Originally published at: Youtuber makes duct tape kayak to escape 'the island' | Boing Boing
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Adam Savage has a thing or two to say about Duct Tape
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Who are you gonna believe, Adam Savage or an actual expert?
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I think Adam Savage counts as an expert as well, his point of view is as a maker though he has a lot of hands on experience with duct tape itself due to Mythbusters and does automotive work himself. I’m not saying he’s the end all be all but his point of view on the material is just as valid as any other expert, his opinion is that duct tape is fine but there are other tapes that can achieve better results. Gorilla tape seems to be the best analogue for it if you need the tape to hold and its not that hard to get.
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Wasn’t a bit, umm, sticky on the inside?
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He may be right that there are better tapes at nearly all specialist jobs. But if you need an all-purpose, got-you-out-of-trouble, temporary fix, it’s perfect.
Interesting that he delineates gaffer tape, duct tape and Gorilla duct tape. I mostly consider them all much the same thing but with different grades of quality and durability (and cost). You gets what you pays for.
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Duck tape is better than Duct Tape than Ducked Tape?
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Duck Tape Is Not Duct Tape. (It might have been years and years ago, but actual duct tape is basically adhesive backed foil and works rather better.)
I always thought that it referred to the material the adhesive was attached to, which at one point was a type of canvas duck. I’m probably wrong though.
Gaffer’s tape uses a different adhesive than duck tape which nominally doesn’t leave a nasty sticky residue behind on removal unless it’s been left on too long, in which case it’s about as messy to clean up after.
Gorilla brand duck tape is just duck tape with a stupidly strong adhesive- good luck cleaning that mess up!
@RickMycroft : “If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.”
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If you could only have one thing against any possible potential problem, duck tape probably isn’t the worst option. (A good strong knife is probably the most fundamental tool though.)
But if you are the type of person that digs making things and solving problems, you will probably spend your life learning skills and accumulating tools and processes. So when something breaks or you encounter some unforeseen problem you will very likely just repair/modify/built the thing properly and permanently.
I keep toolkits on my bikes, in my van, in my home, and I have a well equipped workshop so I’m never far from tools. And I keep cable ties and fasteners and duck tape in all those places too, but I very seldom use the duck tape.
The most I ever really use it for is very, very temporary holding in place (max a couple of minutes) while I execute some other process. 'Cos the effort involved in removing set duck tape generally isn’t (for me) worth the convenience of a quick repair.
Having said that, I would much rather be stuck on a desert island with a pallet of duck tape than without one. But would I exchange a good knife for a pallet of duck tape under those circumstances?
Dunno…
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You may or may not be aware that Red Green is a comedy show. While he’s a maker, his advice on making stuff is not to be trusted.
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My go-to for really temporary light-duty taping jobs (up to an hour or so) is painter’s tape. For a few days, or if more strength is needed, duct tape.
The right tape may not be the fanciest or most expensive, though. When covering my boat, I can get two or three seasons out of a tarp, but in the second or third season there are inevitably holes and thin spots to patch. A few years ago I used the last of a roll of Gorilla tape, then after that ran out I switched to duct tape. After three weeks of cold weather all the Gorilla tape had fallen off, while the duct tape lasted through the winter (on the inside of the tarp, so largely protected from UV).
I don’t know if it was the cold or the flexing of the tarp, but it illustrates the need for knowing the right tool for the job.
I’ve found that the amount of residue that duct tape leaves behind varies a lot with the brand. This is the stuff I use to remove it.
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My experience is that the quality of duct tape has gone down very badly in the last decade. Even Gorilla Tape doesn’t do what the old 3M duct tape was capable of - sticking and staying for years.
Frankly, I blame Trmp.
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I find the main advantage that duck tape has over painter’s masking tape is that enthusiastic adhesive.
It will stick to dirty, dusty surfaces in a way that the painter’s tape won’t.
I can see how tarps are a good fit for duck tape. Back in my courier days I used to routinely repair (more or less permenantly) my waterproofs, leathers, boots, motorcycle seat etc. with duck tape. I was much more enthusiastic about duck tape then. And had less access to other processes.
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I consider a gig successful if at the end of the day I’m able to pocket a full roll of Gorilla and a handful of assorted BNC/turnarounds.
(edit)
I’ll also add that for a very short time I pitched 3M transparent duct tape at a major trade show - fresh off the roll it was nice but after being used for a few days (in one case, holding down unglued linoleum to hardwood at a threshold )… dried up it was total shit.
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this guy advocates bin liners on the inside to reduce the sticky (although he is not stuck on an island of course) Duct Tape and PVC Kayak : 6 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables
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Fume tape!
My town used to have a duct tape kayak race every year. It was the kickoff to the annual town festival. I did it with my kids. You would be given cardboard, duct tape and a box knife. You had certain amount of time to make a kayak and paddles (though using your hands was generally better than a flimsy paddle). Then there would be races for the kids. They would go half way out in the river and back. Tons of fun. The kids wore life vests and the fire department was out in motor boats. Also, the river is pretty shallow for quite a ways.
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