American Bushman

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing." —Benjamin Franklin

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Carrying your Tape

I recently read a clever idea on the Internet for carrying a length of duct tape or, in my case, Gorilla Tape.

In the past I've wrapped the tape around a golf pencil as it gives me a better grip, provides me with both a writing implement and a supply of tape, and was coming along anyway. The problem with this method arises if you use the pencil extensively--you can only sharpen up to the front edge of the tape.

Then I started wrapping it around my water bottle. This works great, provides even more tape, and the bottle doesn't get consumed like the pencil will. However, it makes it difficult to put the bottle in the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning as the heat and hot water will likely melt the adhesive on the glue and make a mess of everything.

Here's a solution I can really give a go that doesn't take up much room, doesn't rely on a piece of gear that may need a deep cleaning, and doesn't involve any consumable other than the tape itself.

Supplies:
  • Duct Tape
  • Drinking Straw
  • Paracord
  • Scissors or knife
  • Lighter


  1. Wrap the tape around the drinking straw creating a roll until you've got what you deem to be a satisfactory length.
  2. Cut the tape on an angle and fold under a small triangle at the tip to give you an easy way to lift off the tape.
  3. Cut the straw to length at the edges of the tape.
  4. Cut a length of paracord 6-10" long and thread it through the cut straw.
  5. Tie a knot in the loose ends of the paracord.
...and you're done.

The finished article should look something like this:




Thanks for reading,


B

5 Comments:

At 10:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

how do you get it straight? everytime i try to roll it it starts to overhand and turns into a big cone.

 
At 12:55 PM, Blogger American Bushman said...

When you're rolling the tape just try and keep the edges lined up. I like to lay my tape out on a flat surface going away from me and then I just roll the straw like a rolling pin up the tape.

You can also hang the tape and let gravity keep it straight. Just remember to look at the roll and the strip of tape and keep everything lined up on the edges.

B

 
At 1:33 PM, Blogger Pablo said...

This looks like a great idea. I'm going to have a go.
Cheers
Pablo.

 
At 5:26 PM, Blogger Greg said...

You are a genius. I am going to steal this idea for my own use. :)

 
At 10:17 AM, Blogger American Bushman said...

A genius? Nah.

Glad you could use the tip.

Thanks for stopping by.

B

 

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