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Duct tape is a type of tape specifically made for ductwork it is grey in color. Duck tape was used to waterproof ammo cases and was green in color

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There have been better tapes invented for duct work, the current tape is shiny.

Well of course you wouldn't leave without them, Mr. Human-Cyborg.

That said, I agree fully. There are certain people in this world who, given a problem and some small versatile components, can fashion a solution. I don't mean simply the ones titled "engineer"; it's more of a personality trait. Duct tape, jumper cables, a good pocketknife, plastic sheeting, and a skein of rope can solve most everyday problems, and many that aren't so everyday.

For a while, I carried a small coil of Romex 3-conductor wire in my trunk. I don't know how it got there, but when a screw fell out of my car door's latch 150 miles from home, it was nice to have materials to make a makeshift replacement. Just 2 inches of one of the conductor, folded in half, and threaded into the hole. The plastic insulation held as threads, and I had a working screw.

...or better yet, carry AAA Plus, it's only $97 per year. For the ISS, I would go with SSS (Space Station Society) Plus because you get 4 free tows to a higher orbit each year.

Well of course you wouldn't leave without them, Mr. Human-Cyborg.

That said, I agree fully. There are certain people in this world who, given a problem and some small versatile components, can fashion a solution. I don't mean simply the ones titled "engineer"; it's more of a personality trait. Duct tape, jumper cables, a good pocketknife, plastic sheeting, and a skein of rope can solve most everyday problems, and many that aren't so everyday.

For a while, I carried a small coil of Romex 3-conductor wire in my trunk. I don't know how it got there, but when a screw fell out of my car door's latch 150 miles from home, it was nice to have materials to make a makeshift replacement. Just 2 inches of one of the conductor, folded in half, and threaded into the hole. The plastic insulation held as threads, and I had a working screw.

I think he meant Duck Tape.

And duct tape. Don't forget duct tape. NASA doesn't.
http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/NASA/

This much ?

I take it you've never seen this page?

Actually, the original name for duct tape was duck tape. See here and here. Apparently it was originally used for kidnapping ducks and only later became used for sealing ducts.

Im confused the bombardment of UV rays from the sun would mean that most plastic materials would turn into goop and become useless. Does that mean duct tape can withstand UV rays or is it just a kludge? I know there is certain tapes developed from NASA that I use every day but it isn't duct tape (It's Kapton tape).

First of all, they did actually use Kapton tape for the repair. It appears that somehow the news reports have confused it with duct tape because both are carried on shuttle missions.

I seriously doubt that duct tape is rated for outer space. It can withstand a wide temperature range (after all, it was designed to tape ducts, right?) but surely not as wide as Kapton (see the linked article.) Also, the adhesive on the tape has to be space-rated, and I'm not sure duct tape satisfies that requirement.

Another issue for materials used in space: they must not release gasses when exposed to a vacuum. This is not so much of an issue for the shuttle and the astronauts (the space environment around the shuttle is pretty filthy already) but it is important for unmanned satellites with sensitive instruments that can pick up such gasses as false readings of the space environment. Even a fingerprint on a surface exposed to a vacuum can cause a problem -- another good reason to assemble everything in a clean room and wear gloves. IIRC, Kapton satisfies all of these requirements, and I really doubt duct tape would. You can smell duct tape, so I suppose it would outgas in a vacuum like crazy, especially if you let it heat up.

Read here for more details

Actually I stick it to exposed skin all the time, I'm using it as a heavy duty Band Aid right now! The key is to only use it in areas of the body with little body hair, as hair "removal" is the origin of most of the pain. Cuts/blisters on either finger tips or feet are great places to use it in place of a traditional bandage because of the superior adhesive and durability. Also it's been shown that duct tape can cure warts! http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/hmo/index.h tml.

All hail the healing powers of duct tape!

How about a suit made of duct tape.

Ask and ye shall receive. http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/fashion/fas hion3.html

Not as cool as you think.

1) Get marketeer / PR / whoever really drunk (easy)
2) Emulate what is done here: http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/walltapings /index.html
3) ??? 4) Profit!

I used to make duct tape wallets in high school but had a very bad experience with them. Most duct tape has a shiny backside that isn't very cohesive with the sticky substance on the underside. What happens is when these overlap or your design depends on these two surfaces to stick together, you get a mess.

Now, there may be some kind of duct tape out there that avoids this issue, I'm not sure. Maybe these guys would know which brand is best but my wallet nearly destroyed my license at the time. Essentially, you need to look for duct tape that will adequately hold against itself when you need it to. After years of sliding it in and out of my back pocket and sitting on it, the tape started to smear against the shiny part and separate. As a result, the goo (bottom ply) and meshing (middle ply) were slipping out from underneath the shiny part (top ply) and getting goo all over my cards and ID.

Essentially, it comes down to how many mils of adhesive you are working with. A lot of times, the more expensive stuff will have around 12 mils of glue which means that it is ideal for construction. However, this may result in more sliding and more goo seepage in your wallet. I would recommend something in between the range of 7.5 and 12 mils. You're not going to be concerned about tensile strength, just thickness and what the coating is on the back. If the coating is non bonding to the adhesive used, you don't want that tape!

The actual design can be very much up to you although the article does provide a link to a nice standard model. I would suggest to try to use as many whole pieces as possible and when you're thinking about the design, rely on adhesive/adhesive bonds instead of adhesive/polyethylene since the cohesion is vastly different.

So if you venture on this, for the love of god, RESEARCH THE TAPE! Honestly, I estimate the life of these things to be a month unless you want to also pay for a new license often. I think back to my dad's wallet which was this old beat up piece of leather with its seams showing. But he's had it as long as I can remember and that thing has taken a beating. There's a reason why wallets are made from leather.

Remember, if you can't fix something with duct tape and WD-40, you're just not trying hard enough :-).

If it's not stuck and it's supposed to be, duct tape it. If it's stuck and it's not supposed to be, WD-40 it. If it's not broken--keep me away from it!

http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/duckvsduct. html

It was originally Duck tape.

In order to make your own 17' wind turbine, you will need the following items:

1) Seventeen tubes from paper towel rolls.
2) A roll of Duct tape
3) Ten cans of Bush Beans

Next week, we put it all together.

Read this and be enlightened.

Explaination

Actually- it many areas of the country- it is illegal to use duct tape on ducts. You have to use foil tape. See the explaination on this one.

Ok Mr. Smarty pants-- I don't have more than 2 cans of WD40- but where the hell else am I going to store all of these old computer parts either?

Actually, DUCK tape came first...

You probably meant "duct" tape. Unless of course you were referring to that special tape huntsmen use to secure their birds to the wall for display...

Or I meant duck tape which is a perfectly valid, if somewhat COMPLETELY CORRECT, way to reffer to what the heathens call duct tape.

Unfortunatly for you, it's not DUCT tape it's DUCK tape.

as in "WATER OFF A FUCKING DUCK'S BACK" because it's somewhat water resistant.

see HERE :

Is it Duct or Duck? We don't want you to be confused, so we will explain. The first name for Duct Tape was DUCK. During World War II the U.S. Military needed a waterproof tape to keep the moisture out of ammunition cases. So, they enlisted the Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division to manufacture the tape. Because it was waterproof, everyone referred to it as "duck" tape (like water off a duck's back). Military personnel discovered that the tape was good for lots more than keeping out water. They used it for Jeep repair, fixing stuff on their guns, strapping equipment to their clothing... the list is endless.

After the War, the housing industry was booming and someone discovered that the tape was great for joining the heating and air conditioning duct work. So, the color was changed from army green to the silvery color we are familiar with today and people started to refer to it as "duct tape*." Therefore, either name is appropriate.

I can't even finish this . That's how annoyed this makes me!

Is it?

I do think it's a bit silly though, all this technology used to colonise mars and the best solution they can come up with is a old style flashlight (what about infra red nightvision ?). Of course it is you basic weapon, you can club people with it.

Apollo 13 wouldn't return home without duct tape solutions. In space exploration it can - and it does! - happen that all the modern technology becomes useless due to some sad coincidence and suddenly duct tape or old-fashioned flashlight is your only hope. After all, in Doom 3 we don't have a perfectly functioning Mars colony, t's a place where lots of sh* has hit lots of fans. Let's assume for sake of the story that passive nightvision is unavailable because opening the portal to hell has created strong residual infrared emission, blinding the marine's nightvision googles.

This author is crazy, its easy to fix a car, just need a roll of duct tape.

Both are valid names ... http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/duckvsduct. html.

Here's a fairly good bit on the Duck vs. Duct argument.

I bet a couple rolls of duct tape and some plastic would be quite useful in Space!

Memo to Captain Obvious:
Duct tape has already saved the day for NASA on more than one occasion.

~Philly

Actually, It's Duck Tape.

During World War II the U.S. Military needed a waterproof tape to keep the moisture out of ammunition cases. So, they enlisted the Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division to manufacture the tape. Because it was waterproof, everyone referred to it as "duck" tape (like water off a duck's back). Military personnel discovered that the tape was good for lots more than keeping out water. They used it for Jeep repair, fixing stuff on their guns, strapping equipment to their clothing... the list is endless. After the War, the housing industry was booming and someone discovered that the tape was great for joining the heating and air conditioning duct work. So, the color was changed from army green to the silvery color we are familiar with today and people started to refer to it as "duct tape*." Therefore, either name is appropriate.

No, actually I think he meant duck-tape. Either is correct.

Or duck tape!!

I like the duck...

OOOh, can I play "lets make up facts" as well?

There is a big difference in "grey" tape. The most common type is duct, not duck, tape. This is what you find at your local hardware store. Yes, it has many uses.

Then there is gaffers tape, a much higher quality product. And, as you might guess more expensive.

It seems that some of the biggests problems would be an inadequate supply of red tape

;)

Academy students and professors hoped the satellite would work for a month, given that many of the parts they used have no history of operating in space. But since the satellite was launched from Kodiak, Alaska, on Sept. 30, it has shown no signs of degrading, and the group is hoping the satellite will work at least another year and maybe another five.

Good thing they used the highest grade of duct tape available, eh?

One explanation is here.

I had previously heard that it was originally named "duck tape" because the fabric that it was made out of was duck, a kind of canvas. I can't find a reference for that story, though.

As for Dave Barry, I really liked his annual summary of the events of the past year. I also liked his book about Guys where he explains the ritual of selecting a urinal.:)

As for Dave Barry, I really liked his annual summary of the events of the past year. I also liked his book about Guys where he explains the ritual of selecting a urinal.:)

And it has to be Duct Tape !