Scotch Painters Masking Tape (2055PCW)

Shop tape isn't as provocative a topic as, say, bench planes or router bits, but they're every bit as essential. Painters and making tapes are useful for a myriad of shop jobs.

I find them useful for protecting against glue squeeze-out, marking off areas for staining or painting, holding miters closed, labeling parts of complex projects, clamping small pieces and veneer, and applying edge banding.

There are all kinds of shop tape, but the most widely used seem to be the 'blue' and 'green' painters tape in 1" (24mm), 1-1/2" (36mm) and 2" (48mm) widths. While I always keep tape in all three widths on hand, I use the 1" width most frequently. Blue coloured tapes tend to have medium adhesion and up to a 14 day clean removal window. Green tapes have medium to high adhesion, and a 5 day clean adhesion limit.

The new Scotch Painters Masking Tape is an all-purpose shop tape that boasts a medium to high tack and can be left on for up to 5 days. The adhesive on this new tape is made from natural rubber, the backing is made from 30% post-consumer recycled fibres, while the core contains 90% recycled fibres.

I found that this tape was easy to remove after a day or two, yet held surprisingly well, with no residue left on unfinished wood. Generally I don't leave tape on wood surfaces that are ready to finish for more than a few days, and always lightly sand or scrape the surface to remove any hidden residue. With this tape I don't feel the need to sand before finishing. I did leave tape on some clear maple and on a length of painted moulding for just over a week, and the tape peeled off cleanly. The two pieces of wood weren't in direct sunlight, which might cause the tape to adhere more readily.

If you are looking for a good, all round shop tape that stokes your environmental conscience, then the Scotch Painters Masking Tape is the way to go.

Reviewed October 2010