'The Tackifier' Blog by FindTape

We've recently launched a redesign of FindTape.com's home page and page navigational elements. In the top navigational there is now a 'Shop By Category' button which opens up to show an expanded category listing including the first few subcategories belonging to a category. Hopefully this will allow customers to see the full breadth of tapes carried on the site and also allow quicker access to the subcategory level on the site. In the bottom navigation we now show you images and provide links to your most recently viewed products. On the home page another larger keyword search tool is included in addition to the one shown along the top navigation. There is a promotional area on the home page which rotates items we think could be of interest. We also now show product thumbnails for our main categories in case you know what a specific type of tape looks like, but may not be sure what category it lives under. Once you browse it to the site we still provide a left-side navigation bar to allow you to switch between categories and subcategories. In addition a link is provided there to information regarding our partnership with Bongo International Parcel and Mail Forwarding which services our international customers where we do not ship direct. We hope these changes make the site more usable and we'd love to hear your feedback. Thank you.

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)

Fluorescent yellow duct tape
(Shurtape PC-619)

Regular yellow gaffers tape
(Polyken 510)

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.

We're only a retailer, but we work closely with different tape converters who supply us with the products we sell on FindTape.com. We often get asked what exactly does an adhesive tape converter do? Basically a tape converter uses various processes to modify adhesive tape products that they get from tape manufacturers. These processes include slitting, rewinding, die-cutting, printing, laminating, etc. They convert (change) master rolls of tape (similar to large rolls of carpet or newsprint in size) to usable sizes and forms for customers. For instance typically gaffers tape comes in a 56" x 900 yard jumbo roll and then individual rolls are converted from that source material into industry standard sizes such as 48mm x 55m on a rewind slitter that cuts the tape as it pulls it off the source roll and then winds it back up on smaller cardboard cores. Other products may be custom cut on lathes that are more flexible when different widths are required. Tape manufacturers also convert their own tape; but often times it is more economical for a specialized converter to do the work for them (also tape manufacturers typically have very high minimums for rolls cut to non-standard widths).

The following are some general recommendations or guidelines to follow when applying a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape:

1. Make sure the surface you are applying the tape to is completely dry and free of any debris before the tape is applied.
2. If any cleaning supplies were used recently on the surface please make sure no residue remains from the cleaning product (if so please use water to remove and then let it dry completely).
3. Unwind the tape from the roll (if the tape has a release liner remove it now). During this step be careful not to contaminate the adhesive by touching it at all with your fingers since it will transfer natural oils over to the adhesive side. Also try to immediately bond the tape to the surface without entrapping air between the tape and the surface it is being applied to.
4. Use some application pressure (it doesn't have to be that forceful) in order to achieve maximum bond strength. Make sure there is no gapping remaining between the tape and the surface it is being applied to which would allow water to come into contact with the adhesive-side of the tape over time. This would deaden the adhesive and shorten the life span of the tape.
5. If the tape has an acrylic adhesive the dwell time the tape needs to be in contact with both surfaces (before it reaches it maximum adhesion) is typically 1 to 24 hours. For best results during this dwell time try to provide some application pressure (e.g. clamps, tape over it, etc.); also if holding an item vertically against a surface try and support the weight if possible.
6. For even better adhesion you can also use an adhesion promoter or primer; can see some options at Adhesion Promoter/Primer on FindTape.com.

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. 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. Recently 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. 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. I'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. I'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 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. I'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. Besides 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. I 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. We 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. To 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?

We've sold non-skid tape, cleats and strips for quite some time now, but we've repeatedly been asked for a non-skid surface which could also provide some additional visibility at night. We've recently added Wooster's NiteGlow Flex-Tred tape and cleats which does just that. After being activated by natural or artificial light the tape provides a photoluminescent non-skid surface which is visible to the night-adjusted eye. Use it to provide pedestrian safety and guidance on leading edges of steps, around landings and through hallways and doorways. We've also recently added Wooster's "Caution" Flex-Tred product. It isn't photoluminescent like the NiteGlow tape and cleats; however it does provide a highly visible non-skid warning on any surface where added safety is required.