Creative Endeavors »News & culture
Duct tape creativity and a sticky history
beingzoe about 1 year ago | 3 responses    

Duct tape, or as it was originally nicknamed, duck tape, has been around since just before World War II. Invented by Permacell, a division of Johnson and Johnson as a way to keep moisture out of ammunition cases and came in an army green color. Being waterproof and manufactured with cotton duck inpsired the original ‘duck’ name (which became a Manco brand name – now Henkel Consumer Adhesives- for the ubiquitous adhesive in 1984). During WWII soldiers discovered the strength and staying power of the new tape and began using it to repair all sorts of things like vehicles, guns, and whatever else might need a quick fix. After the war the new boom in the housing market led to it’s use in installing heating and air conditioning ducts. Combined with the standard color switching from Army green to silver to match the duct work inspired the more modern name of ‘duct’ tape. (Read more duct tape history at the wiki and at IdeaFinder .

The original duct tape combined a cloth mesh similar to medial tapes. The cloth mesh is what makes the tape rip so easily and consistently. Using a stong rubber adhesive the cloth mesh was covered in a rubberized water resistant coating. (See MadeHow.com for some detailed information about Duct Tape is manufactured).

Duct tape still goes by many names with the modern U.S. military sometimes saying ‘100-MPH tape’ (because things that exceed expectations are ‘high speed’), Canadian military call it ‘gun tape’, and British armed forces can be heard requesting ‘bodge tape (for the common use of temporary bodge fixes over a more permanent proper repair). Humorously, the heating and air conditioning industry that gave the tape it’s common name have since deemed the tape ill-suited and ineffective for that purpose as over time the tape grows brittle and breaks.

Not only are there many names for duct tape, there are actually different types of tape around the world that use the duct (and duck) namesake. Australians and New Zealanders use a type of PVC tape with no cloth mesh and a much weaker clear adhesive which appears to be more like a vinyl tape, sometimes referred to as marley tape for it’s use by stagehands in laying vinyl marley-type dance floors. Where this type of tape is called duct tape, they typically refer to all other tapes containing a cloth mesh as gaffers tape which is cotton cloth pressure sensitive tape typically used in theater, film, and AV, leading to more confusion around the world.

In my experience though, not all duct tapes are created equal. Buying generic no-name brands of duct tape never seems to pay off, and even quality brands have different grades of duct tape for different applications (See Grades of Duct Tape at Duct Tape University). So buyer beware.

Through the years duct tape is certainly the most famous fix-all tape around, but it has also come to be one of the most common creative tapes around. Some of the pictures in this post are testament to that. This is best illustrated by the endless fashions and costumes that are being created with duct tape. Even fashion style guides suggest duct tape as one of many solutions to keep everything tucked in place in certain revealing outfits.

An entire cottage industry, with companies like DuctTapeFashion , have stuck to duct tape with all manner of goods being created from it. Things like wallets, roses, hats, bracelets, purses, backpacks, belts, ties, many of which can be made with tips from books like ‘ductigami’ . Sites like the DuctTapeGuys discuss everything duct tape including a special Stump the Duct Tape Guys page where folks attempt to provide scenarios where duct tape couldn’t help. You can learn more about duct tape and how to make various duct tape items at the Duct Tape Wiki . If you are planning on doing a duct tape prom outfit, why not take advantage of the Stuck at Prom scholarship opportunity?

So enjoy these various duct tape pictures and the video of how to make a dress form from duct tape . And then find a duct tape event near you like the Avon Duct Tape Festival , the DuctTapeGuys book store stand-up and signings, the Duct Tape Derby , or the Anchorage Duct Tape Ball – Dance of the Duckade .

I would love to know how duct tape has made your life better? Did it save you from terrorists? Did you have a duct tape prom outfit? Have you taken a duct tape training course at your local community college? I really want to know.

NOTE: The pictures shown here have been borrowed from around the internet from the following locations. Most of them seem to have already been virally spread around. However, if you see a picture here that is yours that you would like removed just let us know!

• Tractor Trailer truck: http://ccaconnections.wordpress.com/2006/08/28/duct-tape/
• Tie: http://davidzinger.wordpress.com/2007/04/23/tie-into-employee-engagement-monday-morning-percolator-10/
• Prom: http://blog.westervillelibrary.org/teens/?cat=20
• Prom: http://growabrain.typepad.com/growabrain/2005/05/duct_tape_prom_.html
• Prom: http://phillybits.blogspot.com/2005/05/duct-tape-boy.html
• Prom: http://www.oleantimesherald.com/articles/2008/05/18/news/doc482e44b86ea24721854650.txt
• Prom: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/popup?id=547701
• Prom: http://www.bestpicever.com/pic-214-Duct-tape-clothing
• BW corset: http://ducktapebandit.deviantart.com/art/Duct-Tape-Corset-79488163
• Batman mask: http://www.instructables.com/id/Duct_Tape_Batman_Mask/
• Wallet: http://www.ducti.com/proddetail.asp?prod=10101SL
• Pringles/Duct tape iPod dock: http://www.instructables.com/id/PringlesDuct-Tape-iPod-Dock/
• Baseball cap: http://www.instructables.com/id/Duct-Tape-Hat/
• Top and Skirt: http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/life/student_life_culture/mit_nightlife_part_ii.shtml
• dress form: http://www.michondesign.com/jewelry-blog/2008/09/21/duct-tape-dress-form/
• Gun accessories and beer holder: http://uses4ducktape.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html
• Military outfit: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~walter/pictures/duct-tape.html
• Cat suit: http://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/duct_tape_suit1.htm
• Baby holder: http://www.daddytypes.com/2007/01/23/diy_uh_duct_tape_baby_bjorn.php

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