Just a little heads up on this old (but excellent) thread. Thanks to Sigma_LS for taking the time.
Here in the UK I use both Polyester and Polyurethane resins and fillers. If your going to do a lot of mud work then it's probably better to use Cab-O-Sil or some other (cheaper) filler, but I use the 'Rondo' type mix all the time. Mostly because I nearly always have supplies of resin and filler in the workshop and it's very quick and simple. For the UK based members I use 50% - 50% Davids Fastglas resin and Davids Isopon P38 Easy sand, both readily available at Halfords so easy to get hold of to experiment with.
You can do a decent slush cast using this formula at a pinch too.
Anyway, back to the subject. One of the difficulties I found using the tape fence method was getting the tape to stick where I wanted it. Especially on fine edges etc.
Since we are generally using thin layers to smooth outer surfaces heat isn't such a big issue. So I tried using Plasticine as a fence instead. Hey presto! It holds back the Rondo without problems and can be formed into more complex and intricate shapes than the tape. Even edges are easy with this stuff, I found that if the Rondo did get a little hot, a tiny amount of oil leaches from the Plasticine acting like a mould release agent. Win, win!
I found that the Polyester 'Rondo' mix works a little better with the Plasticine than the Polyurethane stuff, so I just add double the amount of the red paste catalyst which is pretty forgiving of measurements anyway.
Quick simple and effective.