Stripes of yellow paper 2,5mm

An intermediate step that fills a gap

The difference between two and three millimeters looks negligible on paper, but on a model it decides the outcome. Half a millimeter more or less changes the ratio of a border to the area it outlines, and the eye notices that sooner than a ruler. A width of two and a half millimeters suits the borders of tactical numbers on armored vehicles, narrower bands on a turret, the edges of warning markings and the dividing lines between two fields of color where the division is to be noticeable but is not to take the lead.

Reduced tack for delicate surfaces

When you are masking over freshly laid decals or over gloss varnish that likes to tear, first stick the strip onto a clean pane of glass and lift it off again. Part of the tack goes onto the glass that way and the mask will hold on the model enough, but not too much. Make the test on a piece of scrap plastic, not straight on the model: it behaves differently with every varnish.

Step-by-step procedure

First trace the run of the line dry and check it from a distance, because up close a deviation gets lost. Then press the strip down from the center toward the ends, so that any tension spreads to both sides. Finally check the ends: that is where a mask most often stands off and the paint gets under it. After spraying, give the varnish a moment to set and only then start removing.

Storing the sheet

Cut strips last a long time on their backing sheet, provided no damp gets to them. In a damp environment the paper swells and the width for which you bought the sheet stops being right. A dry drawer and a flat surface are enough.