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More (mis)uses of tape
As time goes on the author of this article continues to find creative albeit inadequate uses for the favorite strip adhesive and fix-all solution popularly called TAPE.
Please use the following ideas for entertainment purposes only. The author strongly encourages readers to not try this at home.
(mis) Use No. 5
Just as children love collecting shiny stickers, grown home owners love shiny stickers in the form of foil, duct sealing tape. When I saw this I wondered why stop there, let a flashy, reflective main sewer pipe transform from an eye sore to a basement centerpiece! However, this tape is intended for use with sealing ductwork from air leakage not plumbing pipes from water leakage. A nice aesthetic pop that will eventually be a longterm functional plop!
(mis) Use No. 6
Electrical tape has been a main fix-it staple since my childhood Fisher Price tool box. While McGyver duck tape work has gotten all the fame I think the true star of the adhesive tape family is black vinyl electrical tape. My dad was an electrician so he had a Costco supply around the house before Costco was a thing so I used this for re-wrapping baseball bat and tennis racket handles and countless other applications. For your information, this tape is intended for internal electrical application not external use!
(mis) Use No. 7
Most household maintenance accidents happen on ladders so we all appreciate and commend this application. I haven’t check the adhesive strength and capacity limits of tape but a two-hundred pound man carrying a box full of Christmas decorations may take this repair to its limit. You will notice that this is the infamous McGyver duct tape which dries out and loses its adhesion which is the biggest downfall with this tape. And in this case I mean a literal downfall. Not all ladder falls are “show-stoppers” but most are “stupid-stoppers”! I would encourage a ladder replacement so that your holiday decorating plans are not interrupted by an ill-timed medical break.
(mis) Use No. 8
Countering all the criticism rained down on duct tape there are the defensive fans who insist – “But look at everything you can do with duck tape!” It’s hard to disagree when you see floor safety sensors clinging to garage walls. In this location the sensors can serve as a kill switch in which you slam your hand to break the beam and put an emergency stop to the door if someone inadvertently walks under the closing door…. (But I think that was why they were suppose to be installed at the base of the overhead door…) You would probably not be wrong to assume that one day the tape will lose its grip and these sensors will dangle like mice by their tails.
