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Extensive research debunks the myths and uncovers the facts about the invention of duct tape.
Preface
If you do an internet search for the invention of duct tape or history of duct tape, you will discover many websites and blogs that offer information on the subjects. You will also discover that the story from each of these sources is almost exactly the same, picked up and passed along from one to another with very little original research. The story they tell, in a nutshell, is this: Duct tape was invented by a division of Johnson & Johnson company in 1942 in response to a special request by the U.S. government for a waterproof tape that could seal ammunition cases. You will learn as you read the slides in this document that J&J played an important role in the development of duct tape. But the credit for the first duct tape really belongs to a competitive company that introduced the product in 1921. And the tape that J&J supplied to seal ammunition cases in World War II wasnt invented in 1942 by special request. It was actually introduced by J&J in 1933 and was the idea of a famous inventor outside of the company. Because of J&Js role in developing duct tape several of the following slides provide information about the J&J subsidiary responsible for industrial tapes. This subsidiary experienced several name changes but was best known as Permacel Industrial Tapes. The information contained in the following slides was researched over a period of several months. It is presented in timeline fashion. Comments and questions are welcome and may be sent via email to the researcher and author: NetSearch@comcast.net
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Richard Drew
1930 (approximate date) Famous inventor has idea for waterproof adhesive tape.
Dr. Leo Baekeland is the famous inventor of Velox photographic paper and Bakelite plastic. Around 1930, he has an idea to make water-proof surgical dressings and tapes. He has recently visited a nursing home and notices how dirty surgical dressings and tapes become. They have to be removed often merely because they collect dirt on the outside. It occurred to me, recalls Baekeland later in 1935, that washable plasters and dressings would be a great boon. We can treat woven fabrics with flexible phenolic resinoid which will stand washing with soap, or other cleaning compounds. Baekeland has another idea for a water-proof fabric that is processed with a special Bakelite resinoid. It could be used for raincoats, book covers, garden upholstery and shower curtains and would be better in several ways to rubber-treated fabrics. Baekeland begins experimenting and testing these concepts. He calls the plastic-coated, waterproof tape Drybak and refers to the fabric as Revolite. Soon, Baekeland will take these ideas to Johnson & Johnson Company, a leading producer of medical products and located very near the Bakelite Corporation headquarters in New York. (10) (11)
Invention of Duct Tape Copyright 2012 G.L. Kiecker 15
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1937 Revolite Corporation changes name to Industrial Tape Corporation and sells its fabric business.
Revolite Corporation sells its Revolite fabric business to Atlas Powder Company, Wilmington, Delaware. In 1955, Atlas Powder sells the business to RaybestosManhattan, Inc. Revolite Corporation refocuses its efforts on the development of a line of industrial tapes. The company also announces that it will change its name to Industrial Tape Corporation (ITC). The name change is to be effective January 1, 1938. ITC will continue as an independent subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson Company. (13)
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World War II Duct tape legend #1: Duct tape is invented in 1942 by a division of Johnson & Johnson.
Industrial Tape Corporation runs a magazine advertising campaign in 1945 with the headline Do you know? The ads highlight the many wartime uses for its tapes and suggest post-war applications. One of the ads is shown to the left. Several additional ads in the campaign are shown on slide 24. An examination of the ads brings into question one of the frequently published legends about the origins of duct tape, that is: Duct tape was invented by a division of Johnson & Johnson in 1942 in response to a special request by the U.S. government for a waterproof tape that could seal ammunition cases. The ads tell a different story. The ads feature off-the-shelf Jonflex (introduced in the mid1920s) and Utilitape (introduced in 1933) as the tapes used for sealing cases and for several other uses.
Invention of Duct Tape Copyright 2012 G.L. Kiecker 22
The often cited story that duct tape was invented by a division of Johnson & Johnson in 1942 in response to a special request by the U.S. government .is not true. A J&J ad campaign in 1945 features off-the-shelf Jonflex tape and Utilitape (introduced in the mid-1920s and in 1933, respectively) as the tapes used for sealing ammunition cases and for several other wartime uses.
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World War II Duct tape legend #2: Soldiers often use duct tape for emergency repairs of weapons and equipment on the front lines.
Undoubtedly, some type of tape is used for this purpose. Probably anything they can get their hands on. However, there is no evidence in the J&J ad campaign, or elsewhere, that Jonflex or Utilitape is issued to soldiers or is available for their use on the battlefield. More likely, the tape that soldiers use is standard, medical adhesive plaster that is packed into most first aid kits. One example of this tape, manufactured by J&J, is shown to the left. Dimensions of 1 inch wide by 5 yards long is the standard spool size. Several other manufacturers also supply adhesive plaster and medical supplies. German soldiers carry a similar first aid tape called Leukoplast made by Beiersdorf AG. Beiersdorf introduced this zinc oxide adhesive plaster in 1901, two years after J&Js Z.O. plaster. (14)
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World War II Duct tape legend #3: Duct tape is originally called Duck tape by the soldiers in World War II.
This legend claims that the Duck name comes about because the tapes backing is made of cotton duck cloth. Or, it is called this because water rolls off the tape like it does off a ducks back. An extensive search produced no evidence to support this story. Three different books written specifically on WWII terms and slang were consulted. (15) (16) (17) There is no mention of Duck tape. There is no mention of Duct tape, either. That moniker comes about in the 1950s when the product is repurposed from carton sealing to duct sealing (see slide 29). The term Duck tape was sometimes used in the early 1900s and referred to long strips cut from duck cloth, commonly called canvas outside of the textile industry. The strips were used to reinforce rubber machinery belts and hoses, insulate electrical cables and help protect suspension bridge cables. All of these applications used plain duck cloth strips without a layer of applied adhesive. Depending on the intended use, the duck cloth strips were often impregnated with rubber, linseed oil, tar or other compounds.
This illustration from a 1902 newspaper article shows how 7 wide cotton duck strips were wrapped around the suspension cables of the new Manhattan Bridge. (18)
The fact is that when many people pronounce the words duct tape the t at the end of duct and the t at the beginning of tape are pronounced as one, and it sounds more like duck than duct. An American company has taken advantage of this tendency to mispronounce the words and has registered the trademark Duck Tape for use on its duct tape product line.
Invention of Duct Tape Copyright 2012 G.L. Kiecker 26
Post-World War II Cellophane tape is the household favorite for mending and repair.
During the 1930s, cellophane tape gradually replaces adhesive plaster as the household favorite for mending and repair. Although it doesnt have the strength of a cloth-backed tape, cellophane tapes clarity makes it a better choice for many light-duty taping tasks. After World War II, 3M Company invests heavily in advertising the return of its Scotch brand cellophane tape. Packaging has a new and distinctive plaid design and the brand has a new cartoon spokesperson: Scotty McTape.
Industrial Tape Corporation also focuses advertising on its Texcel brand cellophane tape. It fast-follows the leading Scotch brand by adding a candy-striped design to its packaging and adopting a cartoon spokesperson named Tex.
Invention of Duct Tape Copyright 2012 G.L. Kiecker 27
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1959 (approximate date) New, less costly duct tape construction is introduced.
In the late 1950s, a new and less costly duct tape construction is introduced. Instead of coating the cloth backing to make it waterproof, a third layer of polyethylene film is laminated to the backing. Initially this new construction is made in two stages: first laminating the film to the backing, and then coating it with pressure-sensitive adhesive. Later, these two steps are combined and duct tape is made with a single pass through the equipment. This is the duct tape people are familiar with today. (21) Polyethylene film Cloth backing Adhesive Manufacturers can achieve different quality/strength characteristics for the finished tape by varying one or more of the following: 1. thickness of polyethylene firm 2. type of cloth 3. amount of adhesive coating
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The major conclusion we can draw so far is that one can use anything but duct tape--if we define duct tape as fabric-backed tape with rubber adhesive--to seal ducts. Under challenging (but realistic) conditions, duct tapes fail. Other kinds of tape and other sealant methods have good longevity when installed properly.
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Notes
(1) Shecut, William H. and Day, Horace H. Improvement in Adhesive Plasters. US Patent 3965, issued March 26, 1845. (2) Allcocks Porous Plasters. The Quack Doctor: Historical Remedies For All Your Ills. http://thequackdoctor.com/index.php/allcocks(3) Foster, Lawrence G. Johnson & Johnson - A Company That Cares. New Brunswick NJ: Johnson & Johnson, 1986. p. 93. (4) "Many Uses of Adhesive Plaster." The New York Times. October 23, 1910. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html? (5) Huck, Virginia. Brand of the Tartan - The 3M Story. New York: Appelton, Parsons & Company Inc., 1995. pgs. 157-181. (6) Drew, Richard G. Adhesive Tape. US Patent 1,760,820, filed May 28,1928, and issued May 27, 1930. (7) Kendall, Henry P. 1953. The Kendall Company: 50 Years of Yankee Enterprise 1903-1953. http://www.walpolelibrary.org/walpolenew/history/hpeoplekendall.htm (8) "Polyken Distribution System." Industrial Marketing, 1952. (9) Drew, Richard G. Adhesive Sheeting. US Patent 2,156,380, filed February 18, 1938, and issued May 2, 1939. (10) Roberts, Cecil. Gone Sunwards. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1936. pgs. 220-236. Cecil Roberts is a well-known English journalist, novelist and writer of travel books. Gone Sunwards chronicles his trip to Miami in the winter of 1935. In a chapter titled The Wizard of the Bay he recalls an afternoon spent with Leo Baekeland at his estate on Millionaires Row. It is during this visit that Baekeland tells Roberts of his idea for waterproofing bandages and fabric by treating them with a special Bakelite resinoid. (11) Baekeland, Leo H. 1935. Impress of Chemistry Upon Industry Bakelite. An Example Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. May Issue. p.542 In this journal article, Baekeland again recalls the genesis of his ideas for Drybak bandages and Revolite fabric. (12) Several trade publications, such as Advertising & Selling, Hardware Age, and Plastic Products, announce the launch of Utilitape . The wording of all the announcements is very similar and likely comes from a Revolite Corporation press release.
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Notes
(13) Several trade publications, such as Electrical World, Paper Trade Journal and Hardware Age, announce the name change to Industrial Tape Corporation. The wording of all the announcements is very similar and likely comes from a Revolite Corporation press release. (14) Beiersdorf AG History. FundingUniverse. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/beiersdorf-ag-history/ (15) Taylor, Marjorie. The Language of World War II. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, 1948. (16) Dickson, Paul. War Slang. Washington D.C.: Brasseys Inc., 2004. (17) Rottman, Gordon L. FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War II. Long Island City NY: Osprey Publishing, 2007. (18) "Wrapping on Cables of the New East River Bridge." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle 21 Nov. 1902: 15. Web. http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Default/Scripting/ArchiveView.asp?skin=BEagle&AppName=2&GZ=T&BaseHref=BEG%2F1902 %2F11%2F21&PageSize=3&enter=true&Page=15 (19) Gerstel, Martin H. Pressure Sensitive Tapes. In Adhesives and Sealants in Building, pgs. 23-26. Washington D.C.: Building Research Institute, 1958. At the end of the article, Martin Gerstel is identified as Product Manager for Permacel-LePages Inc. (20) Several trade publications announce the 1953 and 1956 name changes. (21) Johnston, John. Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tapes A Guide to Their Function, Design, Manufacture, and Use. Northbrook, Illinois: Pressure Sensitive Tape Council, 2000 (22) Apollo 13 Mission. Lunar and Planetary Institute. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_13/ (23) Kohlhepp, Jennifer. 2004. Permacel Closing Will Affect 150 Workers. North Brunswick Sentinel, April 22, sec. A (24) Carlson, Darren K. 2004. Fewer Americans Preparing for Terrorist Attack. Gallup.com. http://www.gallup.com/poll/11578/feweramericans-preparing-terrorist-attack.aspx
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