WoV-3 trivia contest

Quote: Nareed

(though the Mythbusters love Duct Tape more)

They made a boat out of it, for crying out loud, and it supported both their weights.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled fight (keeping with the TV theme here ) for the following message,

Oh my, what depths has the wizzardofvegas forum sunk to now?

We are now to a point where presumably "adult" men are arguing over tape, tape that we in the south refer to as 'racing' tape
At least no one has gotten suspended. yet. lol.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled debate topic, gaffer vs duct tape

I have two pieces of input to this thread, both based on what I have been told by family members:

(1) My younger son is Asst. Technical Director at a college, with much of his work being stage crew stuff. He and his associates regularly use what is being called "gaffer" tape in this thread, though I thought they just called it "gaff" tape. They pretty much mock anyone who tries to use duct tape for the same purposes. I don't really know how the two products compare on stickiness, but the clean release is a critical issue in preferring gaffer/gaff tape. Alan, I think you should give it a try.

(2) My brother has spent his career in various aspects of the air conditioning field, mostly in system design. He has pointed out to me that only a complete hack uses "duct tape" on heating and air conditioning ducts. There is a different and proper tape for that job.

And yes, the lazy-mouth slurring of "duct tape" as "duck tape" led to a brand name.

That third tape is a thin foil tape. Much more expensive stuff. I'm not sure exactly why that tape is preferred for HVAC duct work, but I think it has to do with degradation over time of non foil tape. I believe cloth and 'plastic' tapes degrade over time, especially in the HVAC environment, where temperature changes and moisture content is ever present.

Quote: Wizard

About Mr. Bill, I make no apologies for counting Mr. Hands as wrong. That would be like saying that Superman's enemy is Jerry Siegel for creating Lex Luthor.

I'll refrain from making further comments until I can log some time watching Mr. Bill videos. It's been a while.

Quote: Doc

(2) My brother has spent his career in various aspects of the air conditioning field, mostly in system design. He has pointed out to me that only a complete hack uses "duct tape" on heating and air conditioning ducts. There is a different and proper tape for that job.

In college I had a job making deliveries for an industrial insulation company. They did a lot of work on air ducts. The insulation was flat slabs of fiber glass, with an aluminum edge on one side, called rigid board. The pieces were held together with a special kind of tape that was about 4" wide and reinforced with steel mesh. I don't know the proper term for it. Since it was the only kind of tape we used we just called it "tape."

As i won't be organizing next year's gathering, I may as well volunteer to do the trivia contest. I can advance it will be heavy in history (not only Roman history), science, science fiction and there will be one easy football question.

Quote: Nareed

As i won't be organizing next year's gathering, I may as well volunteer to do the trivia contest. I can advance it will be heavy in history (not only Roman history), science, science fiction and there will be one easy football question.

Not off to a very good start though Nareed, as I believe this may be ambiguous. ;-)

Are you referring to American Football, or as the world knows football, aka Soccer?

Quote: RaleighCraps

Are you referring to American Football, or as the world knows football, aka Soccer?

It's spelled S U C K E R ;)

I believe the above sentence should be sufficient answer to your question.

From now on I yield to everyone who works in AV in schools, and is in school now and has photo shops and everything else. You guys keep paying more for the high priced spread. I'll stick with butter. :-)

Quote: AlanMendelson

From now on I yield to everyone who works in AV in schools, and is in school now and has photo shops and everything else. You guys keep paying more for the high priced spread. I'll stick with butter. :-)

Over time, do your wires and cables get gummed up from the adhesive on the tape not lifting cleanly? If so, is it a problem worth changing tape over?

In terms of my own use, I notice the problem is especially pronounced when the tape is exposed to direct sunlight. The adhesive just melts.

Quote: RaleighCraps

Not off to a very good start though Nareed, as I believe this may be ambiguous. ;-)

Are you referring to American Football, or as the world knows football, aka Soccer?

Oh god, don't start her off again.

Quote: thecesspit

It didn't bind -into- the surface so you could clean up after yourself easily. But whatever, duct, duck or gaffer (or even I've heard it referred to as hockey tape up here in the Great White North, even though you probably wouldn't use Bodger tape on a hockey stick (Face?)), it's all useful stuff.

I love the tangents this places gets off on sometimes =)

"Bodger tape" seems to be a colloquialism. You can probably confirm best, but isn't "bodger" a term for a guy that kind of throws things together, likely making something out of parts that came from something else totally unrelated? To me, that could mean a bunch of different tapes, although under the same category as duct, gaffer, etc.

Hockey tape can only be two things. Rarely, it can mean a type of medical tape. It's plastic, often clear, and is stretchy. It's like electrical tape, only a little thicker. It's only use is gear, usually used to tape up socks over your shin pads. It's elasticity prevents cutting off circulation to your lower legs. The more common "hockey tape" is cloth based and is what's used to tape up a stick. If you don't get a good seal and it gets wet, it's useless. It just turns into a ribbon of cloth. If you get a good seal, it'll almost become one with itself. It's also oddly sticky on the outside, enough that the roll can be lifted just by adhesion from contact, yet it won't collect lint if you drop it on the carpet. It's weird. I also can't imagine it'd be used anywhere outside of sports.

Duct tape would be terrible in hockey, since its "plastickiness" makes it slippery when wet. I use duct tape for things that'll take a beating. I patched up an entire row boat using just duct tape and it worked like a charm. It's tough fibres resisted all the dragging over the field and logs. I don't imagine gaffer tape would've held up as good.

Someone mentioned race cars... that stuff is completely different than any listed. "100mph tape" is metalized. It'll conduct heat, reflect heat, it resists solvents and fuels, doesn't burn, and will damn near peel your skin off if you get wrapped in it. Forget holding a NASCAR hood on at 200mph, that stuff can be used to repair jets.

Quote: Ayecarumba

In terms of my own use, I notice the problem is especially pronounced when the tape is exposed to direct sunlight. The adhesive just melts.

Its all about the glue. Gaffer holds up well in the sun
and is resistant to UV rays. Glue is a wonder of the
modern era, Modern Marvels did a whole show on it.

Quote: Wizard

Is it duct tape or duck tape?

Duck tape. I am definitely wrong but I like it better. Sounds more fun and productive.

Or the alternative: Not So Ugly Duck Tape (not as sticky but still decent after rebates and cashback)

Duct tape works good for sticking to itself, which the
Mythbusters have proven over and over. Everything
they do with it involves it sticking to itself. Bid deal,
how often do we need that in real life. Like, never..

They build boats, planes, bridges, make rope, hats,
hammocks. All made of duct tape sticking to itself,
not other objects.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Over time, do your wires and cables get gummed up from the adhesive on the tape not lifting cleanly?

No.

Quote: Face

I love the tangents this places gets off on sometimes =)

"Bodger tape" seems to be a colloquialism. You can probably confirm best, but isn't "bodger" a term for a guy that kind of throws things together, likely making something out of parts that came from something else totally unrelated? To me, that could mean a bunch of different tapes, although under the same category as duct, gaffer, etc.

Yep, a bodger, well, bodges things... throws together and gets it just about working. Bodge-it tape is used for all sorts of crazy taped up mechanisms.

I've seen people 'fix' things with Hockey Tape.

Quote: thecesspit

Yep, a bodger, well, bodges things... throws together and gets it just about working. Bodge-it tape is used for all sorts of crazy taped up mechanisms.

I've seen people 'fix' things with Hockey Tape.

It sounds like Hockey tape is similar to the tape used on tennis racket grips. It has a loose weave, and a tackiness that, "seeps" through, but seems water resistant..

Quote: djatc

Or the alternative: Not So Ugly Duck Tape (not as sticky but still decent after rebates and cashback)

:)

Quote: Ayecarumba

It sounds like Hockey tape is similar to the tape used on tennis racket grips. It has a loose weave, and a tackiness that, "seeps" through, but seems water resistant..

I wouldn't say that, at least not from what I remember on rackets. Granted it's been some 15 years, but my rackets were "squishy" for lack of a better term. Seemed the grip was rubber based as opposed to the cloth of hockey tape as it had some give to it.

And although I'm sure it happens, I wouldn't use hockey tape for anything else but hockey. Just sliding it over the ice will wear and shred it within 2 or 3 hours of on-ice time. And while it sticks OK, it shines when stuck to itself. It not terribly good all by its onesies stuck to something else. Get it wet, and unless it has stuck to itself and sort of sealed, it's terrible.

What's the best tape for gluing a broken off side-view mirror back onto a Ford Focus?

Quote: teddys

What's the best tape for gluing a broken off side-view mirror back onto a Ford Focus?

LOL! 100mph tape would be your best bet. That thing won't ever come off again, and if it does, it'll take the door with it. Of course, you're looking at some expensive stuff right there.

I see plenty that are duct taped, and it seems to work just fine. Of course, it's that terrible grey color. You'll also want to be sure not to leave any loose flaps, or it'll shred itself. And if you ever peel it off, you're gonna have a mess on your hands.

Quote: teddys

What's the best tape for gluing a broken off side-view mirror back onto a Ford Focus?

Gaffer tape because it withstands the sun.
Duct tape gets gooey and useless when
exposed to too much sunlight. And because
gaff is made from cloth, you can put a lot
of pressure on it by pulling it tight when
fixing something.

Quote: djatc

Duck tape. I am definitely wrong but I like it better. Sounds more fun and productive.

Or the alternative: Not So Ugly Duck Tape (not as sticky but still decent after rebates and cashback)

The rest of you guys have one day to beat that, otherwise, that is my Post of the Month for May 2013!

Duct tape would work fine. I've done it on two vans I owned. To make it less obvious that you've duct taped your mirror, both Lowe's and Home Depot stock duct tape in lots of colors. It just occurs to me... is this a real question or are you yanking our chains?.. Either way I stand by my answer. :)

Quote: djatc

Or the alternative: Not So Ugly Duck Tape (not as sticky but still decent after rebates and cashback)

Post of the day!

3-M nuclear grade duct tape

Quote: teddys

What's the best tape for gluing a broken off side-view mirror back onto a Ford Focus?

Don't use tape.

Go to a wrecking yard, buy a used mirror, and then bolt it on.

Or source the used mirror from the "for sale - auto parts" section of craigslist.com.

Now, if the mirror housing is find and the only thing wrong is that the mirror itself has detached, then there might be a tape out there, but an adhesive would likely be a better bet.

Quote: MrV

Now, if the mirror housing is find and the only thing wrong is that the mirror itself has detached, then there might be a tape out there, but an adhesive would likely be a better bet.

Yeah, I'd use JB Weld or two part epoxy if possible. And then cover the seam with some nice silver duct tape, just for show:-)

According to HotForWords, the original term was "duck tape," but changed around the 1970's when people started using duck tape to seal ducts. However DUCK tape is the original term. Watch the video for more information.

I'm fixing something on an old car with tape.
It has to adhere to glass and metal. I used
a thin foil tape, came loose from the glass
in just a day, same for gaffers tape.

Yesterday I saw Scotch Automotive Duct
Tape at Walmart. I have never even heard
of auto duct tape, where has this stuff been
all my life. Half as thick as regular duct tape
and twice as sticky. It has a dimpled surface
that allows it to stretch and conform to almost
anything.

It's so thin you can barely feel the edge after
it's laid down. Because of the dimpled surface
you can really put a lot of pressure on it so the
glue will stick well. The literature for the product
describes the rubber glue 'aggressive and pressure
sensitive'. Once it was on the glass, I had to work
at it to get a corner up, it was really sticking.

Never saw this discussion before. What a WoV classic!

FWIW, since the discussion is over 2 years old: When I was working as a gaffer (mostly theatre, a little film) post-college (about 7 years worth, about 80 shows), everyone who worked (hung and struck, the physical work) lighting was a gaffer. The lead person on the job was the Head Gaffer. The Best Boy led the crew under the head gaffer if the lighting crew was large enough to need one. Pay rates were different. Lighting designer is a different position as well. As are light board operators and spot operators.

There can be overlap on any of those jobs. My most terrifying gaffe (lol) as a gaffer was, one night, laying down to hang a pin spot straight down from the fly loft 40 feet above, I fell through the floor. (Steel I-beams with inset crossbeams, but the crossbeams were only laying in the I-beam groove. I thought they were fastened down. Or rather I wasn't thinking.) I pushed off on a crossbeam to stand up and it went out from under me, along with its neighbors, and I went through but managed to hook my left arm on the I-beam, scrabbled my way back up top. Working alone, too, after midnight; scared the ^%%& out of myself. Tech week. Not really sure how I managed to get up - I was hanging, I lost time, I was lying above the hole whimpering.

Closely related was the Sound Effects department, besides any live accompaniment; usually one or two backstage for off-stage sounds, one or two in the booth for taped noises, interlude music, special cues. Not sure we had any formal names for them, except for Sound Board Operators. I always loved it when a drama could use a good subliminal heart-beat. Fun to mess with people.

If you didn't work lighting, but were part of the set change crew, you were a grip. They were set movers, fly operators (though sometimes the fly crew was a separate deal), heavy prop placement. The Key Grip was the head of the set crew. They worked directly under the Stage Manager, more than the other crews. One show I did where I got onstage as a Grip, I was dressed as a guy in circa 1910 Iowa, carrying a crated slate pool table during the "Trouble" number in The Music Man (there were 4 of us; that sucker was heavy!).

Then there was the properties department. Property Master was the head of that. Anything carried on/off, or preset on stage small enough to be hand-carried, was usually their problem; it was a separate crew. Backstage tables everywhere, usually with outlines and labels of every prop. My favorite of those was the ankle cast I put on Brick for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof before every performance, then sawed it off him every night. (I cut seams in the original and just re-plastered it a couple layers, but it was physical enough a role that it had to put up with constant abuse, so it was worth re-plastering, not just faking it).

Not to mention Costuming. I think my favorite for that was La Cage Aux Folles, but it was a bear. All the men in the chorus had about 10 numbers, sequins/feathers/lame fabric/etc., and a lot of quick changes, which meant fixing ripped costumes all day, every day (8 shows a week). And the male star had 14 cotton shirts, which had to be perfectly ironed, without starch, every performance. I never got the hang of that, and they finally took me off it, thank God.

Again FWIW, we used Gaffer tape, not Duct tape, for laying floors, cables, and anything else, just because of the strength and lack of residue. It was a dull black that did not show under the lights and was worth every cent. It was essential that it not come up on the edges (especially on the very expensive dance floors we traveled with in some shows) or cabling across paths and doorways (constant). Also essential it not leave a residue on cables or that same floor, as everything had to be coiled/rolled/packed clean.

We also used a lot of "glow in the dark" tape, to mark steps, set spots, and other obstacles, but very sparingly, both because it showed during set changes (which was the point), and because it was the most expensive stuff per inch I ever saw. (30-35 years ago, it was still about $7/ft for 1/2 inch wide tape). But it worked. Clear plastic over some kind of phosphorescence, then a solid backing for the tape, slightly stretchable, often held in place by a staple because the glue wasn't the best.

To the two of you who made it this far in my self-indulgent memories, thanks! :)

40 feet is like falling from a 3 or 4 story window.
People die falling 15 feet sometimes.

Quote: EvenBob

40 feet is like falling from a 3 or 4 story window.
People die falling 15 feet sometimes.

Yep. It might sound like an exaggeration, but it's pretty normal for a full theatre to have it that high or higher. They have to hoist backdrops (a lot of times 15-20 feet tall, depends on the size of the proscenium) fully out of sight. They usually don't roll them up (like shades) because they're hand-painted and would crack and wear if they were rolled.

Speaking of falls: I worked construction in Atlanta one summer, doing correction work on some new condos.

It was early morning and a few sheetrockers were huddled together smoking a joint, when a roofer fell off a two or three story roof and landed next to them.

Without missing a beat, one of the sheetrockers put the lit doobie to the victim's mouth, and he inhaled.

He later said it didn't really hurt til after he took that first drag.

Humans: ya gotta love em.

Quote: MrV

Speaking of falls: I worked construction in Atlanta one summer, doing correction work on some new condos.

It was early morning and a few sheetrockers were huddled together smoking a joint, when a roofer fell off a two or three story roof and landed next to them.

Without missing a beat, one of the sheetrockers put the lit doobie to the victim's mouth, and he inhaled.

He later said it didn't really hurt til after he took that first drag.

Humans: ya gotta love em.

In the world of rock climbing there is a statistic. 50% of people die from a forty-two foot fall.

Quote: Greasyjohn

In the world of rock climbing there is a statistic. 50% of people die from a forty-two foot fall.

Avoid stuff with it own "statistics".

Don't spend so much time on brinkmanship or other people's (artificial) rules. Go perfect your own rules and truly enjoy your own fabulous wealth.

Quote: DoubleOrNothing

Avoid stuff with it own "statistics".

Don't spend so much time on brinkmanship or other people's (artificial) rules. Go perfect your own rules and truly enjoy your own fabulous wealth.

That sounds like something Kerkebet would say;)

Quote: Greasyjohn

That sounds like something Kerkebet would say;)

Yes perhaps. I kind of miss everyone that used to post regularly, and they don't now. Would make my day if Kerkebet posted something that I absolutely, positively could not understand. Others here would, understand.

Quote: TwoFeathersATL

Would make my day if Kerkebet posted something that I absolutely, positively could not understand.

Just another way of getting away with posting stuff around here I suppose.

Kerkebet Subregion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kerkebet Subregion (Carcabat District) is a subregion in the northwestern Anseba region (Zoba Anseba) of Eritrea. Its capital lies at Kerkebet (Carcabat).

Quote: TwoFeathersATL

"Was edited for clarity" 2F

You're hired. How much an hour for the double scramblings? I shall strive to DON my own stuff through your "lens" first.