Hello History Guy. Oh, I know this product! My father was a Custom Upholsterer (a man that repaired and recovered furniture). As boys, my brother and I would make simple pillows for our treehouse out of a few short lengths of wood, scrap cloth, old cotton wadding, and duct tape. As we got older, we were in the habit of cleaning the shop's floor with circular magnets, salvaged from old speaker systems, which were hung from a bit of jute twine. This allowed us to 'pick up' all the staples, nails, brads, and upholstery tacks pulled from furniture that was to be recovered, and laying all over the floor of the shop. So, around ages 6-8, or so, we were sorting the various fasteners and using a railroad spike as an anvil, and hammering tacks and such back into straightness, to be used for our own projects. One such project was to build a 'kid's size' sofa for our treehouse, since there were five kids, and we mostly sat on the floor. After a long summer, my brother and I had built 3 chairs and a sofa out of scrap lumber, salvaged nails, brads, and tacks, as well as cotton wadding, scraps of jute webbing, jute twine, old springs, and scrap fabric. Where does duct tape come into this? We fixed the roof of the treehouse with duct tape. Carefully layering it over the original plywood base for the roof, after peeling off the asphalt roofing tiles. This worked wonderfully, and kept the treehouse dry, even in the worst storms of Michigan weather. Long after I grew to an adult, moved out of town, and made a life for myself, only to retire back to my hometown, did I check up on where I grew up. And to my surprise, the treehouse is still there. The only changes from when I was a kid, is that the roof has been re-taped at least once, the siding covering the plywood walls has been covered in duct tape, as well as the door itself. The current residents of the house and owners of the property were surprised to meet the son of the previous owner, and one of the builders of the treehouse. My approving comments on the use of duct tape to 'weatherproof' the structure up in that apple tree pleased them to no end. I was cordially invited to dinner, and after, the kids insisted that I climb up to inspect their 'house'. Well... Being 60+ made the climb a bit of a hassle, but I did it anyway, AFTER securing a good strong rope in case I slipped from the nailed board ladder. To my astonished gaze, I crouched in the tiny 'house' in amazement... 2 of the 3 chairs, and the sofa were still present, and had been carefully patched, many times, with various colors of duct tape over the decades. I did check to make sure the springs and jute webbing holding them in place was still sufficient to hold up the weight of an adult, and the kids all had huge grins, having one of the original 'kids' in 'their' treehouse. The tree and treehouse still stand. Most of the furniture my brother and I made still exists and is safe enough for use. And the treehouse is well protected by many layers of one of Mankind's best inventions... the humble roll of duct tape.
In 1973, while stationed on the USS Billfish I was introduced to a magical green tape that the entire nuclear submarine Navy known as "EB Green". "EB" was a reference to the Electric Boat Company of Groton Ct. and "Green" was of course because the tape was green. There were of course limits to where we were allowed to apply EB Green and what we could repair with it. We were after all on a nuclear powered submarine. My wife still loves to tell the story that after one patrol when she was about to wash my working uniform she noticed that the cuffs on both legs were hemmed with EB Green. It had withstood several months of washing aboard ship, still well stuck to the denim pant legs and supple enough that she left it in place.
I had a fiend in the NAVY that served on boomers. He told me about EB Green. He said they had to do some maintenance one time that ended up requiring that they repaint a section of the inner hull. When they scraped off the old paint before repainting, they found a strip about 6 by 3 inches. They scraped it off, and found that there was a hole drilled all the way through the pressure hull! The only thing stopping the sea-water entering was that piece of tape and a coat of paint. :) He didn't know what happened after they reported it.
@@waynecampeau4566 I heard about that incident, or one like it, on a test dive. That was occasion enough to abort the test and immediately return to the surface!
I'm 71 years old and can remember working in the backyard garage with my father. We used to use this green tape, he got in from the military on everything. It was the same size as "Duck Tape", however it was Army green, (with a matte finish) stronger, and, had much better adhesive. My father called it, "Green Ordance Tape. It reminds me of what is now "Gaffers Tape". It was the BEST! Thank for all your great stories!
@@ronblack7870 weak adhesive is useful for temporary use- it holds well enough do things like tack up various wires and cables, and pull away without damaging the surface.
Here's a fun fact for you: the Soviet block had nothing like duct tape, the closest they got was a notoriously unreliable type of electrical insulating tape made of tar infused canvas. For medical applications there was an equally horrible resin canvas tape that peeled off spontaneously if it got wet (or even damp), leaving lots of sticky adhesive residue on the skin. As a Romanian I haven't seen true duck tape until the 90s and even than is was prohibitively expensive, only after joining the EU we got easy access to this wonderful product.
@1000YardShooter +1000 social credit. Alas, still not enough points to prevent you from being drafted into the meat grinder. Report for duty on the Ukrainian border at 0800 hrs
Are you sure you are talking about the same sort of tape for the same sort of application? The west had a version of what you describe and it is still in use today for sealing electrical junctions boxes and water sensitive instruments. Look up Denso Tape and compare.
I have been a mechanic for over 30 years. I deployed twice to the sandbox. I have operated nearly every size and type of heavy equipment. I have driven all kinds of over the road heavy hauler Class-A trucks. I was a stagehand at the Metropolitan Opera house where we used gaffer’s tape. I have always kept at least one roll of duck tape near me all my life whether it was OD green, silver / grey, black, white, glow in the dark, reflective, even pink. My 20 year old F350’s bed is literally held together with white T-Rex tape because the bondo cracked on it years ago and that was all I had at the moment. That T-Rex tape has been on my truck for 3 years now and has never even began to fray, sag, or delaminate. Looks the same today as the day I first put it on my truck bed. Another good use of duck tape is taping over those stupid fuel pump speakers that blare loud crap at you while you fuel up. I have never used duck tape on HVAC applications however because it breaks down fast when it is exposed to heat and condensation.
Satirist "Red Green" had a bit on his show in which he answered questions from viewers on do-it-yourself projects. In one episode every answer was "Duct Tape", no matter what situation. Finally, the question was how to seal leaks in heating ducts. He was stumped and had no answer.
In the military science fiction series "The Lost Fleet," written by a Navy veteran, an alien race witnesses crew members in an escape pod using duct tape to seal a hull breach as well as a sucking chest wound on an injured sailor. They later negotiate to give some information and guidance to the humans in exchange for a sample of their "universal fixing agent."
When I worked in television production in the 80's, we would always refer to it as gaffers tape. After I left the industry, I still referred to it as gaffers tape and would get quizzical looks from people, it took a while for me to refer to it as duct tape, but whatever it's called, I always have a roll on hand. Thank you for covering the history of one of the most invaluable tools.
Gaffer tape is different to duct tape. Gaffer tape uses an adhesive that is designed to be removable without leaving a residue. Duct tape will leave gunk behind.
As somone who's worked in HVAC, we use both types of tape. Regular cloth-based is colored black and called such, with the heat-resistant joiner tape being metallic and called silver tape. The latter is good at giving you some nasty cuts! It also requires a squeegee to properly apply.
I love that you started with the "duck versus duct" issue, right away. It's probably the biggest argument about the stuff. And, in perfect History Guy manner, you immediately say "neither; It's HISTORY!" Perfect!!! Love it!!
The stuff is Duct Tape. Used to seal hvac ducting. Not necessarily fabric based. Duck tape is a mispronunciation, and led to a company which trademarked the term since most folks didn't know the difference. And altogether different is Gaffers' Tape, which originated in the film industry. Fabric based, adhesive that stayed removable longer, and strong. Originated by the Tuck Tape company and very expensive. Then there is friction tape, which only sticks to itself and leaves no residue.
Yet so-called common "duct tape" is not code-legal to use for heating ducts, as it will dry and fall away. There is of course actual "duct tape" that is made of a thin aluminum sheet and is an ACTUAL duct tape.
Years ago on the night shift the cooling tower pumps all stopped. We tried to restart them and they would start but when the start switch was let go the pumps would stop. Without the pumps the plant would shut down very quickly and being a polypropylene plant we would be shut down for days to clean out the plugged lines. The other outside operator and I used duct tape and a rock to keep at least one pump running (by pushing the rock into the start switch slot and holding it in place with duct tape). We saved to plant being down for days by doing this. The maintenance department made an "emergency box" with a glass cover (and a small hammer to break the glass in case of emergency) to access a rock inside as a joke. The plant manager was not happy and told us to throw it out. As a plumbing and heating apprentice in 1971/1972 we called it duct tape back then. And it did work to seal small holes in ducts. I even used duct tape to seal a leak in a radiator hose so I could get home. Another time I used vise grips to stop a radiator hose leak to get me home.
G'day Dev! I didn't recall that until THG mentioned it, and now I'm wondering if the NASA folk just decided to internally refer to it that way to avoid any potential duck/duct disagreement. :)
You even mentioned Gaffer’s tape at the end. I used it to tape electrical cords to the floor in a convention center. You’re correct that it does’nt leave residue behind, but heaven help you if it sticks to itself! It has to be cut away because it’s stuck REALLY good.
I was patiently waiting for "100 mile-per-hour" tape... I grew up working in our family's equipment rental business and my father always referred to duct tape as 100 MPH tape. When I asked why it was called 100 MPH tape, he explained that as an airplane mechanic serving on the aircraft carrier USS Bennington, he used the tape to seal holes and imperfections in the airplanes he serviced and repaired. Thanks for another great video, THG!
I was in Air Defense Artillery in the U.S. Army in the early '80's. I worked with Hawk missiles and the awesome Nike Hercules missile. We called it 'hundred-mile-an-hour' tape, but mostly 'Missile Tape'. The report from the firing units was that they repaired the Nike missiles with the tape. I guess it only had to work once. 🙂
It's used heavily in racing as well - not the origin of the term 'hundred mile an hour tape', but certainly an extension of it. We used it to make impromptu body repairs, mount/secure various electrical apparatus, make grips for levers and tools, and so on.
There is also the modern 'speed tape' that is duck tape certified up to the speed of sound.... commonly used to repair airliners travelling at forty thousand feet.....
For about twenty years the standard stocking-stuffer from my brother in law was a six-pack of "Duck" tape. A years supply. I used it mainly to seal seams on the cheap plastic tarps we used for the garage awning.
The great Red Green once turned a Cadillac sedan into a backhoe using "The handyman's secret weapon: duct tape." The man could perform miracles with duct tape and K-cars. Duct tape holds the Universe together. Einstein said as much in an unpublished paper "The Two Secrets Of The Universe: Duct Tape and WD-40." In it, he explains that Dark Duct Tape is what gravity actually is, and that the inflation of the Universe is lubricated with WD-40. Fascinating reading.
WD40 was developed as a water displacement formula for mechanics working on wet engines and it really isn't very good as a lubricant except temporarily.
As a mechanic, i was a team with another guy, and often, we had no time to do proper repairs. Emergency repairs had to do on the fleet of trucks the two of us had to keep on the street. Duc tape was the go to for so many quick repairs. He called it the bailing wire of the future. Never could argue with him on that.
I worked at Permacel Industrial Tape (Johnson & Johnson) and use to work on the coaters that applied the glue on Duct Tape backing. I eventually ran a slitting machine which cut the 60" wide material down to the 2" by 60 yd. roll you would find in store. We actually made 2 versions of the tape, one with latex adhesive and the other with a solvent based adhesive. Eventually the latex version was dropped. Permacel claims a number of firsts: first masking tape, first filament reinforced tape and patents, first polypropylene tape, first PTFE thread sealant tape, first colored and waterproof cloth tape, and first aluminum foil tape. The building were I worked was in North Brunswick, NJ on U.S. Route 1. It was eventually bought by Nitto Denko from Japan. They shut down the North Brunswick facility in 2004.
Excellent video. My dad was a sheet metal worker and even in the late 1950s we always had rolls of "duct" tape at home and one in every car. I remember in the 1970s friends showing me a "new" kind of miracle tape; I was unimpressed as I thought everyone had a roll in their garage. Today I volunteer at a community theatre and I can assure you there is gaffer's tape on pretty much any live theatre set you've ever seen; from the local high school production to Broadway or London's West End. Thank you again for another great history lesson.
@@royskuderin2386 That, bungee cord and carabiners too. I also kept extra bricks of propofol (diprovan) and vecuronium (Norcuron) in my bag sealed in zip lock bags because I flew many hops across the pond and my med bag didn't have enough of those.
That aint nothing son, back in the day when I was in the Navy we used to repair holes in aircraft carriers with US Navy spec duck tape. Heck I even patched up a nuclear reactor with it once. They don't sell that stuff to civilians though.
Gorilla brand is the highest quality duck tape I have seen or used. Great stuff!The adhesive is great and the tape is strong and uniform. They have interesting camo patterns too.
My son was an helicopter mechanic in the Kosovo conflict and he used a lot of duct tape there too. As an architect/engineer I always assumed it was developed as an HVAC product. I used to tape up ductwork on work sites. I always thought “duck tape” was a corruption of language.
Air ducts are best sealed with aluminum foil tape which is specifically designed for duct work. There's even a waterproof formulation with special adhesive that will stick to wet surfaces.
It would be difficult for me to count the number of times I've heard people correct someone for saying "duck tape", telling them, "It's 'duct' tape." Then there was me, a child of a Vietnam helicopter mechanic, "It's both, and neither."
@StringerNews1 , well, technically it's probably more accurate to say that nowadays the foil tape is often used to seal *fiberglass insulation" that is wrapped around the ducts, but when I was doing telecom work in the 90's, the seams in the ductwork in older commercial buildings (I worked for lots of big insurance comlanies) were indeed often sealed with aluminum tape.. My own house, built in the 1980s, has fiberglass ducts (ugh), with foil taped seams, and the only galvanized metal involved is in the strapping that supports them and the mechanical damper valves.
@StringerNews1 , by the way, aluminum foil tape works pretty well for shielding the inside cavities of electric guitars to reduce hum, buzz and radio-station pickup. Much much cheaper than copper foil tape, and works almost as well, but not as soft as copper and you can't solder to it, so its trickier to work with....but the results are fantastic if done right.
Enjoyable! I had forgotten about 100 MPH Tape. I worked in a railroad freight claims office (retired in 2012). If something happened that damaged freight shipped on the railroad, our office would hear about such with a monetary claim for damages. I recall an issue involving water damage to a load shipped in a trailer. The load was shipped by rail to the Chicago area. The trailer (known as a piggyback) was shipped on a flatcar. Once at Chicago it was lifted off of the railcar and hauled over the road to its eventual destination by a drayman (an independent trucker). When I received the damage claim for wet product from the claimant, I noticed that the actual trailer hauling that load (now empty as it had been unloaded) was still in the Chicago area. A ramp manager was notified and he inspected the trailer. He advised that looking at the trailer from the ground, no damage was apparent. But but once the trailer was moved where it could be inspected from above, there was major damage to the roof. The drayman apparently went under a "low clearance bridge" which damaged the trailer roof. That drayman apparently went to a truck stop and purchased "100 MPH Tape" (Photos showed that very name imprinted on the tape itself) and attempted to make roof repairs himself which apparently were inadequate. Apparently it rained once the trailer was dropped off for unloading. The manager was livid. He said no railroad owned facility uses 100 MPH Tape!
While serving in the US Navy I heard it also called EB Green tape for "Electric Boat" on the east coast along with 100 mile/hour tape and we used it a lot. Glad you gave world famous Canadian "handy man" Red Green a shout out, I think he did more for the duct tape industry then any single person.
The nuclear Navy uses EB red nuclear rated tape extensively for radiological work, sealing up potential sources of contamination. (And all kinds of other uses of course)
Outstanding lesson today Histroy Guy. The lesson said there was enough used to wrap around the world 12 times. Dont know how much I was able t contribute to the distance. However I had a hand in it.
Having used "duck, duct, etc" tape to put temporary repairs to everything from hoses on 5 ton trucks to broken eyeglasses, this miracle mastic is deserving of its place in history.
"Gaffer Tape" is also endemic in rock and roll and the Music Industry more generally, theatres, bars, confrence venues, etc. Thanks for at least mentioning it!
My father grew up on a farm in Nebraska. He often told us they fixed the equipment( tractor, etc) using juice concentrate cans, bailing wire, and duck tape. If those didn't work they would have to replace the item.
I commented above about fixing my fathers combine with duct tape and crazy glue . I was the only one small enough to get inside where the problem was lol🤗❤️🐝
@@The_DuMont_Network Was it "Monkey-Grip"-brand, in a red & yellow box, by any chance? It was called friction-tape, as you've stated. Black, rough, sticky as fresh-asphalt! My-Aunt used to put it on cracked wooden shovel handles, or even a "cushion" on hammer handles! One thing for sure, you weren't gonna lose your grip on it! (Maybe a layer of your own hide though, until it finally got dirty & less-sticky?) LOL!
You just can’t hardly go wrong with duck tape! Even when you make video! It just goes to show, you can do anything with duck tape. 😅 Great episode!!! ❤
If the title sounds boring, it's going to be good! I'm a big fan of your channel and videos because you have this knack for taking seemingly mundane topics and turning them into something incredibly captivating. Your content is my top choice for edutainment, and it consistently offers a treasure trove of videos that I can readily share with both my friends and family. Your ability to make the ordinary fascinating is truly commendable. Your videos are like a short and sweet version of "Modern Marvels". (I miss that show) Keep up the fantastic work, and know that your channel is a standout in the world of online edutainment. I look forward to seeing what exciting topics you'll explore next, keeping us all engaged, educated and entertained.
Modern Marvels is The Law. How It's Made was great, too. I always said I'd like to see a How It's Made series about how they designed the machines that made the stuff in How It's Made. They'd show something like Twinkies, or toothpicks, anything that was made on an assembly line, and I'd think "These should be hour-long episodes, where half of it is the Twinkies, and the other half is how they made the machines that make the Twinkies." I get into that kind of meta stuff.
Thanks for a well-researched video. The standard name in the UK is gaffer tape, whether in a film studio or elsewhere. No music band, for instance, goes to a gig without a couple of rolls of it.
Great episode! We used a lot of the 100 mph tape in the Marine Corps in the late 70s and early 80s, and certainly before and after my time of service. It truly was an indispensable solution for many problems.
We have a vacuum system used to provide suction during surgeries. During one of the repair incidents, the piping broke. This was special piping that was not going to be easy to find during the off hours we had available to effect a repair. I ended up creating a replacement hose/pipe out of duct tape. This "repair job" is still in place, over eight years later, with only minor patching required. We actually had the machine serviced, and the repair guy didn't see the need to replace the tape with a real pipe. I know this because I used a very obnoxious shade of bright orange tape, and it's still there.
It was often called HP tape in the Navy. The HP meaning that it could withstand high pressure. I probably used dozens of rolls at my prototype while building radiological and asbestos containment glove bags. After a containment was made you had to verify it would maintain negative pressure before it could be used. Sure enough, HP tape stands up to high pressures. We also used HP tape to seal our pockets, sleeves and the tops of our boots while working with liquid nitrogen freeze seals. The liquid nitrogen could give you really gnarly freeze burns if it spilled and got into an enclosed area like a pocket or boots. It was so cold you wouldn't feel it and if it was enclosed in your clothing it would give you a terrible burn before it all evaporated. One of my shipmates lost a big chunk of flesh on his hip due to liquid nitrogen getting in his pocket.
There is one king among all duck/duct tapes, and that is EB Green. This stuff is amazing, lasts absolutely forever, and is essentially unavailable outside. It sticks wet, dry, dusty, frozen, and handles heat and UV like it's nothing. I have had ten year old rolls that worked as well as brand new.
The very fact the TV series _Mythbusters_ proved the amazing ability of duct tape is create all kinds of objects shows how useful this item has become.
My father (born in 1918) loved the stuff and used it to seal up boxes to ship to us... BUT my first personal experiences of it was as rolls of GAFFER'S Tape... Used to secure lighting and microphone wires to the floors of stages, anchor mats and carpets so they wouldn't be tripped over backstage. This one was fun. Thanks.
The "super six" is something we all need in our house, screwdriver, hammer, plyers, wrench, WD-40 & Duct tape :) Most everyday problems can be fixed with these tools. I love the expression that goes "if it wont move and it should-WD-40 & if it does move and shouldn't then Duct tape"
Since common "duct tape" is not sticky nor strong enough to be used on actual ducts, there exists actual duct tape made with a thin aluminum sheet and very sticky adhesive, actually used on ducts. Add that to your kit-
Another fun fact, at the racetrack duct tape is often called "200 mph tape". It comes from an old running joke that it should hold til 200 mph, but after that your mileage may vary.
When I served in the Navy, we had a type of "duck" tape called "HP tape" -- short for high-pressure tape. It's used for emergency repairs on water pipes for small leaks. In the video, at 15:57 in the lower right corner, there is an item in a familiar tan package marked "GRAPEVJELLY" -- it's from a MRE packet. :P
The Red-Green Show had the best duck tape episodes ever. Hey, there's my AMMO symbol at 7:49. We used that stuff for everything. About 20 years ago a local high school couple made their prom suit and formal from duck tape....
Thanks, as always your story and the telling is fantastic. STICK to it and STRETCH them tight, avoiding TACKY content that ROLLS down the ratings ... 🤠
I’m sure red green would appreciate your plug of his show. I grew up in Indiana, and I lived in Indiana for 25 years. I did not just age. I really grew up. But I live in New York, and in Pennsylvania, son of a farmer, and the engineer and the builder…. So I had early experience with duck tape and duck fabric. Thank you so much for reminding me of my youth and the better part of my life. Just for the record I reached 75 years last May. Since I now use a wheelchair and have use crutches duck tape as many old friend and companion all these years.
Upon entering the submarine service in 1960 I became acquainted with a heavy green cloth tape referred to as EB Green after the Electric Boat Company, the prominent submarine builder of Groton CT. It was widely used and was noted for its durability and ease of application. Apocryphal stories of it being used to patch holes in submarine hulls were common -- supposedly jt had been used for patches that held up at "test depth", the depth for which a submarine was designed to go.
I was hoping you would mention the Red Green show and was glad you finally did. I don't think there was any episode of the show that didn't involve duck tape. If you want to seal up hvac ducts, there is an aluminum tape that you can get, it is aluminum with adhesive applied to one side with paper that you peel off to apply the tape.
When I was a kid in the 70s I used to use masking tape for arts, crafts, my experiments with batteries, motors and light bulbs. As I grew older I started to use duck tape to repair things around the home. My parents were impressed. Finally I got a caulk gun with a variety of tubes from silicone to repair my aquarium to older kid arts and crafts.
I was flying from Chicago to Kansas City on American Airlines some years ago. After we boarded the captain announced that there was a problem with the aircraft as the rear door was not sealing properly. He stated that mechanics would be coming on board to diagnosis the problem in hopes of fixing it. A short time later a couple of mechanics came on board to look at the problem. They left and came back shortly with the necessary parts to fix the seal. Yep! they duct taped the door and away we went!
LOL...back in the 1980's there was a show called MacGyver where the star of the show would frequently use duct tape to fix things. In our family, we call duct tape MacGyver tape to this day. Thanks for the history of this fantastic tape.
My uncle was a show runner for that TV show. He told me for every episode they were tasked to demonstrate two "MacGyver-isms" in the script. So they would send interns out to scour the minds of scientists and engineers to come up with plausible uses for duck tape, Swiss army knives, chewing gum (and wrappers) and paper clips!
Minor correction from someone who worked 20+ years in the Industrial Textile industry. The machine or 'long' direction of a fabric is called the "warp", not "wrap". Difficult to catch typos when the misplaced letters spell an appropriately usable word. Love your videos!!! Please keep them coming!
What's incredible is we've lived through a loss of history, in a generation. How we lament that we don't know when that item was named or lost in the 15th century etc, yet in living memory we've lost the reasons and histories of a product that's everywhere.
I remember calling it duck tape and my husband laughing at me. He said, it's "duct" tape. He passed on a couple of years ago, so I wish I could show him this video. lol
Great video sir! Being a history buff like yourself, I love finding out things I thought I knew. After spending 14 years in the Army I knew "that" aspect of the tape, but NOT all the other stuff...so I learned something new today....thank you. I keep at least 1 or 2 rolls on hand at ALL times, ya never know when you need to "fix" something and it always pulls through!
Thank you for mentioning the Red Green Show. My wife and I still occasionally mention the handyman's secret weapon, duct tape. I fact the PBS station brought Steve Smith down to Houston for a fundraising because the show was so popular there. 3M donated cases of duct tape to the show, which Steve Smith autographed as prizes. I still have one. Bet that's a use for it that you don't hear very often.
I'm sharing this episode of THG with my 3 adult sons that have associated my DIY tasks around our home with duct tape..." The handyman's secrete weapon" . It's an "I told you so moment" for this Dad. Thank You History Guy 😉
Always had a roll of duck tape in the boot of the car as a teenager. Now in my 60s, there’s still a roll kept handy. Excellent history lesson, thank you for sharing.
What fun episode! Especially useful when encountering the DUCT-DUCK argument and having the "you're both right, but both wrong" response. Also educating is the meme showing a commercial airliner wing covered in this tape with the passenger looking out aghast. Who knew that's not only practical as a temporary fix but that it's been being done on airliners for decades. It thought it shocking that it holds at 400+ knots at 30,000 feet, but I guess if it works on a helicopter rotor in war time... Thanks for the incredible education on such a fascinating topic!
A roll of duct tape walks into a bar. Bartender, polishing up a glass, asks politely: “What can I get you?” The duct tape looks around, thinks for a moment and says, “I think I’ll just stick to my usual.”
@@Allangulon, no, that would be *self-amalgamating tape*; a stretchy rubber tape that literally fuses to itself. Great for weatherproofing electrical and electronic connectors on cars and boats.
@@Allangulon , I am quite familiar with friction tape ( some people used to stupidly use it in place of electrical tape back in the day). The most unusual use for it I've ever heard was from an old fisherman who told me that they used to catch bluefish by handline, wearing leather gloves wrapped with friction tape on the glove fingers to make it easier to prevent the line running through their fingers,, and patching the gloves when they developed tears or rips. (Most people use electrical tape wrong anyway, it's not really supposed to insulate connections, it's only to tape the wire to a string or rope so that you can pull it through a pipe.)
@@goodun2974 The fact remains it was developed to adhere well to itself but poorly to surfaces unless pressure was applied. And electrical tape is for bundling wiring into a harness.
Thanks for this episode! It answered so many questions. I'd always thought that this tape got the 100 mph moniker from NASCAR for quick repairs. My step sons girl friends made her prom dress completely from duck tape.
In my family, every car owner keeps a roll of 3M duct tape in their vehicle, along with a small shovel, and an emergency kit. At my sister's wedding , the men wore light grey tuxedos. The big day, my brother discovered that some sweet soul had put a cigarette burn thru his vest. Dad ran out to the car and brought in the 3M duct tape. Invisible mend!🎉
Actually, the tape I use most these days is painter's blue tape or green "frog" tape; for instance, it's excellent for use in gluing together irregularly shaped things that cant be easily clamped. It's great to have tape that can sit on something for days or a week and still be removable, unlike old-fashioned asking tape. The gummy adhesive left behind or the dried adhesive left behind from duct tape can be a real problem to remove weeks or months later. In particular the woodworking and guitar repair communities have found lots of uses for frog tape; check out Ted Woodford's guitar repair channel on RUclips.
My favourite tape of choice for packaging things for shipping as its strong and doesn't need tools to cut. Plus unlike regular tape it doesn't peel off as easily.
Bought a brand new Ford Fiesta 12 years ago and one of the weak points that I was able to research before buying was that the gas inlet cover could easily detach from the plastic hinge inside. Right after I took home the new car one of the first things I did was to put duct tape on the inner side of the cover to reinforce the connection to the hinge. Twelve years later and I have replaced a lot of parts in that car but that piece of duct tape is still stuck on that cover.
I found a great role of Duck Tape. I has little retro looking campers on it as well as flamingos. It has the 1950’s camping vibe going on! It’s great!!
Back when i flew helicopters in the US Army we were authorized to use duct tape to tape up loose rivets on our helicopters in a field-expediant situation when we couldn't get back to maintenance facilities to replace them.
I was waiting for a Red Green Show shout out! Thanks for mentioning it! If anyone hasnt checked out The Red Green Show, I highly recommend it. In particular the Handyman Corner segments for some Duct Tape related shenanigans.
For the first time ever, I bought a roll of duct tape last week to work on the lighting rig for my band's upcoming Halloween show and now this video...... . Serendipity my friend. Thanks History Guy! - Little Bobby
cotton duck in different ounces is what is used by artists to this day. generally use 10 and 12 ounces, stapled to wood stretchers, then gesso'ed before painting.
I love the mention of gaffer tape. Doek Tape (I'll call it that from now on) leaves terrible stains on cables and equipment. Gaffer tape bonds less well, but doesn't make a mess of your stuff. Don't confuse the two! Fun Fact: Gaffer Tape is also called Gaffa Tape.
Gaffa is a brand name. 'Gaffer' tape is so called because the lead electrician on a movie shoot is called the 'gaffer', and the tape is used a lot to tape down electric wires.....
Fun fact according to Richard Feynman one of the original test for the nuclear bomb the spherical implosion type was held together with like 60% ducktape and literally completely covered in it
Thanks history guy. This was a really informative video on a very sticky subject. The only thing I would add is the following. If it moves and it's not supposed to, use duct tape on it. If it doesn't move and it is supposed to, use WD-40 on it
THG finished editing this and said to himself "that's a wrap"! 😉 (it's a shame it wasnt recorded on older technology or he would have finished up by "rolling the tape! 😁).
I'm raising my son with duck tape. We build all kind of stuff with it. Today he told me: Dad we are out of duck tape 🙂 Thanks for this wonderful history of our favorite play tool.
My father was a fighter pilot in the USAF during WWII. Korea. Cambodia. Viet Nam. He called it 500 mile per hour tape. He'd land covered in bullet holes and they slap some tape on, re-ordinace and then take off again.
I can't believe you managed to get Anakin Skywalker's lament about sand into the script. Well played, sir.
Definitely didn’t go unnoticed.
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who heard it!
Immediately scrolled for this haha
yeah that cracked me up
Actually that was in the reference cited. But I couldn’t leave it out.
Hello History Guy.
Oh, I know this product! My father was a Custom Upholsterer (a man that repaired and recovered furniture). As boys, my brother and I would make simple pillows for our treehouse out of a few short lengths of wood, scrap cloth, old cotton wadding, and duct tape. As we got older, we were in the habit of cleaning the shop's floor with circular magnets, salvaged from old speaker systems, which were hung from a bit of jute twine. This allowed us to 'pick up' all the staples, nails, brads, and upholstery tacks pulled from furniture that was to be recovered, and laying all over the floor of the shop. So, around ages 6-8, or so, we were sorting the various fasteners and using a railroad spike as an anvil, and hammering tacks and such back into straightness, to be used for our own projects. One such project was to build a 'kid's size' sofa for our treehouse, since there were five kids, and we mostly sat on the floor. After a long summer, my brother and I had built 3 chairs and a sofa out of scrap lumber, salvaged nails, brads, and tacks, as well as cotton wadding, scraps of jute webbing, jute twine, old springs, and scrap fabric. Where does duct tape come into this? We fixed the roof of the treehouse with duct tape. Carefully layering it over the original plywood base for the roof, after peeling off the asphalt roofing tiles. This worked wonderfully, and kept the treehouse dry, even in the worst storms of Michigan weather. Long after I grew to an adult, moved out of town, and made a life for myself, only to retire back to my hometown, did I check up on where I grew up. And to my surprise, the treehouse is still there. The only changes from when I was a kid, is that the roof has been re-taped at least once, the siding covering the plywood walls has been covered in duct tape, as well as the door itself. The current residents of the house and owners of the property were surprised to meet the son of the previous owner, and one of the builders of the treehouse. My approving comments on the use of duct tape to 'weatherproof' the structure up in that apple tree pleased them to no end. I was cordially invited to dinner, and after, the kids insisted that I climb up to inspect their 'house'. Well... Being 60+ made the climb a bit of a hassle, but I did it anyway, AFTER securing a good strong rope in case I slipped from the nailed board ladder. To my astonished gaze, I crouched in the tiny 'house' in amazement... 2 of the 3 chairs, and the sofa were still present, and had been carefully patched, many times, with various colors of duct tape over the decades. I did check to make sure the springs and jute webbing holding them in place was still sufficient to hold up the weight of an adult, and the kids all had huge grins, having one of the original 'kids' in 'their' treehouse. The tree and treehouse still stand. Most of the furniture my brother and I made still exists and is safe enough for use. And the treehouse is well protected by many layers of one of Mankind's best inventions... the humble roll of duct tape.
❤
That's cool that you made the climb up in the tree for those kids. They will remember that when they grow old.
I'm 62 myself.
I did not intend to read that whole story, glad I did!
Great story - thanks for sharing. Brought back memories of my own treehouse however sans duck tape. 😀
That is an incredible story. Thank you for lightning my mood during turbulent times. Good luck good sir
Duct tape is like the force.
It has a light side, a dark side and holds the universe together.
😂
Duck tape.
Perfect!🤗❤️🐝
Well played.
This is good, but not as good as the Anakin Skywalker line THG slipped into this video.
In 1973, while stationed on the USS Billfish I was introduced to a magical green tape that the entire nuclear submarine Navy known as "EB Green". "EB" was a reference to the Electric Boat Company of Groton Ct. and "Green" was of course because the tape was green. There were of course limits to where we were allowed to apply EB Green and what we could repair with it. We were after all on a nuclear powered submarine.
My wife still loves to tell the story that after one patrol when she was about to wash my working uniform she noticed that the cuffs on both legs were hemmed with EB Green. It had withstood several months of washing aboard ship, still well stuck to the denim pant legs and supple enough that she left it in place.
Oh to get ahold of some EB Red from a contractor…
I had a fiend in the NAVY that served on boomers. He told me about EB Green. He said they had to do some maintenance one time that ended up requiring that they repaint a section of the inner hull. When they scraped off the old paint before repainting, they found a strip about 6 by 3 inches. They scraped it off, and found that there was a hole drilled all the way through the pressure hull! The only thing stopping the sea-water entering was that piece of tape and a coat of paint. :) He didn't know what happened after they reported it.
@@waynecampeau4566 I heard about that incident, or one like it, on a test dive. That was occasion enough to abort the test and immediately return to the surface!
I too was a “Nuc” in ‘73 and we used “HP Tape” to build containment around contaminated work areas. Worked like a charm.
@@waynecampeau4566The Kindly Old Gentleman bought stock in 3M?
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy" - Red Green
15 years
300 episodes
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritani
Keep Your Stick On The Ice
I’m a man. But I can change. If I have to. I guess.
Probably the only TV show to make Duck tape famous. Thumbs 👍 for Red Green 💚 and his crew. EH
The handyman's secret weapon: duct tape.
Of course the one time he did duct work he used masking tape.
I'm 71 years old and can remember working in the backyard garage with my father. We used to use this green tape, he got in from the military on everything. It was the same size as "Duck Tape", however it was Army green, (with a matte finish) stronger, and, had much better adhesive. My father called it, "Green Ordance Tape. It reminds me of what is now "Gaffers Tape". It was the BEST!
Thank for all your great stories!
Gaffers tape is fantastic stuff.
gaffers tape has weak adhesive. real duct tape is nashua 357 which is thick with awesome adhesive . but it costs way more
Tape, Ordinance, Green OD.
@@ronblack7870 weak adhesive is useful for temporary use- it holds well enough do things like tack up various wires and cables, and pull away without damaging the surface.
@allen_p lol funny, you should have left this comment outside. I'm sure you would have gotten a greater reaction to it
Here's a fun fact for you: the Soviet block had nothing like duct tape, the closest they got was a notoriously unreliable type of electrical insulating tape made of tar infused canvas. For medical applications there was an equally horrible resin canvas tape that peeled off spontaneously if it got wet (or even damp), leaving lots of sticky adhesive residue on the skin. As a Romanian I haven't seen true duck tape until the 90s and even than is was prohibitively expensive, only after joining the EU we got easy access to this wonderful product.
LOL, if only we had known back then how easy it would be to destroy the Soviet Union;
"Come join capitalism...we have duck tape!"😅😅
@1000YardShooter Are you Pavel Chekov?
@1000YardShooter +1000 social credit. Alas, still not enough points to prevent you from being drafted into the meat grinder. Report for duty on the Ukrainian border at 0800 hrs
Are you sure you are talking about the same sort of tape for the same sort of application? The west had a version of what you describe and it is still in use today for sealing electrical junctions boxes and water sensitive instruments. Look up Denso Tape and compare.
@@KenworthW900HGNyet Comrade, nyet!
I have been a mechanic for over 30 years. I deployed twice to the sandbox. I have operated nearly every size and type of heavy equipment. I have driven all kinds of over the road heavy hauler Class-A trucks. I was a stagehand at the Metropolitan Opera house where we used gaffer’s tape. I have always kept at least one roll of duck tape near me all my life whether it was OD green, silver / grey, black, white, glow in the dark, reflective, even pink. My 20 year old F350’s bed is literally held together with white T-Rex tape because the bondo cracked on it years ago and that was all I had at the moment. That T-Rex tape has been on my truck for 3 years now and has never even began to fray, sag, or delaminate. Looks the same today as the day I first put it on my truck bed. Another good use of duck tape is taping over those stupid fuel pump speakers that blare loud crap at you while you fuel up. I have never used duck tape on HVAC applications however because it breaks down fast when it is exposed to heat and condensation.
I spent 10yrs as a stagehand too and quickly discovered the magic of ProGaf tape and have never gone back to the Far less useful silver stuff.
Satirist "Red Green" had a bit on his show in which he answered questions from viewers on do-it-yourself projects. In one episode every answer was "Duct Tape", no matter what situation. Finally, the question was how to seal leaks in heating ducts. He was stumped and had no answer.
Don't forget that it is the handyman secret weapon
if the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
@@thurin84Ladies often look for “Mr. Right”. When he is hard to find, many will settle for Mr. Right Now. ; )
That show could really use a reboot or even a movie.
@@robertgaines-tulsaThe movie "Duct Tape Forever" premiered in Iowa
Mr. Lance, you never cease to amaze me with the depth and completness of your research.
You even mentioned Red Green!
In the military science fiction series "The Lost Fleet," written by a Navy veteran, an alien race witnesses crew members in an escape pod using duct tape to seal a hull breach as well as a sucking chest wound on an injured sailor. They later negotiate to give some information and guidance to the humans in exchange for a sample of their "universal fixing agent."
You can use his name here you know...John G. Hemry, or as he uses to write with, Jack Campbell.
That is my number one favorite book series.
I came here to mention that.
If the stuff didn't exist, well, MacGyver would have had to invent it.
Devil'd advocate. If you can't invent duct tape, you're never going FTL.
When I worked in television production in the 80's, we would always refer to it as gaffers tape. After I left the industry, I still referred to it as gaffers tape and would get quizzical looks from people, it took a while for me to refer to it as duct tape, but whatever it's called, I always have a roll on hand. Thank you for covering the history of one of the most invaluable tools.
Gaffer tape is different to duct tape. Gaffer tape uses an adhesive that is designed to be removable without leaving a residue. Duct tape will leave gunk behind.
If it moves and it shouldn't = Duck Tape
If it doesn't move and it should = WD40
Two items that could have saved the Titanic.
👍👍👍
WD-40, at least in its current formulation, IS basically worthless. There are far better spray lubricants/penetrants that actually work.
@@cementer7665except lots of people find it works for lots of things!
@@cementer7665Which would you recommend? Tragedy a legend has fallen if you are correct, so I’d rather get something that works haha
As somone who's worked in HVAC, we use both types of tape. Regular cloth-based is colored black and called such, with the heat-resistant joiner tape being metallic and called silver tape. The latter is good at giving you some nasty cuts! It also requires a squeegee to properly apply.
I love that you started with the "duck versus duct" issue, right away. It's probably the biggest argument about the stuff. And, in perfect History Guy manner, you immediately say "neither; It's HISTORY!" Perfect!!! Love it!!
The stuff is Duct Tape. Used to seal hvac ducting. Not necessarily fabric based. Duck tape is a mispronunciation, and led to a company which trademarked the term since most folks didn't know the difference. And altogether different is Gaffers' Tape, which originated in the film industry. Fabric based, adhesive that stayed removable longer, and strong. Originated by the Tuck Tape company and very expensive. Then there is friction tape, which only sticks to itself and leaves no residue.
@The_DuMont_Network but Duck tape don't work on hvac systems as well as the aluminum foil tape made specifically for hvac ducts.
Yet so-called common "duct tape" is not code-legal to use for heating ducts, as it will dry and fall away. There is of course actual "duct tape" that is made of a thin aluminum sheet and is an ACTUAL duct tape.
Years ago on the night shift the cooling tower pumps all stopped. We tried to restart them and they would start but when the start switch was let go the pumps would stop. Without the pumps the plant would shut down very quickly and being a polypropylene plant we would be shut down for days to clean out the plugged lines. The other outside operator and I used duct tape and a rock to keep at least one pump running (by pushing the rock into the start switch slot and holding it in place with duct tape). We saved to plant being down for days by doing this. The maintenance department made an "emergency box" with a glass cover (and a small hammer to break the glass in case of emergency) to access a rock inside as a joke. The plant manager was not happy and told us to throw it out.
As a plumbing and heating apprentice in 1971/1972 we called it duct tape back then. And it did work to seal small holes in ducts.
I even used duct tape to seal a leak in a radiator hose so I could get home. Another time I used vise grips to stop a radiator hose leak to get me home.
I love that you mention how NASA calls it "grey tape" since many of us recall seeing it referred to that way in the film Apollo 13 👍
They loaded two rolls on board 'just in case' because the stuff is just too damn handy to not have any. One of the best technical decisions ever.
Never saw that movie.
G'day Dev! I didn't recall that until THG mentioned it, and now I'm wondering if the NASA folk just decided to internally refer to it that way to avoid any potential duck/duct disagreement. :)
I love when RUclips creators make cameo appearances in comment sections.
@@P_RO_ 👋😁👍 cheers to you, here, too!
You even mentioned Gaffer’s tape at the end. I used it to tape electrical cords to the floor in a convention center. You’re correct that it does’nt leave residue behind, but heaven help you if it sticks to itself! It has to be cut away because it’s stuck REALLY good.
Unlike duck/duct tape, gaffer's tape is also matte, so it won't glare under stage lighting.
In Oz we call it Gaffer (no apostrophe "S") tape.
Or more usually just "Gaff".
As in "Chuck me a roll of gaff".
I remember in the early 80’s in the UK going to get gaffer tape from a specialist music shop, again used to tape down electrical cords.
Also if you have it stick on something for a couple years or longer, it will leave residue behind
@@DrTheRich That's why they make WD-40!
I was patiently waiting for "100 mile-per-hour" tape... I grew up working in our family's equipment rental business and my father always referred to duct tape as 100 MPH tape. When I asked why it was called 100 MPH tape, he explained that as an airplane mechanic serving on the aircraft carrier USS Bennington, he used the tape to seal holes and imperfections in the airplanes he serviced and repaired. Thanks for another great video, THG!
I was in Air Defense Artillery in the U.S. Army in the early '80's. I worked with Hawk missiles and the awesome Nike Hercules missile. We called it 'hundred-mile-an-hour' tape, but mostly 'Missile Tape'. The report from the firing units was that they repaired the Nike missiles with the tape. I guess it only had to work once. 🙂
It's used heavily in racing as well - not the origin of the term 'hundred mile an hour tape', but certainly an extension of it. We used it to make impromptu body repairs, mount/secure various electrical apparatus, make grips for levers and tools, and so on.
There is also the modern 'speed tape' that is duck tape certified up to the speed of sound.... commonly used to repair airliners travelling at forty thousand feet.....
For about twenty years the standard stocking-stuffer from my brother in law was a six-pack of "Duck" tape. A years supply. I used it mainly to seal seams on the cheap plastic tarps we used for the garage awning.
The great Red Green once turned a Cadillac sedan into a backhoe using "The handyman's secret weapon: duct tape." The man could perform miracles with duct tape and K-cars. Duct tape holds the Universe together. Einstein said as much in an unpublished paper "The Two Secrets Of The Universe: Duct Tape and WD-40." In it, he explains that Dark Duct Tape is what gravity actually is, and that the inflation of the Universe is lubricated with WD-40. Fascinating reading.
Canadian Navy sailors called the green stuff 'gun tape' back in the 1980s. I don't know what the kids today call it, but it's 'gun tape' to me.
Ha ha. Einstein and WD-40 !!! Yes sure, unpublished still.@@billmcdonald4335
@billmcdonald4335 In the US Army in the 1980's, we still called it 100 Mile an Hour Tape.
WD40 was developed as a water displacement formula for mechanics working on wet engines and it really isn't very good as a lubricant except temporarily.
@goodun2974 Actually, WD40 was developed to coat Atlas missles to keep water off them. "WD" stands for "Water Displacement".
As a mechanic, i was a team with another guy, and often, we had no time to do proper repairs. Emergency repairs had to do on the fleet of trucks the two of us had to keep on the street. Duc tape was the go to for so many quick repairs. He called it the bailing wire of the future. Never could argue with him on that.
I worked at Permacel Industrial Tape (Johnson & Johnson) and use to work on the coaters that applied the glue on Duct Tape backing. I eventually ran a slitting machine which cut the 60" wide material down to the 2" by 60 yd. roll you would find in store. We actually made 2 versions of the tape, one with latex adhesive and the other with a solvent based adhesive. Eventually the latex version was dropped. Permacel claims a number of firsts: first masking tape, first filament reinforced tape and patents, first polypropylene tape, first PTFE thread sealant tape, first colored and waterproof cloth tape, and first aluminum foil tape. The building were I worked was in North Brunswick, NJ on U.S. Route 1. It was eventually bought by Nitto Denko from Japan. They shut down the North Brunswick facility in 2004.
Thank you for telling this story. You taught me a few new things today.
Excellent video. My dad was a sheet metal worker and even in the late 1950s we always had rolls of "duct" tape at home and one in every car. I remember in the 1970s friends showing me a "new" kind of miracle tape; I was unimpressed as I thought everyone had a roll in their garage. Today I volunteer at a community theatre and I can assure you there is gaffer's tape on pretty much any live theatre set you've ever seen; from the local high school production to Broadway or London's West End. Thank you again for another great history lesson.
I kept several yards of it in my go bag for military Critical Care Air Transport missions and deployments. It literally helped save lives.
WOW! 😲 So happy you knew how to use it so it would save lives!
Same with me, I was in the U.S.A.F. in an Air Rescue unit and we had it on board during rescues and Medivacs.
@@royskuderin2386 That, bungee cord and carabiners too.
I also kept extra bricks of propofol (diprovan) and vecuronium (Norcuron) in my bag sealed in zip lock bags because I flew many hops across the pond and my med bag didn't have enough of those.
That aint nothing son, back in the day when I was in the Navy we used to repair holes in aircraft carriers with US Navy spec duck tape. Heck I even patched up a nuclear reactor with it once. They don't sell that stuff to civilians though.
@@silentvoiceinthedark5665 It would have been a boon to WWII troops.
Gorilla brand is the highest quality duck tape I have seen or used. Great stuff!The adhesive is great and the tape is strong and uniform. They have interesting camo patterns too.
My son was an helicopter mechanic in the Kosovo conflict and he used a lot of duct tape there too. As an architect/engineer I always assumed it was developed as an HVAC product. I used to tape up ductwork on work sites. I always thought “duck tape” was a corruption of language.
Air ducts are best sealed with aluminum foil tape which is specifically designed for duct work. There's even a waterproof formulation with special adhesive that will stick to wet surfaces.
That plus it's like light beer is trade marked so everyone else uses lite for their beer. Light-lite , duct- duck
It would be difficult for me to count the number of times I've heard people correct someone for saying "duck tape", telling them, "It's 'duct' tape." Then there was me, a child of a Vietnam helicopter mechanic, "It's both, and neither."
@StringerNews1 , well, technically it's probably more accurate to say that nowadays the foil tape is often used to seal *fiberglass insulation" that is wrapped around the ducts, but when I was doing telecom work in the 90's, the seams in the ductwork in older commercial buildings (I worked for lots of big insurance comlanies) were indeed often sealed with aluminum tape.. My own house, built in the 1980s, has fiberglass ducts (ugh), with foil taped seams, and the only galvanized metal involved is in the strapping that supports them and the mechanical damper valves.
@StringerNews1 , by the way, aluminum foil tape works pretty well for shielding the inside cavities of electric guitars to reduce hum, buzz and radio-station pickup. Much much cheaper than copper foil tape, and works almost as well, but not as soft as copper and you can't solder to it, so its trickier to work with....but the results are fantastic if done right.
Enjoyable! I had forgotten about 100 MPH Tape. I worked in a railroad freight claims office (retired in 2012). If something happened that damaged freight shipped on the railroad, our office would hear about such with a monetary claim for damages. I recall an issue involving water damage to a load shipped in a trailer. The load was shipped by rail to the Chicago area. The trailer (known as a piggyback) was shipped on a flatcar. Once at Chicago it was lifted off of the railcar and hauled over the road to its eventual destination by a drayman (an independent trucker). When I received the damage claim for wet product from the claimant, I noticed that the actual trailer hauling that load (now empty as it had been unloaded) was still in the Chicago area. A ramp manager was notified and he inspected the trailer. He advised that looking at the trailer from the ground, no damage was apparent. But but once the trailer was moved where it could be inspected from above, there was major damage to the roof. The drayman apparently went under a "low clearance bridge" which damaged the trailer roof. That drayman apparently went to a truck stop and purchased "100 MPH Tape" (Photos showed that very name imprinted on the tape itself) and attempted to make roof repairs himself which apparently were inadequate. Apparently it rained once the trailer was dropped off for unloading. The manager was livid. He said no railroad owned facility uses 100 MPH Tape!
While serving in the US Navy I heard it also called EB Green tape for "Electric Boat" on the east coast along with 100 mile/hour tape and we used it a lot. Glad you gave world famous Canadian "handy man" Red Green a shout out, I think he did more for the duct tape industry then any single person.
The nuclear Navy uses EB red nuclear rated tape extensively for radiological work, sealing up potential sources of contamination. (And all kinds of other uses of course)
Outstanding lesson today Histroy Guy. The lesson said there was enough used to wrap around the world 12 times. Dont know how much I was able t contribute to the distance. However I had a hand in it.
Having used "duck, duct, etc" tape to put temporary repairs to everything from hoses on 5 ton trucks to broken eyeglasses, this miracle mastic is deserving of its place in history.
"Gaffer Tape" is also endemic in rock and roll and the Music Industry more generally, theatres, bars, confrence venues, etc. Thanks for at least mentioning it!
My father grew up on a farm in Nebraska. He often told us they fixed the equipment( tractor, etc) using juice concentrate cans, bailing wire, and duck tape. If those didn't work they would have to replace the item.
Baling wire. And back then, friction tape.
I commented above about fixing my fathers combine with duct tape and crazy glue . I was the only one small enough to get inside where the problem was lol🤗❤️🐝
@@The_DuMont_Network Was it "Monkey-Grip"-brand, in a red & yellow box, by any chance? It was called friction-tape, as you've stated. Black, rough, sticky as fresh-asphalt! My-Aunt used to put it on cracked wooden shovel handles, or even a "cushion" on hammer handles! One thing for sure, you weren't gonna lose your grip on it! (Maybe a layer of your own hide though, until it finally got dirty & less-sticky?) LOL!
You just can’t hardly go wrong with duck tape! Even when you make video! It just goes to show, you can do anything with duck tape. 😅 Great episode!!! ❤
If the title sounds boring, it's going to be good!
I'm a big fan of your channel and videos because you have this knack for taking seemingly mundane topics and turning them into something incredibly captivating. Your content is my top choice for edutainment, and it consistently offers a treasure trove of videos that I can readily share with both my friends and family. Your ability to make the ordinary fascinating is truly commendable. Your videos are like a short and sweet version of "Modern Marvels". (I miss that show) Keep up the fantastic work, and know that your channel is a standout in the world of online edutainment. I look forward to seeing what exciting topics you'll explore next, keeping us all engaged, educated and entertained.
100%
Modern Marvels is The Law. How It's Made was great, too. I always said I'd like to see a How It's Made series about how they designed the machines that made the stuff in How It's Made. They'd show something like Twinkies, or toothpicks, anything that was made on an assembly line, and I'd think "These should be hour-long episodes, where half of it is the Twinkies, and the other half is how they made the machines that make the Twinkies." I get into that kind of meta stuff.
Thanks for a well-researched video. The standard name in the UK is gaffer tape, whether in a film studio or elsewhere. No music band, for instance, goes to a gig without a couple of rolls of it.
Used gaffer tape is known as 'stage turd', and 'cleaning up the stage turd' is often a job given to young interns and disposable employees.....
Great episode! We used a lot of the 100 mph tape in the Marine Corps in the late 70s and early 80s, and certainly before and after my time of service. It truly was an indispensable solution for many problems.
I grew up in the military overseas. We called it 1000 a mile tape for some reason. It was used for everything.
Lol. Guess we called it 100 mile a hour tape.
When I think of duct tape, I think of the Red Green show on PBS.
It was made by CBC. I guess it was on PBS in the US.
We have a vacuum system used to provide suction during surgeries. During one of the repair incidents, the piping broke. This was special piping that was not going to be easy to find during the off hours we had available to effect a repair. I ended up creating a replacement hose/pipe out of duct tape. This "repair job" is still in place, over eight years later, with only minor patching required. We actually had the machine serviced, and the repair guy didn't see the need to replace the tape with a real pipe. I know this because I used a very obnoxious shade of bright orange tape, and it's still there.
"From space exploration to kidnapping."
It was often called HP tape in the Navy. The HP meaning that it could withstand high pressure. I probably used dozens of rolls at my prototype while building radiological and asbestos containment glove bags. After a containment was made you had to verify it would maintain negative pressure before it could be used. Sure enough, HP tape stands up to high pressures. We also used HP tape to seal our pockets, sleeves and the tops of our boots while working with liquid nitrogen freeze seals. The liquid nitrogen could give you really gnarly freeze burns if it spilled and got into an enclosed area like a pocket or boots. It was so cold you wouldn't feel it and if it was enclosed in your clothing it would give you a terrible burn before it all evaporated. One of my shipmates lost a big chunk of flesh on his hip due to liquid nitrogen getting in his pocket.
if you can't fix it with duct tape, it probably didn't work right in the first place.
This is my favorite duck tape quote.
yup
👏👏 👍
If it moves and it shouldn't, use duck tape.
If it doesn't move and it should, use WD40
Should it move? WD40.
If it shouldn’t then Duct Tape.
There is one king among all duck/duct tapes, and that is EB Green. This stuff is amazing, lasts absolutely forever, and is essentially unavailable outside. It sticks wet, dry, dusty, frozen, and handles heat and UV like it's nothing. I have had ten year old rolls that worked as well as brand new.
The very fact the TV series _Mythbusters_ proved the amazing ability of duct tape is create all kinds of objects shows how useful this item has become.
I believe Mythbusters have two different shows about du t tape. The sailboat they sail in the bay is my favorite.
Ironically, Adam Savage had a RUclips video a few months back where he admits that he hates duct tape. (He prefers gaffers' tape.)
@@such_a_dorkgaff tape is usually better for anything not involving water
Most Canoe Polo Kayaks after a few seasons have plenty of duct-tape holding or reinforcing things, keeping water out etc..
@@such_a_dork "Gaffer's tape is like if duct tape went to college and actually learned how to do its job" One of my favorite Adam Savage quotes.
My father (born in 1918) loved the stuff and used it to seal up boxes to ship to us...
BUT my first personal experiences of it was as rolls of GAFFER'S Tape... Used to secure lighting and microphone wires to the floors of stages, anchor mats and carpets so they wouldn't be tripped over backstage.
This one was fun. Thanks.
The "super six" is something we all need in our house, screwdriver, hammer, plyers, wrench, WD-40 & Duct tape :) Most everyday problems can be fixed with these tools. I love the expression that goes "if it wont move and it should-WD-40 & if it does move and shouldn't then Duct tape"
Since common "duct tape" is not sticky nor strong enough to be used on actual ducts, there exists actual duct tape made with a thin aluminum sheet and very sticky adhesive, actually used on ducts. Add that to your kit-
Another fun fact, at the racetrack duct tape is often called "200 mph tape". It comes from an old running joke that it should hold til 200 mph, but after that your mileage may vary.
Your description of Scotch Tape is spot on, the same story I heard when I went to 3M in MN. Wonderful story.
We with a Scottish background are proud of our "frugality".
Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing.
When I served in the Navy, we had a type of "duck" tape called "HP tape" -- short for high-pressure tape. It's used for emergency repairs on water pipes for small leaks.
In the video, at 15:57 in the lower right corner, there is an item in a familiar tan package marked "GRAPEVJELLY" -- it's from a MRE packet. :P
The Red-Green Show had the best duck tape episodes ever. Hey, there's my AMMO symbol at 7:49. We used that stuff for everything. About 20 years ago a local high school couple made their prom suit and formal from duck tape....
Thanks, as always your story and the telling is fantastic. STICK to it and STRETCH them tight, avoiding TACKY content that ROLLS down the ratings ... 🤠
Thank you!
Thank you!
I’m sure red green would appreciate your plug of his show. I grew up in Indiana, and I lived in Indiana for 25 years. I did not just age. I really grew up. But I live in New York, and in Pennsylvania, son of a farmer, and the engineer and the builder…. So I had early experience with duck tape and duck fabric. Thank you so much for reminding me of my youth and the better part of my life. Just for the record I reached 75 years last May. Since I now use a wheelchair and have use crutches duck tape as many old friend and companion all these years.
Upon entering the submarine service in 1960 I became acquainted with a heavy green cloth tape referred to as EB Green after the Electric Boat Company, the prominent submarine builder of Groton CT. It was widely used and was noted for its durability and ease of application. Apocryphal stories of it being used to patch holes in submarine hulls were common -- supposedly jt had been used for patches that held up at "test depth", the depth for which a submarine was designed to go.
I was hoping you would mention the Red Green show and was glad you finally did. I don't think there was any episode of the show that didn't involve duck tape. If you want to seal up hvac ducts, there is an aluminum tape that you can get, it is aluminum with adhesive applied to one side with paper that you peel off to apply the tape.
When I was a kid in the 70s I used to use masking tape for arts, crafts, my experiments with batteries, motors and light bulbs. As I grew older I started to use duck tape to repair things around the home. My parents were impressed. Finally I got a caulk gun with a variety of tubes from silicone to repair my aquarium to older kid arts and crafts.
I was flying from Chicago to Kansas City on American Airlines some years ago. After we boarded the captain announced that there was a problem with the aircraft as the rear door was not sealing properly. He stated that mechanics would be coming on board to diagnosis the problem in hopes of fixing it. A short time later a couple of mechanics came on board to look at the problem. They left and came back shortly with the necessary parts to fix the seal. Yep! they duct taped the door and away we went!
It was probably "speed tape" but to someone who didn't know the difference, it was probably a little alarming. 😂
LOL...back in the 1980's there was a show called MacGyver where the star of the show would frequently use duct tape to fix things. In our family, we call duct tape MacGyver tape to this day. Thanks for the history of this fantastic tape.
Angus Macgyver could save the day with any assortment of materials and Duct tape and a Swiss army knife.
I didn't know his first name before you mentioned this!
@@simonabunkerThere is a reason why he went by Macgyver and now you know.
My uncle was a show runner for that TV show. He told me for every episode they were tasked to demonstrate two "MacGyver-isms" in the script. So they would send interns out to scour the minds of scientists and engineers to come up with plausible uses for duck tape, Swiss army knives, chewing gum (and wrappers) and paper clips!
Yay! I was hoping you'd mention Red Green and "The Handyman's Secret Weapon - Duct Tape!" 🤣
With the handy man’s secret weapon, if the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Definition of poor workmanship: "Wrinkles in your duct tape".
"Now remember: These repairs are only temporary. Unless it works."
-- Red Green
Minor correction from someone who worked 20+ years in the Industrial Textile industry.
The machine or 'long' direction of a fabric is called the "warp", not "wrap". Difficult to catch typos when the misplaced letters spell an appropriately usable word.
Love your videos!!! Please keep them coming!
Duct tape! The handyman's friend! If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." - Red Green
What's incredible is we've lived through a loss of history, in a generation. How we lament that we don't know when that item was named or lost in the 15th century etc, yet in living memory we've lost the reasons and histories of a product that's everywhere.
I remember calling it duck tape and my husband laughing at me. He said, it's "duct" tape. He passed on a couple of years ago, so I wish I could show him this video. lol
Great video sir! Being a history buff like yourself, I love finding out things I thought I knew. After spending 14 years in the Army I knew "that" aspect of the tape, but NOT all the other stuff...so I learned something new today....thank you. I keep at least 1 or 2 rolls on hand at ALL times, ya never know when you need to "fix" something and it always pulls through!
Thank you for mentioning the Red Green Show. My wife and I still occasionally mention the handyman's secret weapon, duct tape. I fact the PBS station brought Steve Smith down to Houston for a fundraising because the show was so popular there. 3M donated cases of duct tape to the show, which Steve Smith autographed as prizes. I still have one. Bet that's a use for it that you don't hear very often.
I'm sharing this episode of THG with my 3 adult sons that have associated my DIY tasks around our home with duct tape..." The handyman's secrete weapon" . It's an "I told you so moment" for this Dad. Thank You History Guy 😉
Always had a roll of duck tape in the boot of the car as a teenager.
Now in my 60s, there’s still a roll kept handy.
Excellent history lesson, thank you for sharing.
What fun episode! Especially useful when encountering the DUCT-DUCK argument and having the "you're both right, but both wrong" response. Also educating is the meme showing a commercial airliner wing covered in this tape with the passenger looking out aghast. Who knew that's not only practical as a temporary fix but that it's been being done on airliners for decades. It thought it shocking that it holds at 400+ knots at 30,000 feet, but I guess if it works on a helicopter rotor in war time... Thanks for the incredible education on such a fascinating topic!
A roll of duct tape walks into a bar. Bartender, polishing up a glass, asks politely: “What can I get you?”
The duct tape looks around, thinks for a moment and says, “I think I’ll just stick to my usual.”
A roll of friction tape sitting at a bar is approached by a woman, the tape said no thanks, I'll stick to myself.
@@Allangulon, no, that would be *self-amalgamating tape*; a stretchy rubber tape that literally fuses to itself. Great for weatherproofing electrical and electronic connectors on cars and boats.
@@goodun2974
I am referring to black tar tape often used on handlebars to hold grips in place.
@@Allangulon , I am quite familiar with friction tape ( some people used to stupidly use it in place of electrical tape back in the day). The most unusual use for it I've ever heard was from an old fisherman who told me that they used to catch bluefish by handline, wearing leather gloves wrapped with friction tape on the glove fingers to make it easier to prevent the line running through their fingers,, and patching the gloves when they developed tears or rips. (Most people use electrical tape wrong anyway, it's not really supposed to insulate connections, it's only to tape the wire to a string or rope so that you can pull it through a pipe.)
@@goodun2974
The fact remains it was developed to adhere well to itself but poorly to surfaces unless pressure was applied.
And electrical tape is for bundling wiring into a harness.
Thanks for this episode! It answered so many questions. I'd always thought that this tape got the 100 mph moniker from NASCAR for quick repairs.
My step sons girl friends made her prom dress completely from duck tape.
I just bought another roll of the stuff, the old roll only lasted 3 years, what a rip!
You can fix most household problems with duct tape, a hammer, and a screwdriver. Amazing.
In my family, every car owner keeps a roll of 3M duct tape in their vehicle, along with a small shovel, and an emergency kit.
At my sister's wedding , the men wore light grey tuxedos. The big day, my brother discovered that some sweet soul had put a cigarette burn thru his vest. Dad ran out to the car and brought in the 3M duct tape. Invisible mend!🎉
My basic rule of thumb in emergency auto repair: if you can't duct tape it, ziptie it.
Actually, the tape I use most these days is painter's blue tape or green "frog" tape; for instance, it's excellent for use in gluing together irregularly shaped things that cant be easily clamped. It's great to have tape that can sit on something for days or a week and still be removable, unlike old-fashioned asking tape. The gummy adhesive left behind or the dried adhesive left behind from duct tape can be a real problem to remove weeks or months later. In particular the woodworking and guitar repair communities have found lots of uses for frog tape; check out Ted Woodford's guitar repair channel on RUclips.
My favourite tape of choice for packaging things for shipping as its strong and doesn't need tools to cut. Plus unlike regular tape it doesn't peel off as easily.
What I really like about this channel is we get to see how everything really is connected.
Bought a brand new Ford Fiesta 12 years ago and one of the weak points that I was able to research before buying was that the gas inlet cover could easily detach from the plastic hinge inside. Right after I took home the new car one of the first things I did was to put duct tape on the inner side of the cover to reinforce the connection to the hinge. Twelve years later and I have replaced a lot of parts in that car but that piece of duct tape is still stuck on that cover.
This was a fascinating subject! You never know what you end up learning on this channel! Thanks for sharing this video!
I found a great role of Duck Tape. I has little retro looking campers on it as well as flamingos. It has the 1950’s camping vibe going on! It’s great!!
Back when i flew helicopters in the US Army we were authorized to use duct tape to tape up loose rivets on our helicopters in a field-expediant situation when we couldn't get back to maintenance facilities to replace them.
I was waiting for a Red Green Show shout out! Thanks for mentioning it! If anyone hasnt checked out The Red Green Show, I highly recommend it. In particular the Handyman Corner segments for some Duct Tape related shenanigans.
As a card carrying member of The Possum Lodge I approve of this video.
I'm a man, but I can change. If I have to. I guess.
It's not smart or correct, but it's one of the things that make us what we are.
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
For the first time ever, I bought a roll of duct tape last week to work on the lighting rig for my band's upcoming Halloween show and now this video...... . Serendipity my friend. Thanks History Guy! - Little Bobby
Good morning from Ft Worth TX History Guy and everyone watching.
Good morning Sailor man. Interesting that doek used to be used for ships sails. What would eventually become duct tape.
cotton duck in different ounces is what is used by artists to this day. generally use 10 and 12 ounces, stapled to wood stretchers, then gesso'ed before painting.
I love the mention of gaffer tape. Doek Tape (I'll call it that from now on) leaves terrible stains on cables and equipment. Gaffer tape bonds less well, but doesn't make a mess of your stuff. Don't confuse the two!
Fun Fact: Gaffer Tape is also called Gaffa Tape.
Gaffa is a brand name. 'Gaffer' tape is so called because the lead electrician on a movie shoot is called the 'gaffer', and the tape is used a lot to tape down electric wires.....
The residue of duct tape on cables can be wiped off with….. WD40. 😅
@@Rainyman63 Didn't know that, who'd have thought!
Fun fact according to Richard Feynman one of the original test for the nuclear bomb the spherical implosion type was held together with like 60% ducktape and literally completely covered in it
Wow, I learned a lot about this adhesive and it’s history. Great investigative work! ❤
I've hit the pause just to say a quick thankyou HG, because for over 40 years I've been wondering what 3M stood for. Now I know.
Thanks history guy. This was a really informative video on a very sticky subject. The only thing I would add is the following.
If it moves and it's not supposed to, use duct tape on it. If it doesn't move and it is supposed to, use WD-40 on it
I would have never guessed duck tape would be so interesting… what a history lesson!
THG finished editing this and said to himself "that's a wrap"! 😉 (it's a shame it wasnt recorded on older technology or he would have finished up by "rolling the tape! 😁).
“Duct tape, good for anything but ducts”
- Mike Holmes
I'm raising my son with duck tape. We build all kind of stuff with it. Today he told me: Dad we are out of duck tape 🙂
Thanks for this wonderful history of our favorite play tool.
My father was a fighter pilot in the USAF during WWII. Korea. Cambodia. Viet Nam. He called it 500 mile per hour tape. He'd land covered in bullet holes and they slap some tape on, re-ordinace and then take off again.