Non-gummy electrical tape

[pamela]

I want some better-than-average electrical PVC tape for general use around the house (for labelling jars and that sort of thing) which does *NOT* leave a horrible gummy residue after a few months.

Which specific product from Amazon, RadioSpares or CPC Farnell would be suitable?

The choice is amazing and going only by brand name isn't always reliable. (Some 3M clear tape I bought was low-end rubbish and nothing like their excellent 550 or 600 tape.)

I need just a few rolls of 19mm tape in white, black and maybe red.

[Malcolm Race]

look for 'self amalgamating tape' IITC only in black. when stretched itsticks to itself and 'welds' to the other layers. Used it, it is goodand afaics it wioll provide a waterproof junction with pvc cablke

Malcolm

[Chris Whelan]

[...]

Not sure how you would use it for labelling jars.

Chris

[Chris Whelan]

I've been using PVC electrical tape pretty much since it came in to common usage (yes, really!) and have never found any type that would not leave the mess you mention.

For labelling, nothing beats a proper label printer, and they are not as expensive as they once were.

Chris

[Jeff Layman]

What's wrong with masking tape? You can write on it with pencil, biro, or marker pen. I use it to label plastic food containers in the freezer. It never comes off until I pull it off. Lasts at least a year, and never leaves a residue.

[Graham.]

Remember the fabric based tape we used before PVC? I wonder how well it burned?

[tabbypurr]

wasn't the adhesive on friction tape bitumen plus solvent? The perfect fuel.

NT

[newshound]

I have sticky paper labels both on a roll and on A4 printable sheets which I use for files, parcels, letters, etc but are also fine on jars.

IME you don't usually get residue problems with any PVC tape these days. I've certainly had a few packs of the Wickes multi-colour.

[Chris Whelan]

[...]

Sadly yes.

Possibly not as well as PVC.

Chris

[pamela]

I have some PVC tape I bought many years ago which is great.

Tapes I have bought since then (possibily made in China) have been very, very much worse.

[pamela]

I want to use PVC for more than just labelling. However when I remove it I don't want it to leave tons of gummy residue.

You must have been lucky. Too many PVC tapes I have come across use some rubbishy adhesive. On the RadioSpares site you can choose between a rubber based adhesive or, less commonly, an acrylic one but is this going to get me a decent tape?

Some tapes claim to be better than average but as I'm not going to be able test them I thought I would ask.

[alan_m]

Try leaving masking tape on a window for a week or few and subject to UV and you may see how the substantial residue becomes rock hard.

[Dave W]

Also, Dymo tape comes in various colours (but only about 10mm or 6mm wide), and the label maker that embosses letters in it is cheap.

[John Rumm]

The "nice" solution would be some Brother TZ laminated tapes and a labelling machine.

[Tim Lamb]

The small strip retaining the battery cover on my mobile phone has morphed into a sticky mess. However, it does live in my hip pocket:-)

A sideways question of some current interest to me.... what is the surface coating on aluminium faced PIR insulation? The foil tape supplied for the job works well but my collection of *duct* tapes won't stick at all!

I have tried various solvents and found cellulose thinners acceptable (no meths to hand). The job is temporarily assembling insulation offcuts so they can be cut to size on the bandsaw.

>

[Bob Eager]

My cheap Dymo (bought recently) doesn't emboss (do any of them, these days?)

It does 6mm, 9mm and 12mm. With their cashback offer, it was ~ £15.

(but it's the Gillette marketing model)

[Chris Whelan]

[...]

Chris

[Brian Gaff]

Most glue goes like that after a while to be honest. Scotch magic is about the best I've found to write on with felt tip. It can be hard to remove the little bits though.

Have you considered elastic bands and normal plastic bendy labels or perhaps thos magnetic ones for steel surfaces?

Brian

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I can't remember any electrical PVC tape that didn't leave a gummy residue.

Old cars have a fabric wrapped wiring loom which can wear or just disintegrate. A common DIY repair is insulating tape. Which always is a short term fix and leaves gunge on the cables. And always has done all the years I've been around them. The proper tape for this job has no adhesive at all.

For jam jars, why not use a tape with a water based adhesive? That can be washed off if you need to change the label?

[Brian Gaff]

I don't think this is what he wants it for. Magic comes in clear and has a dull surface so one can write on it in felt tip. I guess one could use Dymo tape if you want permanent labelling but even this can get messy if you need to get it off or handle the item a lot. Brian