Good morning all you composite people!

I've been trying to use masking tape on my lovely expensive fabric (210g carbon/kevlar twill) both to mark it out for cutting (ie drawing on the tape, not the fabric) and to prevent the edges thus formed from fraying.

I've tried el-cheapo masking tape from a certain major UK DIY retailer; it sticks too well and I makes a mess as I peel it off.

I've tried both orange and green "frog" tape (I had both colours lying about) and that certainly doesn't stick too much. In fact it hardy sticks at all and lifts off whilst I'm trying to cut along my lines.

What else do people use/do to mark fabrics and protect the edges please?

Thanks,
Robert.

I use masking tape but I dont pull it off once it's been cut. It's pretty much waste.

The only thing you could use the way you are doing it is something like Airtech Airhold, which is a double sided tape used for positioning materials for infusion. It is designed to stay within the stack and so doesn't affect interlaminar bond strength. 

Okay, thanks chaps.

Making a cutting template of your shape and simply cutting around it on a clean flat surface with scalpel or knife works really well too.

You could try the pro carbon,  it's bond on the back so you can do perfect straight cuts with no fraying,  and no waste really

A light coat of Fusion fix gp or cheap hair spray along the cut line works fine.

As above, if you use a mist of tack spray over your intended cut lines it'll help stop fraying

I also tend to use a soft chalk for marking any cut lines and an Olfa roller cutter which cuts neatly and cleanly through even the heavier fabrics

How long do you find the roller cutter blades last, Mark? I've considered getting one before but never made the plunge. 

They seem to stay sharp for quite a long while. I've been using my current blade nearly every day for the last couple of months and it'll still cut through 650g fabric without too much drama

I've placed large self-healing cutting mats on my table, so the cutter makes quick work of simple straight cuts and it's quick and neat on curved cuts as well.