Duct tape
[4] For instance, in 1902, steel cables supporting the Manhattan Bridge were first covered in linseed oil then wrapped in duck tape before being laid in place.
[7] In 1942, Gimbel's department store offered venetian blinds that were held together with vertical strips of duck tape.
Their new unnamed product was made of thin cotton duck coated in waterproof polyethylene (plastic) with a layer of rubber-based gray adhesive (branded as "Polycoat") bonded to one side.
[8][15][16][17][18][19] It was easy to apply and remove and was soon adapted to repair military equipment quickly, including vehicles and weapons.
By 1960, a St. Louis, Missouri, HVAC company, Albert Arno, Inc., trademarked the name "Ductape" for their "flame-resistant" duct tape, capable of holding together at 350–400 °F (177–204 °C).
This mass of communication combined with colorful, convenient packaging helped Duck Tape become popular.
[32] In 2004, 3M released a semi-transparent duct tape, with a clear polyethylene film and white fiberglass mesh.
[33] Modern duct tape is made variously from cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon or fiberglass mesh fabric to provide strength.
The fabric, a very thin gauze called "scrim", is laminated to a backing of low-density polyethylene (LDPE).
Common duct tape carries no safety certifications such as UL or Proposition 65, which means the tape may burn violently, producing toxic smoke; it may cause ingestion and contact toxicity, it can have irregular mechanical strength, and its adhesive may have low life expectancy.
It sticks.According to NASA engineer Jerry Woodfill duct tape had been stowed on board every mission since early in the Gemini program.
One such usage occurred in 1970 when Woodfill was working in Mission Control, when the square carbon dioxide filters from Apollo 13's failed command module had to be modified to fit round receptacles in the lunar module, which was being used as a lifeboat after an explosion en route to the Moon.
Ed Smylie, who designed the scrubber modification in just two days, said later that he knew the problem was solvable when it was confirmed that duct tape was on the spacecraft: "I felt like we were home free," he said in 2005.
The sitcom The Red Green Show's title character often used duct tape (which he dubbed "the handyman's secret weapon") as both a shortcut to proper fastening as well as for unconventional uses.
Since 2000, series star Steve Smith (as "Red Green") has been the "Ambassador of Scotch Duct Tape" for 3M.
[58] The Discovery Channel series MythBusters featured duct tape in a number of myths that involve non-traditional uses.
Confirmed myths include suspending a car for a period of time, building a functional cannon, a two-person sailboat, a two-person canoe (with duct tape paddles), a two-person raft, Roman sandals, a chess set, a leak proof water canister, rope, a hammock that can support the weight of an adult male, holding a car in place, a bridge that spanned the width of a dry dock, and a full-scale functional trebuchet with duct tape as the only binder.
Garrison Keillor's radio show A Prairie Home Companion included comedic fictional commercials sponsored by the "American Duct Tape Council".
[60] The term duct tape alert refers to the recommendations made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on February 10, 2003, that Americans should prepare for a biological, chemical, or radiological terrorist attack by assembling a "disaster supply kit", including duct tape and plastic (presumably to attempt to seal one's home against nuclear, chemical, and biological contaminants), among other items.
[61][62][63] The recommendations followed an increase in the Department's official threat level to "orange", or "high risk", citing "recent intelligence reports".
