Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Micro Mask and a lesson for living

In case you missed it, there was a good discussion on Zone Five last week about Micro Mask. It includes some very helpful tips about how to use it, but the bigger lesson I took away from the discussion is the importance of not dismissing a product too quickly because you struggle with it. User "scapilot" got it right, saying, "I'd hate to see people write things off without having a better working knowledge on how to utilize their tools." Let that be a reminder to all of us to ask questions and not give up too quickly!

Now where's that damn Parafilm I gave up on a few years ago?

3 comments:

  1. Good point here. I had heard some rough talk about Micro Mask and, though I'd never used it myself, dissuaded a friend of mine from using based on what I had heard. Perhaps a rethinking is in order.

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  2. I've had fairly good luck masking with Parafilm. Not sure why it's not more widely used. For masking canopies I find it much easier than Bare-metal Foil or cutting bits of tape. I just approximate the size of each glass pane with a piece of Parafilm and use a cocktail stick or clay burnisher to cover up to the canopy frame, then move on. Come back later to detail and burnish down all the edges and..ready for paint!

    There is a lot to be said for having some patience with a new or unfamiliar tool. Sometimes something that looks simple can have a hidden learning curve. I think it's one of the rewards of the hobby when you figure out how to use that tool you bought on sale from Micro-mark and threw in a drawer after ten minutes.

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  3. Thanks for the reminder. I think everything has a learning curve and many people (me) are too impatient at times to endure the curve to learn something new. As for Parafilm, I have a bad feeling I didn't burnish it quite enough.

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