The Duct Tape Book. Jolie Dobson

adding your last piece of tape, fold

      6over the last exposed sticky side to seal

      the final edge.

      Flip again and repeat as necessary

      5 for the length of sheet you need.

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       How to Make Duct Tape Straps

      Straps are used for belts, loops, handles and other means of securing your projects.

      Whether it’s for a knapsack, lunch bag or bike pannier, straps can be made thicker for greater rigidity. Depending on the strength required, you may need to use snaps or Velcro to fasten your straps.

      A

      1 Take a piece of duct tape the length you

      need and fold it in half horizontally. This

      will give you about a 1" strap. If you need a

      1"

      wider strap, fold the top and bottom edges

      of the tape in towards the center, leaving an

      exposed sticky strip in the middle of the tape.

      Alternate method for wider strap widths

      This is piece A.

      Take a second piece of tape (B) the same length

       2

      A

      B

      as the first and place it sticky side up. Place piece A in the center of piece B. If you made your strap

      wider than 1" and have an exposed sticky strip across the middle of piece A, place the sticky side down on piece B.

      Fold the sticky edges of piece B over piece A.

       3

      You should now have one clean, smooth side

      4on your strap, which will be the front face.

      Attach snaps or Velcro if needed, following

      5 the directions provided with them.

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       Taping Flat Surfaces

      Taping flat surfaces will be a common step in many duct tape projects. This method is also great for making large sheets. Having trouble controlling and lining up long pieces of tape for those super-sized sheets? No problem! Just tape smaller sheets of duct tape together to create a bigger one. If you accidentally cut your duct tape sheet too small, you can extend the sheet by this method too.

      1 Align sheets and tape

      along the seam.

      Flip over and repeat for

      2 the other side.

       Taping Right-Angle Flat Surfaces

      For sheets that meet at a right angle, it’s best to tape the seam when the two sheets are lying flat (see “Taping Flat Surfaces” above) then fold into a right angle.

      If this is not possible (for example the final corner of a box), tape the inside seam first, where you won’t see the tape. With the corner secured, you can then tape the outside corner, and get a cleaner result.

      1 When taping an inside right-angled seam,

      make sure you push the piece of tape as

      far into the corner as possible.

      On an outside right-angled corner, place

      2 and smooth out the piece of tape on one side of the corner first and then fold over.

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       Taping Curved Edges

      To tape curved edges you can use a series of different sizes and shapes of tape: rectangles, squares, triangles or diamonds. Different shapes and sizes make it easier to tape around a curve without getting ripples in the tape or edges that stick up.

      1 Cut out the small pieces of tape in

      a shape that works best with your

      project.

      Overlap the pieces as you tape around the curve. If the edge 2 sticks up at the fold of the tape you can cut it and stick it flat.

      Make sure to overlap your next piece of tape on top of the cut to hide it and make it secure.

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       Taping Curved Surfaces

      There are two ways to tape a curved surface with duct tape: 1 Cover the surface with overlapping

      ellipse- or almond-shaped pieces of

      tape like a beach ball. While much

      neater, this method requires more

      precise measurements. Cap the top

      and bottom where all points meet

      with a circular piece of tape.

      Apply a patchwork of tape around

      2 the curved surface. You can use

      square, rectangular, or circular pieces

      of tape. Overlap the pieces and place

      them in a way to avoid wrinkling.

      If wrinkling occurs, carefully use a

      craft knife to slice the wrinkle in the

      middle and overlap another piece of

      tape on top. While easier than the

      first method, the results do not look

      as neat.

       13

      bike

      buddy

      a riff on the old-fashioned canvas or leather saddle-bag slung in pairs over a horse, J.B. Wood’s 1884 bicycle pannier (U.S. Patent No. 299609) is used today to ferry around all manner of modern things, such as work

      clothes, courier packages, bike locks, laptops, camping gear and groceries (the term does come from the Old

      French for “bread,” after all). This smart, two-tone duct tape version is custom-fit to your bike rack, and because it’s made of the tape, it will stand up to the elements and keep your cargo dry. Sling this over your beast of burden and pedal in style.

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       What