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  • Duct tape can hold

  • just about anything together.

  • We use it for all sorts of repairs

  • and even as a decorative addition

  • to various arts and crafts.

  • But what makes duct tape so strong and versatile?

  • And is it duct tape or duck tape?

  • The tape was originally called duck tape

  • because of its water-resistant qualities.

  • It repelled water like a duck's back,

  • and it used to be made out of a cotton duck fabric

  • without any adhesive layers.

  • But cotton duck fabric doesn't actually come from ducks.

  • (squeak)

  • This is what it looks like.

  • It's a strong fabric made from cotton,

  • where the threads make a crisscross pattern.

  • Known for being a strong material, the fabric was used

  • to protect power cables and electrical conductors

  • from corrosion.

  • But the adhesive duct tape we know and love today

  • didn't appear until World War II.

  • A factory worker who was packaging ammunition

  • sealed each box with tape and wax to make them waterproof.

  • When the worker, Vesta Stout, saw soldiers struggling

  • to open the boxes, she came up with an idea

  • to seal the boxes with a strong cloth-based waterproof tape.

  • Stout wrote a letter to FDR about her solution

  • and, a few weeks later, received word

  • from the War Production Board

  • that Johnson and Johnson would be manufacturing the tape.

  • The tape became a military sensation.

  • It was durable and easy to apply and remove by hand.

  • After the war ended, duct tape turned up in hardware stores

  • ready to help Americans with household repairs, too.

  • It quickly became a useful tool for wrapping air ducts,

  • which led to its other name, duct tape.

  • Duct tape used to be kind of a one-and-done silver tape

  • that was essentially used for repairs.

  • Our adhesive is specifically formulated to stick to

  • a whole variety of different surfaces, and then basically

  • the waterproof backing on top of that then protects

  • the adhesive once it's applied to a surface.

  • Narrator: There are three main components

  • that go into making the tape.

  • Rubber for the adhesive, cloth, and backing.

  • The rubber comes from rubber trees

  • and arrives at the factory in large bales.

  • A machine mixes the raw rubber along

  • with various sticky resins until it reaches

  • the consistency of pizza dough.

  • Then, the mixture is heated to over 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Now the adhesive is ready to be added

  • to the cloth and the backing.

  • The cloth, sometimes called the scrim, lies in between

  • the sticky rubber layer and that ubiquitous silver backing.

  • It's made from cotton and is a key part of the tape.

  • The cloth is what gives the tape its tensile strength.

  • It makes it easy to hand tear and keeps the tape stuck

  • to a surface once it's laid down.

  • Finally, there's the backing.

  • The backing is made from polyethylene,

  • the same plastic material used to make bags

  • and shampoo bottles.

  • Once the backing is ready,

  • all of the materials are put together.

  • So there's basically two ways

  • that the backing can be incorporated into the tape:

  • either laminated or co-extrusion.

  • The co-extrusion basically melds together the backing,

  • the cloth, and then the adhesive.

  • So it gives you a stronger tape that won't delaminate.

  • It's gonna be really good in different weather applications.

  • Narrator: Once the layers are combined,

  • the strength of the cloth and the plastic-like nature

  • of the backing combine to give the tape the strength

  • and durability we know and love.

  • The tape comes out in one jumbo roll that weighs over a ton.

  • Each giant roll can produce over 30,000 small rolls.

  • To get it to a smaller size, the roll is sliced into strips.

  • Then, the smaller tape strips

  • are put into cores and rerolled.

  • Finally, the tapes are placed in their final packaging,

  • sent down the conveyor belt,

  • and put into boxes for shipment.

  • Since its debut, duct tape has exploded in popularity.

  • Today, we use it to make flowers, bags, wallets,

  • science projects, and various DIY crafts.

  • Unlike your masking tapes, scotch tapes, painter's tape,

  • and other single-use tapes, duct tape has a long history

  • of being used for just about anything.

  • By simply putting fabric and adhesive together,

  • Vesta Stout may have created one of the most useful

  • and strongest inventions we have today.

Duct tape can hold

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