# Name Something Duct Tape WON'T Fix **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 31, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059 "2022-03-31T17:52:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/41 "2022-04-01T01:46:31Z")
I tried to use it to fix several typos on one of my production reports. It did not go well. I mean, the department head found it amusing but upper management were not pleased. ---
**Author:** ![Yosh99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ccd318/32.png) [@Yosh99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yosh99)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/42 "2022-04-01T03:42:12Z")
It really depends on the adhesive used to make the tape. Some are very high quality and age well, don’t transfer, and have excellent temperature resistance. Others are made from low cost, low quality, highly plasticized adhesives with little cohesive strength and poor temperature resistance. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/43 "2022-04-01T04:09:08Z")
It saved Mark Watney’s life. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/44 "2022-04-01T05:34:40Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > And duck tape won’t fix ducks. There is the claim that it was, in fact, originally called “Duck Tape”, based on the fact that the backing was a light form of or resembled the canvasy fabric called duck, that “duct tape” is a sort of back formation of that. Obviously I cannot assert definitively that that is the case, merely that it is a claim, and duct tape cannot fix history. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/45 "2022-04-01T08:05:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There are a great many ways in which electronics can break, and most of them won’t be fixed by any sort of tape. Most, but not all. I use Kapton tape a great deal. Unlike every other tape I’ve used, it doesn’t appear to degrade at all over time. Duct tape and electrical tape basically melt eventually; cellophane and masking tape dry out and crumble to dust. Kapton tape sticks and the film remains flexible and durable. It’s a good electrical insulator, so it serves as a decent electrical tape. It’s also thin and works well to separate two flat surfaces that shouldn’t be in electrical contact. It comes in double-stick varieties that works for adhering solar cells to a substrate, for instance. The adhesive is not very gooey and so doesn’t do well on porous surfaces. But it’s great on metals and many plastics. It works best on very clean surfaces. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/46 "2022-04-01T08:08:25Z")
A hole in the sky. Probably works OK on cracks through a door though. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/47 "2022-04-01T10:43:31Z")
Duct tape is a standard ingredient of a equine first aid kit for a trailer or saddle bag. A baby diaper and a lot of duct tape makes a useful emergency bandage, even for a hoof. It’s good for stuff you are going to throw out very soon (like bandages). There are better tapes for almost everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/48 "2022-04-01T10:48:09Z")
The Vet said it would not fix a cat I used to own. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/49 "2022-04-01T14:18:03Z")
A horse race. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/51 "2022-04-01T20:39:24Z")
It won’t fix anatomical ducts in the human body. Tear ducts, bile ducts, thoracic ducts, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/52 "2022-04-03T02:58:47Z")
Bad Tooth ache. Like someone said up thread it’s great to tape a broken toe to it’s neighbor. And now they have cute colors so your injury can match your outfit. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/53 "2022-04-03T03:05:20Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > It won’t fix anatomical ducts in the human body. Are you sure? Have you even tried? ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/54 "2022-04-03T04:59:34Z")
It gets dry and brittle. As mentioned upthread, you need foil tape on your anatomical ducts. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/55 "2022-04-03T10:27:18Z")
A marriage. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/56 "2022-04-03T10:33:16Z")
My life is held together with duct tape, baling twine, and zip ties. A little WD-40 now and then as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/57 "2022-04-03T14:08:19Z")
Weirdly, I was also thinking of bile ducts, for when there’s a surgical oops and you don’t have the time or patience for suturing. As it turns out, duct tape (or something similar) could have a promising medical future. > **[Engineers develop surgical “duct tape” as an alternative to sutures](https://news.mit.edu/2022/surgical-tape-bioadhesive-sutures-0202)** > > MIT engineers developed a kind of surgical “duct tape.” The strong, flexible, and biocompatible sticky patch can be applied to biological tissues and organs to help seal tears and wounds. While WD-40 is contraindicated for treatment of stiff/arthritic knees, a variation on the theme called [viscosupplementation](https://wakenonsurgicalortho.com/services/knee-lubricant-rooster-comb/) is in use. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/58 "2022-04-03T14:41:58Z")
Won’t fix a fix when you really need it because you’re going down, down to the bits that you left uptown. Nor a Mother Superior jumping the gun. Won’t fix anything that gets hot, like a broken tailpipe. Not even warm, like a gun or happiness. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/59 "2022-04-03T14:43:43Z")
Nor will it fix that terrifying moment where you’re washing your hands at the sink, and – having recently lost weight – your wedding band slips off the finger and goes down the drain. And you scream aloud, “Where did my Ringo !?!” ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/60 "2022-04-03T14:46:06Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I don’t think it could actually fix an LP but I did know someone who wrapped a layer of duct tape around Stereo-8 cartridges to keep them from wobbling around in the player in his truck. Why you would need to listen to anything on an 8-track cartridge is another question. Who knew? There ARE people who collect 8-track tapes. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059/61 "2022-04-03T14:59:13Z")
Just wanted to mention - do NOT use WD40 on mechanical clocks. It might bring the clock back to life for a short while, but then gums up worse than ever. And - never spray a clock movement with oil. There are parts which are NOT meant to be oiled. (Regardless - never use spray oil on a clock movement. If you must try to repair a clock - read up on proper repair an oiling before you begin.) One of the big complaints of professional clock repairers is receiving a movement for repair that has undergone the WD40 treatment. They first have to run the movement through an extra cleaning step so the WD40 doesn’t ruin their regular cleaning solutions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-something-duct-tape-wont-fix/962059.md?page=2)