Duct tape!!
The humble duct tape:
Duct tape. Staple of many a tool box and indispensable aid in household repairs. But, it is so much more than that. As a former submarine sailor, I can attest to the fact that my boat, USS Sandlance (SSN660), didn’t go to sea without a supply of EB tape (the US Navy term for duct tape – allegedly the EB stems from Electric Boat, the builder of many submarines). In fact, there is an urban submarine legend that a submarine was in the shipyards and the workers covered over an opening in the pressure hull with EB tape so the hull could be painted. Of course, the paint went right over the EB taped area and everyone forgot about it. As the story goes, the sub went to sea, dove to test depth, and the taped area held. Now, this didn’t likely happen, but it illustrates the confidence submariners have in the tape!
Not that I ever participated in one of these activities, but I heard rumors of NUBs (non-useful bodies), non-qual, DINQs (delinquent in qualification) getting taped to various parts of the boat. I imagine it would look something like this!
Duct tape and The Gemstone Chronicles:
Besides keeping submarines floating and taping the occasional person to the wall, bulkhead, stanchion, or nearby handy chair, duct tape has tons of other uses. In The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian, Beebop uses a duct tape to restrain the troll Yul. Yul had been Findecano’s guardian in the fairy cross and was released when Aidan and Maggie smashed the stone to free Findecano. Yul busted through the door of Nana and Beebop’s house and Nana clonked Yul on the head with a cast iron frying pan. it was then that Beebop was able to tape the troll and keep him restrained. In keeping with the legendary stickiness of the tape, Beebop tore out lots of Yul’s arm hair when he finally freed the troll.
Other uses:
What other uses are there for this wonder repair device? Believe it or not, there are books detailing the uses (and you can make a book cover with it if you like), but here are some of my favorite ideas.
- Don’t have a lint brush? Just make a loop of duct tape (sticky side out, of course), and viola, lint remover!
- Got a nasty cut while working in the garage? Cover the cut with a clean cloth or paper towel and wrap it in duct tape. Makes a great temporary bandage until you can get some medical attention.
- How about taping a spare car key to the undercarriage of your vehicle?
- You can repair a vacuum cleaner hose by wrapping it with duct tape.
- You can repair a leaky car hose with duct tape, too, but it only a be temporary fix. It may hold long enough to get you to a mechanic.
- If you are a camper, you can repair a hole in your tent, make a rope, fashion a clothesline, or catch flying insects (think flypaper – just hang a few strips and then roll them up after catching the bugs).
- Car repairs of many other types (body work, holding windows in place, etc.), See the picture below!
There are many more uses for the tape than I can ever begin to list here. I did want to add a picture of duct tape clothing. I think some people may have way too much time on their hands!
There you have my tribute to duct tape. An amazing thing and people find new uses for it every day. Which leads me to ask, what are your favorites uses for this versatile tape? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Connect with me:
If you want to connect with me, find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, or you can simply email me at bill@williamlstuart.com! Duct tape stories happily accepted!
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