Since I like my pasta with olive oil & garlic
, the only way I can avoid fillet blisters when using dope finish is to buy a big box of surgical gloves and use them when handling the unfinished plane.
Never, never, ever lay a bare finger on the fillets once installed. As tempting as it is to fondle the woodwork, my skin doesn't touch the plane until after paint. I also give a quick swipe with the Sherwin Williams version of Prepsol to the fillets before shooting, and as said by others here, never shoot directly at the fillet area.
Since I've gone to the Klasskote epoxy paints this is no longer an issue though I still use the gloves just for habit's sake and to keep the chemicals off me when I'm painting.
EricV