Basic DIY Advice
Friends of mine know I am skilful at DIY (or more properly, Damage It Yourself). I am always repairing odds and ends. A ‘tool’ I have found indispensable in my basic home repair kit is ‘duct tape’, also known in some technical circles as ‘gaffer tape’.
So imagine my surprise when I found two web sites devoted to the versatility of duct tape or gaffer tape. Now I can sense that you are thinking that you have come along to find something intriguing that Music Man has been doing and discover that he is talking about mundane matters of mending things around the home. Well bear with me because ultimately there is a direct connection with the theatre and uses for gaffer tape.
The first site is called Duct Tape 101 and offers ‘101′ uses for duct tape. But the fascinating pages are where we get to see what people have sent in to ‘Aunt Dinah’s Duct Tape Diner’ as evidence of their ingenious uses of duct tape. I think my favourite is the marshmallow toaster. Already I have an idea for submitting a picture of how I have regularly used duct tape in the bedroom.
The second site is more in line with my usual themes because it is about ‘gaffer tape’. Now I have always called this type of tape ‘gaffer’ tape rather than ‘duct’ tape, as that is what I have always heard it called by technical people who work backstage, it was only in recent years I have become aware of the name ‘duct tape’. So this site is more to my tastes because it is part of a group of ‘ stage technicians’. In this case a students’ organisation called Backstage, who help other student unions to put on events. They use a lot of gaffer tape, a staple of all backstage technical people. Consequently they have built up a fund of stories about uses for gaffer tape. They share them in the ‘gaffer tape archive’. (I should warn you not to try some of the uses at home!)
Now I discover that you can buy gaffer tape in a kaleidoscope of different colours. Suddenly the world is my mussel. My ironing board held together with a bright red. A rather fetching pink hiding the split in my squash shoes.
November 28, 2006 at 1:56 pm
alright “Music Man” i’m back…thought i would leave you another comment! i guess you can tell i am also a crafter…and of course this post caught my attention. duct tape…and it’s many uses…i linked over to see the diner one…those were really funny. i grew up in a small town and i have seen duct tape used in many ways…i didn’t notice if anyone had made a wallet out of duct tape…but i have seen that as well. just wanted to say a quick hi! and thanks for the comment as well. stop again soon.
wendy
November 28, 2006 at 4:51 pm
Hi again wendy… Yes the uses for duct tape on that site are ingenious, although not always of the highest order of craftsmanship!
If you stop by again you will find that topics on Music Man blog range far and wide. One day it is duct tape, the next day traffic wardens or dogs on the Titanic. The whole point is not to take anything too seriously and have fun. But remember in the ‘Music Man’ musical the main character is a complete charlatan.
I like the site you and your sister have put together. No doubt I will pop back again as a lot of the stuff you are writing about is of interest to a wider readership.
December 3, 2006 at 7:56 pm
[...] Others refer to things and actions in the theatre. A tab is not a key on the computer keyboard, but the theatre word for curtains. Treads have nothing to do with tyres, as they are steps or stairs. You can’t generally live in flats – they are bits of the set which form walls. If something is flown, it doesn’t quite fly really, but is attached to ropes above the stage and goes up and down. An apron is not an item of clothing, but the area of the stage in front of the proscenium arch, which is itself the frame of the metaphorical window between the audience and the actors. A barn door is actually much smaller than it sounds, as it’s attached to the front of certain lights (properly called lanterns) to allow the crew to adjust how far the light (as in photons – see why the things that create light are called lanterns?) spills across the stage. Striking something doesn’t mean attacking it, but simply removing it from the stage. Pancake is sadly not edible, as it refers to a type of make-up. And most important of all to stage crew, gaffer tape seems to mean much the same as ‘deity’, as certain techies certainly seem to worship the stuff. [...]
December 4, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Hmm, sorry about that rather lengthy ‘comment’ there. I linked to your post as I mentioned gaffer tape in passing. Technical types in theatre (you know, the ones that only *ever* wear black) do seem to hold the stuff as their god of choice. I always liked the joke ‘Why is gaffer tape like the Force? Because it has a dark side, a light side and hold the universe together.’ Groan…
December 4, 2006 at 10:34 pm
No problem with the lengthy comment. Since mentioning gaffer tape I seem to have heard it mentioned everywhere I go. Still not sure why it is called gaffer tape though.
January 5, 2007 at 4:58 pm
I just found this site that might be of interest
http://www.theatretrade.co.uk is an independent on-line website based in the UK.
One aim of the website is to make it easier for amateur performance groups to pass on and recycle materials that have been bought or made for their theatrical performances…
http://www.theatretrade.co.uk
I’m also thinking about part time spamming