Gaff Tape

[WVUtubadude]

Are there any problems with buying the cheap no-name gaffers tape or should I just stick with the Permacel?

[bishopthomas]

Stick to the real thing. (no pun intended)

[DannyL]

Permacel and Nashua are both good for Gaffer's tape. But they are not very good in cold or damp conditions.

The cheap "duct tape" often leaves a residue. It is more flexible and has less tensile strength, but adheres better to damp surfaces and is better in changing temperatures.

It just depends upon your application.

I keep a couple rolls of duck tape handy, some Gaffer tape, white labeling tape in different widths, waterproof electrical tape and friction tape in my tape box. There is also some Scotch Locks and some metal clips in there.

Danny

[sonare]

The cheap stuff doesn't sound as good-- (wailing from building manager when it pulls off paint and leave residue on floor)

Rich

[WVUtubadude]

I'll just keep buying the expensive stuff. So much for saving money.

[KRStudio]

Gaff tape for audio? I thought it was just for Vise Presidents. Only the good stuff can keep Joe from gaffing.

[MichaelPatrick]

[Matti]

Originally Posted by WVUtubadude

I'll just keep buying the expensive stuff. So much for saving money.

Actually you do save money by not paying damages made by using with lesser stuff, and having someone clean your cables from the residue

Matti

[aussie_techie]

The number of times ive had nash pull of paint but ive found one cheaper brand that is often better because it does come off easily without leaving residue. Of course not being as sticky sometimes doesn't hold things as well but its about using the right tool for the job. I don't try to hold down speaker stacks with gaff (as i have seen done)
I buy it as a generic brand but its made by Stylus Tapes.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Use the good stuff just find a dealer that will sell it to you in bulk. If you go to GC they want to charge you something like $16.00 per roll but I have found good Gaffer's tape on line for less than $10.00. If you use DUCT tape it is a pain to get off the floor and leaves a residue on your microphone cables. My HVAC contractor says it is also lousy for sealing DUCTS.

Some good prices here Buy Gaffers Tape at FindTape.com

[hbphotoav]

Also good to know that any tape... good, bad, cheap, expensive... will leave residue in time, and under pressure (cables taped across aisles with lots of traffic). Most of you do one-nighters, but I often do multi-day AV setups... with lots of cables on the floor. A lot of hotels won't allow any tape whatsoever on their carpet (Gaylord properties seem especially "sticky" about this), so I have, over the past 10 years or so, built a nice stock of rubber-backed door mats... 3x5' and 4x6'... which do really nicely.

I tape several together to cover long runs/wide aisles, and they work great for drum carpets. I buy four or five new ones every year ($70-$90 worth) and figure I save at least that on $10-$12/roll gaff from Markertek. I roll same-size into bundles secured with a bungee, toss them in on top of the pack, whether in car, van, trailer or 24-footer, and am good to go. The oldest ones (12 years) are getting a bit ragged on the edges, but I have yet to toss one because it "wore out."

[huub]

Our company once bought cheap gaff tape, to save money I guess, and we discovered whilst using it on the bobsleigh worldcup, it was completely useless in cold weather.. The glue did not stick at all.. We had some fun holding the end of the tape and unwinding the rolls by throwing them away, carnaval style..

[Remoteness]

Quality gaffer's tape is clearly the only way to go.
Remember, you may want to use the stuff on a gig you're doing!

[12st]

Originally Posted by hbphotoav

Also good to know that any tape... good, bad, cheap, expensive... will leave residue in time, and under pressure (cables taped across aisles with lots of traffic). Most of you do one-nighters, but I often do multi-day AV setups... with lots of cables on the floor. A lot of hotels won't allow any tape whatsoever on their carpet (Gaylord properties seem especially "sticky" about this), so I have, over the past 10 years or so, built a nice stock of rubber-backed door mats... 3x5' and 4x6'... which do really nicely.

I tape several together to cover long runs/wide aisles, and they work great for drum carpets. I buy four or five new ones every year ($70-$90 worth) and figure I save at least that on $10-$12/roll gaff from Markertek. I roll same-size into bundles secured with a bungee, toss them in on top of the pack, whether in car, van, trailer or 24-footer, and am good to go. The oldest ones (12 years) are getting a bit ragged on the edges, but I have yet to toss one because it "wore out."

i'd love to see a pic of the carpets all packed up. i've been trying to find another solution for longer cable runs.

[hbphotoav]

Originally Posted by 12st

i'd love to see a pic of the carpets all packed up. i've been trying to find another solution for longer cable runs.

I don't have a photo... but you just put 4 or 5 of the same size on the ground, grab one short end, and roll them up as tight as you can. Lay the bungee straight out on the floor before you start; then roll the middle of the tube of carpet over the end of the cord. Grab the cord end (the hooky-thingie) and roll on until the hook end reaches the elastic. Slip the elastic through the hook, completing one circuit of elastic over the roll. Roll it backward to bring the other hook back to the first, stretching as you go, and hook them together.

Takes a bit less time to do it than to explain. You'll end up with a roll of carpets 3' or 4' tall (on end) and about 10"-12" diameter. Toss/lean/stand/pack them wherever there's room, and boom. There you go. I buy them at OfficeMax or Office Depot or Lowe's (black or gray) when they have "$20 off a $50 purchase" a couple of times a year. Currently have 6 4x6 and 16 3x5. I could use another 25' or so.

I try never to leave home without them... even if I'm recording through a house split or mixing on installed gear, on a concrete floor, a couple of them under my 50+ year-old feet make the evening much more bearable. I've also started carrying a 24" wide x 48" long folding table with adjustable legs (height) and an inexpensive rolling "task chair" (marked "This Is NOT Your Chair !!") that I bought at Sam's Club, just so I can have my own without bugging the house guy. Easy fit in the trailer or van.

One other solution that I don't like as well is the clear 24" wide plastic runner that is sold by the foot from long rolls. It gets brittle (with age, and especially in the cold) and doesn't play as nice as the rubber-backed carpet pieces. Nor is it as scalable, from a single 5' run across an aisle, to a 100' long up-the-middle main snake/multicore video run with 20 pieces of mat. Hotels don't mind if I tape my own carpets together, as long as I stay off their new floor covering with sticky.

HB

[mslim]

ex-movie guy here.... No substitute for real gaffer's tape. Former Permacel 665 now Shurtape about $15/roll unless you buy in bulk. Filmtools also shows a brand called Pro-Gaff but i personally have not used it.

[Indrestudios]

I was doing a show last week and experienced "tape peel up" first hand. We use the ProGaff brand tape. Thankfully this was in an old Philadelphia school building and not a historic church or concert hall. I pointed it out to my school contact who shrugged her shoulders & said don't worry about it.

I'm guessing the floor had 70+ years of hard wax or varnish buildup and even the best tape out there would have pulled up some of the finish. I'll have to do some brainstorming for next year as the isles aren't wide enough for cable ramps and probably too slippery for the floor mat style covers.

-Michael

[hbphotoav]

I'll reiterate:

http://www.officemax.com/catalog/sku.jsp?productId=prod1812489&history=1gyfy31i|prodPage~15^freeText~floor+mat^paramValue~true^refine~1^region~1^param~return_skus^return_skus~Y

No mar... no slip... nice. Roll a couple of them up and go.

[radioactive]

Gaffers Tape is like the force - it has a light side and a dark side, and binds together everything in the universe.

rad.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

We use only the best quality gaffers tape but sometimes even the best leaves a residue. We have a can of Rubber Cement Thinner that seems to remove the residue without harming the floors or carpeting. I also understand there is now a commercial product that removes sticky tape residue but the only listing I could find was for WD-40. Anyone tried that? It would seem to me that it would leave an oily residue but I guess that is better than sticky residue. One time in an old church we actually pulled up some asphalt floor tile with the good gaffers tape and had to re-stick the tile down before the church would let us leave. I think we were not the first ones to do this as I saw quite a few loose tiles.

[Remoteness]

We use WD-40 for that sort of thing with good results.
If applicable, we usually use another cleaner to remove the WD-40 residue.

[chris319]

You could try citrus solvent or lighter fluid. If they don't work on gaffer's tape, citrus solvent is a good contact cleaner and lighter fluid dissolves chewing gum.

[NorseHorse]

If you want to test out different brands:

FindTape GAFF-TEST-PACK Gaffers Tape Challenge Pack at FindTape.com

[therealbigd]

In the live world we generally have both premium and budget gaffa tapes on a job. It depends what you're using it for, how long it's going to be there, etc.

On an outdoor stage we marked arrows, edges etc with white 'ADVANCE' (brand) gaffa and it spent 3 weeks getting rained on, hailed on, stood on, flightcases rolled over, scratched... and it didn't peel one bit. I don't think the cheap stuff could have done that.

But then, for musicians pinning set lists to the monitor, it doesn't need to last 3 weeks, just half an hour. So budget is fine. But in that situation, I usually recommend masking tape. It leaves nothing and takes nothing with it.

[RichS]

3M's blue painter's tape will work well in a pinch. Easy to find, available up to 3 inch width, and won't leave any marks or pull up paint.

[boojum]

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe

My HVAC contractor says it is also lousy for sealing DUCTS.

Well, that is just fine, but what am I supposed to use for sealing DUCKS now???

[therealbigd]

Oh as for removing, it's what GORILLA WIPES are made for!

[TheTapeworks]

Gaffers tape has a synthetic adhesive and won't leave behind residue like duct tape. Shurtape and Pro Gaff are your best bet.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Or wait until this place gets some in. :: HGR Industrial Surplus - We Buy & Sell Everything! :: We bought a box of 3" gaffers tape for $15.00. They also get in regular gaffers tape on a more of less regular basis. (every couple of months) Most times it is gone in one day but the price is amazing.

[Maygen]

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe

Or wait until this place gets some in. :: HGR Industrial Surplus - We Buy & Sell Everything! :: We bought a box of 3" gaffers tape for $15.00. They also get in regular gaffers tape on a more of less regular basis. (every couple of months) Most times it is gone in one day but the price is amazing.

HGR Industrial Surplus as a whole, appreciates all the nice comments made by fellow users. Feel free to visit our website or stop in and visit our showroom anytime, we have something for everyone.