I'd be interested in hearing if you have problems with the adhesive on duct tape. I tried duct tape once and had big problems getting the goo out of the checkering. On the other hand, I have used Scotch brand masking tape to cover checkering for over 40 years with no problems.
I recently tried blue painters tape and it worked well, but it seemed kind of thin when compared to masking tape, so was more careful when sanding around it than I am with the masking tape.