Keeping it all together...

   I first learned about it almost 45 years ago. Since then it has become a mainstay of my tool box and work bench. There probably has never been anything invented that has had such an impact upon the lives of millions of people. Yes! You guessed it.. duct tape!

   My first encounter with duct tape was the summer of 1965. It was a summer job and I was working at a local mechanical services shop that installed air conditioning and duct work. Imagine that. At one point in its history, duct tape was used to seal the seams of heating and cooling duct work. After inserting one end of the duct work into another, it was screwed together and then wrapped with duct tape to prevent cool air from escaping at the seems.

   Over the years, like many others, I found numerous other uses for duct tape.

   For example, I have used it to secure a piece of trim that had come loose on the driver side door of my car.

   Recently I noticed the owner of a car parked next to me in a local parking lot was using duct tape to keep the passenger side door closed. Not sure how smart that is! But it worked.

   Many use duct tape to secure a broken pane of glass until it can be replace. It may be so effective that the class never gets fixed.

    Often an extra pair of hands can come in handy to help temporarily hold something in place. No vice or clamps available, a piece of duct tape comes in very “handy”.

    I know there have been people who have made dresses and other clothing from duct tape. Prom dresses seem to be popular. I actually find that to be a bit tacky, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I will admit, on occasion, I have used a small piece of duct tape hold a pant cuff in place until it can be restitched, but an entire pair of pants?

   Now sometimes I think duct tape gets a bad wrap. As useful and helpful as it can be, it has also been used in many practical jokes, like taping the teacher's desk drawer shut or wrapping a co-worker's mid morning snack in enough duct tape so that they will never be able to open it.

   A trip to the local auction revealed its role in keeping well used, well worn tools together in hopes that someone will purchase them. But duct tape used to keep a wheel from falling off a lawn mower? I'm not sure about that one.

   While there are many funny and humorous uses of duct tape, there have been some serious tragedies too. Adults have been know to duct tape a child to a chair or tape a child’s hands behind their back for hours and hours causing injury and maybe even death.     I don't believe that was the intention of the inventor, but there is an evil side to society and unfortunately things will get used in ways they are not intended. (Wasn't there a social worker who duct taped a foster child to a chair a few years ago? )

   Duct tape is a member of the 'tape' family, others being scotch, masking and electrical.        One of factors they makes duct tape so useful is it's strength. Ever try to tear a piece off the roll and not use your teeth or scissors to assist? And sometimes there will be that last remaining strand of string that runs along the edge.....If you have ever had this happen to you, you know what I am talking about.

   I hope that's not a piece of duct tape wrapped around the wing if the airplane I am about to board. I know the tape is strong, but...My mistake. The maintenance person is using it to keep his pant legs from flapping in the breeze. That's a relief.

   Often I will take a piece of duct tape and as I remove nuts and screws from a piece of furniture, I will stick them to the tape so I won't lose them. I am sure no one else has ever though of doing that. Now if I can just remember where I put that little strip of tape so I can put this table back together.

   The best use of duct tape however, may have been discovered by Maine's previous Governor. Admitting that he often has a problem keeping his mouth shut,  told his staff that he now had a role of duct tape in his desk drawer and “ until election day, when he want to say something off color,  he was going to tape his mouth shut.” I am not sure there was enough tape this side of the Mississippi River for that.