of tape on the lip inside the of the tube to hold it to the cone and stuff a wad of paper inside the tube to help further steady it and keep the over spray off the other section.

Just a thought.