'The Tackifier' Blog by FindTape

'The Tackifier' Blog by FindTape

Adhesive tape news, issues and commentary

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Just In: Polyken 510 Gaffers Tape Colors

Polyken 510 Premium Gaffers TapePolyken 510 Premium Grade gaffers tape is once again available in a wide selection of colors including:

  • Burgundy

  • Dark Blue

  • Teal

  • Purple

  • Tan

  • Grey

  • Black

  • White

  • and featuring NEW color - Royal Blue

The colors listed above are available in 2" and 3" wide options, shrink wrapped and on Polyken branded cores.

Take advantage of our best prices and fast shipping on all color options today at FindTape.com

Why Is Gaffers Tape More Expensive Than Duct Tape?

I'm often asked what the difference is between gaffers tape and duct tape. After all, gaffers is more expensive, and duct tape seems to be adequate for many types of jobs. Duct tape is a good option for projects that require tape to permanently hold something in place. But if the tape is only intended to be in place temporarily, gaffers may be the better choice.

Gaffers tape is preferred by people in the theater, event, and audio/visual industries because it can be removed without leaving behind an adhesive residue, but another benefit is that it doesn't reflect light.

Some applications for gaffers tapes – such as the Polyken 510 Premium Grade Gaffers Tape – include protecting and anchoring wiring in the photography and film industry; bookbinding; vinyl school bus seat repair; wrapping or bundling of wire, metals, and plastics; protecting and anchoring electrical wiring; and moisture and dust-proof sealing of equipment cases and film canisters. This is a high-tack tape that works well in both low and high temperature applications, and has a clean removal adhesive.

Other gaffers tapes, such as the Pro Tapes Cable-Path Tape or the JVCC Wire-Line Cable Cover Tape, have an adhesive-free zone in the center of the tape which allows for cable and wire to be easily pulled through – and there’s no adhesive left behind after removal. This tape is perfect for events and productions where you need to tack running wires onto floors and need the flexibility of adjusting length.

Duct tape is well known for its versatility and strength. It will hold together almost everything, making it a very reliable tape to use when you want to be sure that your project doesn't fall apart. Polyken 231 Military Grade Duct Tape is used for military and aerospace packaging and other demanding applications. Nashua 357 Premium Grade Duct Tape is the duct tape professional contractors choose when they require a consistent, trouble-free product. Its uses include HVAC (heating, ventilating, air conditioning) and refrigeration applications, the sealing of seams and joints in metal air handling systems, and the manufacture of flexible duct equipped with metal collars – among many others.

The high adhesion properties of duct tape means it typically will leave behind residue, so it's not the best choice when you need to remove the tape once your job, event or project is over.

Watch the video below and I’ll show you the difference in adhesive residue left behind by each tape.

Top Trade Show Trends for 2015

GES Trend Tracker

Each year, GES, the global event marketing company, releases its Trend Tracker white paper, identifying 50 emerging trends in the trade show and event industry. The 2015 report was released in January, and it covers four areas: budgeting and planning, marketing, technology, and design.

This year, the report noted one very big overarching trend: Brand Experiences. Marketers are aiming to connect and engage attendees with their brands and with each other. As a result, GES says, "marketers will go 'all in' on experiential with bolder budgets, bolder strategies and bolder experiences that tie together creative, execution and data analysis."

High-tech, including gamification, drones, and next generation audio/visual, will also be front and center during 2015. In a post-report follow-up blog post, Paul Wedesky, the senior vice president of Audio Visual Services for GES, describes several additional audio visual trends for 2015.

Here are a few of our favorite insights both from the report and from Paul's post.

A Moveable Exhibit

Exhibit booths are being designed both to incorporate technology and to be re-purposed. According to GES, designers are being challenged by clients to create experiences that can be taken on the road after the event, to be used by the sales team. This includes not only product display elements such as digital catalogs, but also exhibit booths.

Helping your salesperson recreate this experience on the road is a lot easier if you have the right adhesive tape to tamp down wires and secure media equipment. We recommend packing a roll or two of JVCC GAFF30YD Gaffers Tape, an economical and popular general-purpose gaffer tape, along with the booth.

Open Floor Plans With More Media

With clients looking to create more inviting spaces, exhibit structures are becoming more open. At the same time, they're demanding interactive features, including more LED displays, touchscreens and tablets.

To keep wires under control and out of the way, but also have flexibility of movement, you can use JVCC Wire-Line Cable Cover Tape. The adhesive-free zone in the center of the tape allows for cable and wire to be easily pulled through, and no residue will be left behind on your cables.

An Artist's Space

More marketers are forging partnerships with artists, incorporating more creative and cultural elements into their events. For example, GES noted that "TD Bank commissioned artists to turn its storefronts into mini art galleries."

In case you're wondering, you can create some amazing artwork with adhesive tape. Check out some examples HERE. And to see a list of tapes used in the examples click HERE.

3D & 4K Monitors

More high-tech monitors are reaching the trade show floor in 2015, according to Paul Wedesky. He has noticed 3D and 4K monitors being using at medical and pharmaceutical trade shows to enhance the brand experience, and he believes that 3D eventually will become the norm.

For protecting and anchoring the monitors' electrical wires, we recommend Polyken 510 Premium Grade Gaffers Tape, which has a softer adhesive than most other gaffers tapes so it adheres better to carpets.

Projection Mapping

Another trend in audio visual Wedesky has noticed is an increase in projection mapping, in which special software is used to spatially map a design or scene onto an object, such as a building. The design usually fits the shape of the object.

When constructing your object, an ultra-high bond tape will help keep your structure together and stable. The 3M 4941 VHB Tape is a good multipurpose option, as it's ideal for use in many interior and exterior structural bonding applications. It's strong enough to replace rivets.

Low-Res Prototyping

As a way to test ideas and manage budget more effectively, event planners are creating prototypes of their space. "It allows decision makers to visualize the concept, and for changes to be made quickly without impacting the budget," GES says.

A good all-purpose duct tape will work for temporary structures. We recommend Polyken 2280 General-Purpose Duct Tape, which is often used for bonding and holding applications and bonds well to a wide variety of smooth and rough surfaces. It's easy to unwind and tear, so it's perfect for manual applications. The tape is also available in a variety of colors.

Electronic Brochure Kiosks

Printed product brochures have long fallen out of favor, but show attendees are still interested in receiving more information. Kiosks designed to deliver electronic brochures can be incorporated into the exhibit or as a standalone. Attendees can download only the material they want.

Robotics Technology

Creating and deploying a robotic attendee, as EventMobi did at IMEX, might be on every event planner's list now. If you plan to have your robotic ambassador travel the show floor, you can create a suspension system using double-sided sticky tape. By attaching the wheel servos using double-sided sticky tape such as Scapa S301, all four wheels will remain even on an uneven plane.

 

Finally, when you're packing up your exhibit, be sure to have plenty of Shurtape HP 500 on hand to seal your boxes. This tape is ideal for sealing cartons, and is recommended for overstuffed or underfilled boxes. It's perfect for trade shows, when you're likely to be re-packing older cartons or taping up bulky or odd-shaped materials.

3-Inch Wide Black Duct Tape Test Pack Now Available

FindTape DUCT-TEST-PACK Duct Tape Test PackBecause of the popularity of the 2-inch wide gaffers tape test pack our converter has recently made available a new test pack that contains a variety of 3-inch wide nominal (actual cut 72mm) black duct tapes. FindTape DUCT-TEST-PACK Duct Tape Test Pack consists of 8 rolls of 3-inch (72mm) wide x 10-yard long tape. The tapes range in thickness from 9 to 13 mils; longitudinal tensile strength from 22 to 50 pounds per inch; and peel adhesion from 39 to 80 ounces per inch. The lower adhesion tapes are sometimes used as a less expensive alternative to gaffers tape in the hotel and meeting industries.

Currently the specific duct tapes offered in the pack include: Shurtape PC-600 General Purpose Grade Duct Tape, Polyken 223 Multi-Purpose Duct Tape, Polyken GP2280 PolyNash General-Purpose Duct Tape, Shurtape PC-618 Industrial Grade Duct Tape, JVCC DT-CG Contractor Grade Duct Tape, Shurtape PC-622 Contractor Grade Duct Tape, Nashua 357 Premium Grade Duct Tape and Polyken 231 Military Grade Duct Tape.

Also please note the GAFF-TEST-PACK was recently increased to 10 rolls of 2-inch wide x 10 yard long tape and the current lineup includes: Scapa 125 Economy Grade Gaffers Tape, Polyken 510 Premium Grade Gaffers Tape, Scapa 225 Premium Grade Gaffers Tape, Shurtape PC-628 Industrial Grade Gaffers Tape, Pocono GT-226 Clear Adhesive Gaffers Tape, Pro Tapes Pro-Gaff Gaffers Tape, Shurtape P-665 General Purpose Gaffers Tape, Scapa 425 Pro-Grade Gaffers Tape, Shurtape P-672 Professional Grade Gaffers Tape and JVCC J90 Low Gloss Gaffer-Style Duct Tape.

New Double-Sided Tape Test Pack Now Available

FindTape DC-TP Double-Sided Tape Test PackOur converter has recently made available a new test pack that contains a variety of double-sided tapes. FindTape DC-TP Double-Sided Tape Test Pack consists of 12 rolls of 1-inch wide x 3-yard long tape. The carrier varieties included in the pack are: polyester, polypropylene and PVC film; tissue; crepe and flatback paper; polyethylene foam; cloth and scrim; and foamed and solid acrylic polymers.

Currently the specific double-sided tapes offered in the pack include: Polyken 105C-P Cloth Tape; JVCC DC-4199CS Polyester Film Tape; JVCC DC-1503 Polypropylene Film Tape; JVCC DC-4420LB Clear PVC Film Tape; JVCC DCP-01 and DCP-02 Crepe Paper Tape; JVCC DCP-04 Flatback Paper Tape; JVCC DCT-40R Tissue Tape; JVCC DC-SCRIM-9 Polyester Scrim Tape; JVCC DC-PEF06A Polyethylene Foam Tape; JVCC DC-UHB45FA-G Foamed Acrylic Tape; and JVCC DC-UHB45 Solid Acrylic Foam Tape.

Colors Being Discontinued for Some Gaffers Tapes

Some gaffers tape manufacturers have recently announced that they are discontinuing colors in a few product lines.

Berry Plastics will no longer be providing dark blue and green in their Polyken 510 product (olive drab and burgundy had already been discontinued). Limited inventory in a few sizes of dark blue and green are still available on the web site. For gaffers tape in those colors please see Pro Tapes Pro-Gaff.

Scapa will no longer be making Scapa 225 in blue, brown, burgundy and green. Limited inventory in a few sizes of blue and burgundy are still available on the web site. Scapa has also discontinued Scapa 200N (fluorescent gaffers tape) which comes in four neon colors - green, orange, pink, and yellow. Our converter currently has a good supply left in all four colors so it should remain for sale on the site for several months. After it runs out Polyken 510 will then be available for sale in those 4 fluorescent/neon colors.

Shurtape will now only be offering P-672 Professional Grade in standard colors: black, grey and white (similar to what they did last year in their P-665 product). However, inventory still remains for the non-standard colors. In the future for 2 inch red you can see Shurtape P-68 and for the other colors see Pro Tapes Pro-Gaff.

How Do Tapes Show Up Under Blacklight?

We often get asked how do different fluorescent tapes how up under a blacklight (and what do non-fluorescent tapes look like) so we took some comparison photographs to see. Below are some photos of different rolls of yellow tape and how they showed up for us (these were taken in a light tent with a blue background with a Streamlight 51010 UV Flashlight used as the light source against the rolls):

Regular yellow duct tape (Shurtape PC-600)Regular yellow duct tape
(Shurtape PC-600)

 

Fluorescent yellow duct tape (Shurtape PC-619)Fluorescent yellow duct tape
(Shurtape PC-619)

 

Regular yellow gaffers tape (Polyken 510)Regular yellow gaffers tape
(Polyken 510)

 

Fluorescent yellow gaffers tape (Polyken 510-Neon)Fluorescent yellow gaffers tape
(Polyken 510-Neon)

 

*** Our personal observation is that the fluorescent gaffers definitely showed up the best (especially outside of the light tent), but we did get the PC-619 yellow duct tape to fluoresce also. Outside of the light tent the effect on the PC-619 (polyethylene-coated cloth duct) was not as dramatic as it was on the 510-Neon (vinyl-coated cloth gaffers) though.

Polyken GP2280 and Nashua 395 Colored Duct Tapes

Polyken GP2280 Duct TapeNashua 395 Duct Tape Scapa has recently discontinued their 142 economy-grade duct tape which our converter had log roll stock in so they were able to offer it in wider widths. They've recently starting stocking log rolls of Polyken GP2280 (available in black, blue, green, olive drab, red, silver, white and yellow) and Nashua 395 (offered in brown and tan) as an alternative. Both tapes are 9 mils thick and are for general or multi-purpose use and they have similar specifications.

The Tape I Used Last Week

So my family is always making fun of me for insisting we use adhesive tape to solve every problem, so I decided to actually document what tape I've used over the last couple weeks to see how excessive I've really become.

  1. Polyken 510 Gaffers Tape I used some black Polyken 510 gaffers tape to hold the power cord in place on an air compressor. Comes off cleanly and doesn't dry out like rubber bands do.
  2. JVCC DC-UHB40FA-C Ultra High Bond Double Coated TapeRecently put in a new sliding glass door and it came with a molding piece which was to be put on as finish to the side of one of the doors. I assume it was meant to be glued on (the instructions didn't say), but I used some JVCC DC-UHB40FA-C ultra high bond double-sided tape to mount it (I also used some white gaffers tape to hold it in place while the adhesive bond was setting).
  3. Shurtape JLAR Tape (Permacel)On a day-to-day basis the tape I probably use the most is Shurtape JLAR. My 3-year old son is always tearing or ripping something in one of his books and this is great for book repairs. I still have some old rolls left over from when Permacel still made the tape and what I love about it is that they crush-cut the rolls so you could just pull on a length of the tape to break it by hand (no scissors needed). Now that its made by Shurtape is razor-cut like most tape so you can't do that anymore, but hopefully my supply will last a while longer.
  4. 3M EC100 Rite-Lok Instant AdhesiveI've been using 3M EC100 super glue all week to fix ornaments like the purse on this snow-lady. One thing I really like about EC100 is that it doesn't seem to clog up and become unusable after you use it a couple of times like I've had happen with other super glues.
  5. Scapa 225 Gaffers TapeI've been using a lot of gaffers tape over the holiday season to hold down cords - here I've used some 4 inch white Scapa 225 gaff tape to cover a green extension cord on my front door. It's a bit wrinkled since I probably should have gotten some help putting it on (it's a little hard applying wider width gaffers and duct tape alone), but you should get the general idea.
  6. 3M 109 Double-Sided Poster Tape3M 109 double-sided poster tape is great for putting up your kid's artwork on walls since it easily removable. In this case I even used some to hold the 109 dispenser up to the wall so I could take the photo.
  7. JVCC GLW Glow In The Dark TapeI'm a big fan of the JVCC GLW Glow-in-the-Dark tape and use it on electronics all around the house. I'm always a little surprised when I see reviews of glow tape say it's not very bright. It's definitely not a high-powered light source and wouldn't compare in intensity to say a flashlight, but to darkness-adjusted eye it works great to help you find a remote control in the middle of the night in order to turn off the TV you left on. I haven't mastered the art of photographing a glow product in darkness yet so this is just showing the product in daytime light - pretty boring.
  8. Polyken 105C Double-Sided Carpet TapeBesides the Shurtape/Permacel JLAR, double-sided carpet tape is the other type of tape I used the most often probably. Here I've used some Polyken 105C to hold down the mat rug on a landing outside in the garage.
  9. JVCC FELT-06 Black Polyester Felt TapeI was having an issue with some file drawers I had on some shelving downstairs. When you pulled the drawer completely out it would overhang the shelving and cause the back of the file drawer to pop up and the heavy drawer overhanging the shelving would then pull it off the shelf (not a very good storage system). I used some extra 2 x 4 pieces to brace the Vaultz File Drawers in place, but I first lined it with some JVCC FELT-06 felt tape to make sure it didn't dig in or scratch the drawers.
  10. Wooster Caution Non-Skid CleatsWe just got in some of these Wooster Caution Non-Skid Cleats and figured they would work great on some outside steps I had in the garage. I was going to use the glow-in-the-dark cleats we got in from Wooster instead, but the area I used them on in the garage is pretty dark so I didn't think they would get enough light-activation to work properly. Figured the "Caution" cleats would actually be more visible.
  11. Polyken 231 Duct Tape and JVCC 762-BD Bi-directional Filament TapeTo repair a big crack in my garbage can I used some JVCC 762-BD bi-directional filament tape as the first layer and then overlapped it with some wider width Polyken 231 military-grade duct tape. I should probably just call the trash pickup company to get a new receptacle, but this is way more fun.

So not too excessive - is it?