MythBusters and Duct tape

P

patrick and linda

New member
several days ago i was watching an interesting episode of MythBusters, regarding the virtues of Duct Tape.
i probably have 2 rolls of duct tape aboard my boat, as i'm sure you guys do. i've never needed it as of yet but now have a stronger comfort level with just how good this stuff is.
the MythBusters, Adam and Jamie, set out to build a two person sail boat, including sail, and then test it's sea worthiness. the only part of the boat that wasn't duct tape was the metal frame work of the hull. first, the sail boat looked great and second, it preformed terrific.
they also wanted to test how well duct tape would work to patch a hole in the hull. so they cut several holes, below the water line, in a fiberglass hull, patched them with duct tape and set the boat a drift. did very well, although, it did sink, but was able to stay a float for a considerable time.
duct tape, maybe i'll increase my store of tape to 3 rolls.
best regards
pat
 
Many years ago five of my buddies and I were on a week long canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in northern Minnesota. We had rented three aluminum canoes. On the first day of our journey an encounter with a hidden rock at a portage popped a rivet on one of the canoes. Out came the duct tape I always keep wrapped around an old ball pen. The patch lasted throughout the rest of the week. There have been many other less dramatic uses over the years. I'm a believer and usually have some around.

Harper
 
When I flew Navy C-130s in the 1980s, the Vietnam combat veterans amongst us referred to duct tape as "300 mile an hour tape". When a bullet punctured the hull, a field expedient repair was to hammer the jagged edges of the puncture flat and cover it with about half a dozen layers of duct tape inside and a layer of duct tape outside.

With this done, the Herky Bird could maintain pressurization until you could get her to a rework facility. Sometimes it was months before that happened; pretty tough stuff!!

The surface Navy used to call it "ordnance tape" because one of its uses was to cover the muzzles of the ships' guns (including the 16" rifles on the Iowa class battleships).

Nowadays the Naval Air folks call it "1000 mile per hour tape" and use it to make field expedient repairs to damaged aircraft nose radomes.

Regards,
 
There is also a sibling of duct tape called gaffers' tape, or gaff tape.

It is just like duct tape except it is cloth based, can withstand much higher temperatures, is UV and fuel resistant, and does not delaminate from the glue the way duct tape does, over time, when exposed to the elements. Unfortunately, it also costs much more, ie $15-$20/roll, but you can tape up radiator hoses, fuel lines, and parts of engines that get hot with it. This isn't something to carry instead of duct tape, but it can come in handy to keep a few feet of it in the tool kit.

Most theater supply and lighting/sound equipment stores stock it.

David
 
Arkansas Chrome...

If you can forego the silver color, Gorilla Tape®
works even better than regular duct tape.
 
Pat,
If you need the low down and dirty on Duct Tape...you need to become a fan of Red Green...The Duct Tape Wizard of the North.
n79341896252_6226.jpg
 
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