For most professionals in the engineering or artistic disciplines, ideas and concepts begin on simple sketches and drafts. The paper on which you work needs a solid and steady environment for rendering your ideas. For architectural and engineering drafts that required some degree of accuracy, the paper needs to be secured to the surface to allow for proper and accurate first renditions. The use of masking tape partially fulfills the requirements of the process, but presents some notable disadvantages. Drafting tape, especially manufactured for this express purpose, increases your efficiency as a draftsperson.
Drafting Tape Over Masking Tape
As an engineer, an architect or artist, you know that your draft needs to be secured to the surface in a flat, immobile manner while maintaining the integrity of the paper, which means that the edges and the corners should be held fast to the drafting board or the surface in use with an adhesive tape.
Masking tape comes in various sizes according to one's needs, and can easily secure your paper to the desired surface with sufficient tension. There are however, some disadvantages that come with using masking tape to securing your renditions to a surface:
- Sometimes can leaves track marks of the adhesive compound.
- Does not separate well with paper, and can often cause a tear when attempting to remove.
Drafting tape adhesive adheres to most surfaces, but is designed to not leave any marks on either the paper or the surface which allows you to quickly remove the draft for review and paste down a new one with the drafting tape. It is easy to peel off the tape, thereby preserving the integrity of the paper.
Drafting Tape Compared to Artist or Console Tape
Console tape, also known as Artist or Board tape, is similar to drafting tape because it is easy to remove or reposition, but it differs in usage. Console tape is mainly used for labeling various projects and since it is printable you can write on it using pencils, markers and pens. It also comes in various colors in case you also need the tape to stand out; especially when you are color coding certain aspects of your projects. Drafting tape is specifically designed to be relatively obscure and made to hold down or mount up your projects without compromising your working surface or your paper. Board or console tape uses synthetic rubber for increased bonding effect while drafting tape uses natural rubber as its adhesive agent, attributing its ability to bond with quite a number of surfaces.
Other Uses of Drafting Tape
Drafting tape allows for easy setups and removal, making it the ideal solution for all your drawings, artwork and drafts, and especially those that have been done on newsprint paper. You can therefore use it to put up your children's drawings on your art wall, or securing their work on the table to allow them to work with ease. It will also not leave marks on the wall, window, door or table surface.
3M Scotch 230 Drafting Tape is the version we sell online and like masking tape and board tape you can tear it off easily for convenience, and is pretty useful for holding up lightweight paper on horizontal or vertical surfaces and everything in-between, with the added advantage of easy and painless removal from the surface and from the paper without compromising the integrity of the paper. It comes in 60 yard rolls and in either 1/2, 3/4 or 1 inch widths.
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