In the second link above it talks about types of glues damaging the lens, so I’m not sure if these 2 items pose the same type of problem? I’m pretty sure painter’s tape is fine as virtually everyone uses it and I feel like some other threads talk about much the same here, but none seemed to be exact, so my apologies in advance if this is repetitive.
Blue tape does work, but it’s a pain to get the strips lined up, and it’s tackier than you probably would like. Take baltic birch for example: Blue tape will pull up wood fibers and mess up your surface. Medium tack transfer tape? Not a problem.
Need it to stick bit more? sand your material a bit smoother. The smoother your surface is, the more your masking will adhere. I like to leave my surface juuust a bit rough (like 120/220 grit smooth) so that the masking comes right off.
The irony here is that I use 3" wide blue tape to pull my masking off of large numbers of small parts. It works because the blue tape is stickier than the masking, so when you pull the blue tape off, it takes the masking off of the material (wood in most cases). I call it my “tape sandwich” method. (search for that, and you’ll see I discussed previously)
@jbmanning5 has a “double cut” method, which I’ll let him discuss if he likes. It’s clever, but described elsewhere.
Yup that’s the stuff. The plastic may be fine but I’m not sure the clear aspect is worth the potential melting/vapors. I’ve never tried it so I’m just speculating there.
However- the high tack part is a dealbreaker for me on the things I cut. (Almost 100% non-pg hardwoods, plywood, acrylics and leather) You know what you intend to cut and so high tack might be a good option for you, I can’t say, but medium tack seems about right for me.
You’ll want a squeegee of some sort to apply it. I use one of these:
It is natural materials and the adhesive isn’t super aggressive. I use it all the time with my vinyl cutter projects.
One note: don’t let the ends of the transfer tape roll get banged up or smashed in. It makes it REALLy hard to get the paper off the roll for applying. I’d recommend something like this: https://www.uscutter.com/APPRoller-Tape-Application-Roller if you have space. It will make your life way less frustrating while using transfer tape.
It works because the blue tape is stickier than the masking, so when you pull the blue tape off, it takes the masking off of the material (wood in most cases). I call it my “tape sandwich” method. (search for that, and you’ll see I discussed previously)