The Little World

Betcha don’t know where that expression comes from…Not from the electronics industry and not from the car body workshop. From the trenches of WW1.

The British regularly laid cloth tapes from their lines toward the Germans to allow their troops to advance in the right direction without over-running other units on either side if they were attacking before dawn. Of course the tapes did not survive the barrages but then neither did many of the infantrymen.

I hope to fare better in my Little Workshop so here is the run-down on the tapes I use for model building, Please refer to the heading image for the numbers.

Number 1.   This is the tape tree I made to keep the thin modeller’s masking tapes up and out of the dust and swarf that accumulates on a model bench. It is fatal to good results as it clings to the edges of the tape and makes a fuzzy mess.

The amber tapes are U-Star brand from my local hobby shop. They are reasonably inexpensive and can be burnished down tightly with a metal instrument.

The white tape is possibly Tamiya – or it may be a no-name one picked up instead. it has the advantage of being flexible in several planes and can be used to make curved lines. The amber paper tape will not do this.

Number 2.    Standard Bear brand packaging tape for when you need to make a paper cone or envelope to contain a large portion of a model, Not a good masking tape as it can make a mess underneath itself.

Number 3.   General purpose light-adhesion take picked up at the DIY shop. A tendency to unstick at the edges of a wing, but fine where it is supported by thinner and more active tape. Good broad coverage and never leaves residue.

Number 4.    A mistake. I bought it thinking it was going to be quick-release but it isn’t. Worse – it has a very rough paper texture and the edges of it leak overspray into the work area. This may be fine for DIY acrylic house paint but it cannot cope with modeller’s grade paints.

Number 5.    Good Old Tamiya tape bought when it was cheaper than it is now. The dispensers are half the cost, but the tape itself is good stuff. When I use up the contents I am going to see if the U-Star reels will fit inside the plastic holders.

Number 6.   Joshua gaffer tape from the camera shop. It is no good at masking but you can assemble jigs and card structures very well with it. A standard of the studio – many of the light modifiers I use are made with gaffer tape – and many of them have functioned for 20 years.

Number 7.   Current favourite tape for general purpose filling-in when masking aircraft. I use the U-Star to trace the critical outlines and then fill in with this Scotch brand product. If you don’t cook it in a hot box it releases cleanly with no residue. It also seems to be able to stay on a model for up to a week without causing trouble.

I am still experimenting with the masking business and can be a sucker for new tapes found around in art stores and stationery places. It’ll all get used in some way in the house so I don’t feel guilty about half-used rolls. This also applies to baked goods when I am hungry.

PS: Love my little Tamiya Scissors.