Gaffer Tape

I wanted to do a blog post about this wonderful stuff for a long time but kept forgetting so here it is before I forget again.

When I bought my Holga camera much of the information I read about it warned of potential light leaks and even extolled the virtue of these leaks as a sort of random artistic effect to be encouraged and treasured. A couple of more pragmatic authors advised the way to eliminate them (should anyone desire to do so), was to use something called gaffer tape to seal the seams, the most likely sources of light. The photo above shows how I remedied that problem using this wonderful product. Note I have also covered up the little hole with the red lens that usually shows you what exposure you’re on. I peel the tape back only when I advance the film to see when to stop. That red lens protected older films but today’s films are sensitive to red light too. That is likely the source of many light leaks on toy & vintage cameras.

According to Wikipedia, Gaffer tape “is a strong, tough, cotton cloth pressure sensitive tape with strong adhesive properties. It is used in theater, film and television productions as well as during live performances and any other kind of stage work. While related to duct tape, it differs in that it can be removed cleanly because it uses a synthetic petroleum-based adhesive rather than a natural rubber adhesive. The tape is often referred to as a production expendable because it is discarded after the production process is complete.”

“It is named for the gaffer, or Chief Lighting Technician on a film crew. When cables are taped down on a stage or other surface, either for safety or to keep them out of view of the audience or camera, they are said to be gaffed or gaffered.”

Here (above) is another problem quickly solved with gaffer tape. Getting out of my car the Nikon P-300 fell out of my pocket and hit the concrete. Everything was fine except the tiny plastic tab that locked the hinged door on the bottom of the camera broke. This spring loaded door hides and protects the battery and the SD card and the camera won’t power up unless it is closed. One small piece of gaffer tape to the rescue. Now the door stays closed and everything is right in the world again.

As the Wikipedia article says, it’s a lot like duct tape, but better. It’s heavier and the adhesive is easier to work with but lasts a long time. As you can see from the photo above of the Holga I have to partially remove the tape to open the camera every time I load or unload the film. I have put several rolls of film through the Holga and the tape is just as sticky as it ever was. It’s also pretty easy to put on and take off. I suppose eventually it will get ragged and I will have to replace it but two years and many rolls of film after I put it on the Holga it’s still there doing it’s job.

I would like to say this stuff is easy to find but it took me a while. Everyone I asked seemed to know about it but no one had any for sale. I finally bought a 50 foot roll of it (a lifetime supply for me) for $20 from the local music store. It seems musicians and “sound men” like to use it too for taping down wiring on stage.

So there it is. The best kept secret I have run across in a while. There’s something actually better than duct tape!