Clear tape

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PaperPaul
Posts:29
Joined:Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:01 pm
Clear tape

Post by PaperPaul » Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:04 pm

I'm looking for a quality clear tape that doesn't bubble, doesn't leave lines when you pull it from the dispenser and it also needs to be super clear. I would like to use this for projects where I need to tape transparent/acrylic pieces together.

Any tips maybe or brands to recommend?
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Jolle
Posts:5
Joined:Thu Apr 19, 2018 3:31 pm

Re: Clear tape

Post by Jolle » Thu Apr 19, 2018 3:39 pm

You'll always be noticing tape no matter how clear, clean (mind the fingerprints), thin and flat it is. Why not use acrylics glue? Something like Acrifix 192 glue should answer to your needs better that a tape I suspect.
I'm an illustrator dabbling in paper engineering. Website | Instagram

PaperPaul
Posts:29
Joined:Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:01 pm

Re: Clear tape

Post by PaperPaul » Thu Apr 19, 2018 9:32 pm

Thank you for your reply Jolle! I’m looking for quality clear tape because of a project (or should I say experiments?) where I work with acrylic sheets. The tape also functions as a hinge so I can’t replace it with glue.

Here you have an example of one of the experiments:

Image

Because acrylic s doesn’t behave like paper, I have to cut the folds and re-connect them with tape. That way the tape connection behaves the same as a paper fold.

I know that the fingerprints need some dedication to solve. But the bubbles and stripes from the roll, it makes it look more messy than necessary. I can imagine that some tape brands offer a more heavy solid and glass clear tape. I’m willing to spend some extra on that but I would like to know what brands offer the best quality.
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Jolle
Posts:5
Joined:Thu Apr 19, 2018 3:31 pm

Re: Clear tape

Post by Jolle » Fri Apr 20, 2018 12:36 am

Ah, I see what you’re up against. Interesting project/experiment!

Instead of using tape, consider piecing all the cut pieces back together onto a sheet of clear adhesive book covering foil (you know the Dutch name as Boeklon, you can get it at the HEMA or Bruna) that you spread out on a table with the adhesive side up, like a jigsaw puzzle. Then just cut around the shape with an x-acto knife.
This way you don’t see any tape edges, which would make for a cleaner looking result. The book foil is made to be clear and not bubble, there’s no stripes, and you wouldn’t need to touch the foil, so no fingerprints either :)

Ofcourse you’d get the best results if you could work with a single shape that could come from one flat piece, but in other cases (where you would need to connect multiple of these flat jigsaw shapes together) it would probably still be a less messy solution than tape.

Hope that helps!
I'm an illustrator dabbling in paper engineering. Website | Instagram

PaperPaul
Posts:29
Joined:Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:01 pm

Re: Clear tape

Post by PaperPaul » Fri Apr 20, 2018 1:35 am

Yes thats a great tip, thank you! Never thought of that. I’m going to give that a try and let you know if it helped.

I was thinking of tape because it’s easier to handle but this way, I would create my own tape. Will take some extra time but I think it’s worth it. It’s not that bad to see the edges and covering it up completely would make it extra heavy. But to use this material as a tape alternative is a great idea!
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Daniel
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Joined:Tue Apr 17, 2018 7:33 pm

Re: Clear tape

Post by Daniel » Fri Apr 20, 2018 7:11 am

The SCOTCH 600 crystal band would not it be a faster solution ?
Image

PaperPaul
Posts:29
Joined:Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:01 pm

Re: Clear tape

Post by PaperPaul » Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:11 pm

That looks like something I was looking for. I also found some crystal clear tape in a local shop but it was that “no scissors needed” tape with jagged edges for ripping. That doesn’t look nice so I think I’m giving this one a try too.

Thanks!
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