100 MPH Tape©

 

 

100MPH tape, duct tape, duck tape, it doesn’t matter what you call it, it is an awesome product with literally thousands of uses.  But who invented this life and time saving tape, and what is its history?

 

During World War II, Vesta Stoudt, a mother of eight, who had two sons in the armed forces, went to work in Illinois’s Green River Ordnance Plant, inspecting and packing the cartridges that were used to launch rifle grenades by the Army and Navy.  These cartridges were packed eleven to a box, and like many of the boxes designed to carry military supplies, they were taped shut with thin paper tape and waxed to make them gas, water, and damp-proof.  A tab of tape was left loose, so that it could be pulled, to easily break the waterproof wax coating and open the box.  The thing was that the thin paper tape wasn’t very strong, and the tape-tabs often tore off, as soldiers tried to open the ammo boxes, leaving them desperately scrambling to tear open the boxes under enemy fire.  Vesta thought of a solution to this difficulty, why not use a stronger, cloth-based waterproof tape, instead of the weak paper tape?  She brought her suggestion to her supervisors at Green River Ordnance Plant, but they ignored it.

 

However, Vesta wasn’t the type of person to accept defeat so easily, especially with the lives of soldiers and sailors at stake, so she decided to take her idea to the top, ALL the way to the top – and on February 10, 1943, she wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, explaining both the problem and her solution:

“I suggested we use a strong cloth tape to close seams, and make tab of same.  It worked fine, I showed it to different governmentinspectors they said it was all right, but I could never get them to change tape.  Now your son, my son and our neighbor’s son must pull this tape off some way, perhaps with his teeth or his knife if he is lucky enough to have one, nine chance out of ten he hasn’t any”. ¹

 

Roosevelt was so impressed with Vesta’s idea that he forwarded it onto the War Production Board in Washington, D.C., and on March 26, 1943, the War Production Board formerly accepted her idea and asked Johnson & Johnson to begin production.

 

Vesta Stoudt, for her invention, received an official thank you letter from the War Production Board and the Chicago Tribune gave her the War Workers Award, on October 25^th, 1943.

 

According to author Margaret Gurowitz, Johnson & Johnson called the new tape, “Duck Tape”, because it was waterproof like a duck and because it was made with cotton-duck fabric.  After World War II, it became known as “Duct Tape”, because it could be used to tape metal ducts together.

 

During the Vietnam War, the soldiers called duct tape, “100 Mile an Hour Tape”, because it could withstand winds up to 100 mph (160 kph) and could be used to reinforce or repair helicopter rotor blades!

 

So, what can you use duct tape for?

 

First, it is important to remember that original style duct tape doesn’t stick well to rough surfaces, like concrete, rock, stucco, and evensome cloth, because it has a thin adhesive layer and therefore can only stick to the high points of the surface.  Also, it doesn’t work on surfaces with high oil or plasticizer content, like EPDM rubber or PVC.  So, remember to use it on smooth, non-oily surfaces, where it will stick better and make a stronger bond!

 

Oh, and duct tape doesn’t work below freezing (32^oF or 0^oC), although it won’t be hurt by freezing and will work like normal when it returns to temperatures above freezing.  Duct tape works well at temperatures between 40° to 120°F (4^oC to 49^oC), depending on the brand, but it works best at room temperature.  Additionally, it will keep sticking up to 150°F (66 ^oC), above that it will begin to lose adhesion, before failing completely around 200° F (93^oC).

 

Also, it is important to clean the surface and brush off any loose particles and dirt from the surface you are taping, before applying duct tape.  Apply the tape carefully, smoothing out any pockets or rolls, for the best results.

 

As for what you can use it for, let your imagination run wild!  I used to work in a steel mill, and it was common to see someone with duct tape wrapped around a finger, or an arm, because they had cut themselves and the closest item to cover and close the cut was duct tape.  Personally, I have used it on hiking or canoeing expeditions, to cover cuts, hot or raw spots on feet.  I have also used duct tape to make temporary repairs of tents, boots, and even pants!

 

But there are so many kinds, which is best?

 

Polyken 231 Military Grade, T-Rex® Brute Force™ Duct Tape, Gorilla Tape or Duck Brand Duct Tape, which is best?  The first three all claim that they are stronger, more durable than the original Duck Brand Duct Tape.  I have never used Polyken 231 or T-Rex® duct tape, but I have used both Gorilla Tape and the original Duck Brand Duct Tape.  Personally, I found that Gorilla Tape sticks better, is more water resistant, and is more durable, in more situations, than the original Duck Brand Duct Tape.  This agrees with Gorilla Tape’s claim that it is “Made with double-thick adhesive, strong reinforced backing, and a tough all-weather shell, this duct tape is great for projects and repairs both indoors and out.  Gorilla tape sticks to smooth, rough and uneven surfaces, including wood, stone, stucco, brick, metal and vinyl”.²

 

But in the end, any duct tape is better than no duct tape at all in an emergency.  So don’t leave home without it!

 

Next week I am going on an adventure, and your regularly scheduled article will be back the week after, so don’t forget to come back and read “OK I'm lost and I'm having an Unexpected Overnighter©” where I will tell you all about how I got lost and spent the night alone in the middle of the Allegheny National Forest.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ “The Woman Who Invented Duct Tape”, by Margaret Gurowitz

 

² From Gorillatough.com, https://www.gorillatough.com/product/black-gorilla-tape/

 

Sources

 

Armstrong, Mark; “Gorilla, Duct or Flex Tape – Which Is Best Underwater?”, KayakGuru, January 5, 2023, [© Copyright 2023 by Kayak Guru], https://kayakguru.com/gorilla-duct-flex-underwater/, accessed August 26, 2023

 

Dybedahl, Matt; “Quick Tip: 25 Survival Uses for Duct Tape”, October 27, 2015, [© 2023 The Sportsman’s Guide, Inc.] https://guide.sportsmansguide.com/duct-tape-survival/, accessed August 26, 2023

 

Gurowitz, Margaret; “The Woman Who Invented Duct Tape”, June 21, 2012, © Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. 2011, https://www.kilmerhouse.com/2012/06/the-woman-who-invented-duct-tape, accessed August 26, 2023

 

“1001 Survival Uses of Safety Pins©”

 

 

No one ever thinks about the lowly safety pin!  It’s a wonderful tool that is all too often taken for granted and, unfortunately, also often forgotten!  Safety pins have been around forever,¹ but they were accidently reinvented in modern times by a U.S. inventor, named Walter Hunt, in 1849.  He was desperate to pay a debt and was nervously twisting a piece of wire when he looked down and saw the design for a safety pin.  He paid off his debt, by selling the rights to the safety pin for just $400.00!² 

 

“So, what does the safety pin have to do with survival”, you ask?  Well, let’s talk about it.

 

One of the best lists, that I have found for improvised wilderness uses of safety pins, was created by Dr. Eric A. Weiss, a wilderness medical expert and professor of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University, for the Second Congress on Wilderness Medicine.

 

Let’s talk about some of these and some others that didn’t make Dr. Weiss’s list.

 

Pinning the tongue out of the way...

First of all, ouch!  But safety pins can be very useful in emergency surgery and keeping the airway open is vitally important.

 

Holding gaping wounds together...

Years ago, when my youngest son was 13 and was going to Boy Scout Camp, I helped him to pack a survival kit so he could take the survival merit badge.  I packed three large safety pins into it and told him about all the different uses for them and how in an emergency you could use them to hold gaping wounds together.  The instructor was a product of nepotism, daddy was a big wig in the local council, and he roundly criticized my son saying that you couldn’t do that.  But you can and here is how you do it.

 

This was a common way of closing gaping wounds until quite recenttimes, and in fact the Masai, and other tribes, in East Africa, routinely used thorns, flame treated to harden and sterilize them, with string to close wounds, much the way we still close turkeys before roasting them.

 

Relieving a subungual hematoma...

 

Subungual hematomas result from injuries to the nail bed that cause bleeding under the finger or toenail.  The blood pools under the nail, and turns a reddish, brownish, blueish, or grey/blackish color.  The pooled blood puts pressure on the nailbed causing throbbing pain which often disappears when the pressure on the nail bed is relieved by drilling and draining.  Subungual hematomas can be treated within 48 hours of injury, by making a hole through the nail into the hematoma with a safety pin that has been sterilized in a flame.  This is a process called trephining and drains the blood and releases the pressure.

 

Fishhooks...

 

Safety pins can be used in a pinch as a fishhook.  Simply bend themuntil they are open and if possible, bend the tip back into a barb.

 

Fixing things...

 

The things that can be fixed with safety pins are limited only by your imagination!  You can fix fishing poles, glasses, broken sipper pulls, ski bindings, ripped buttonholes or clothes, or even unclogging camping stove jets.

 

Organizing and attaching things...

 

You can organize fishhooks, other safety pins, zip ties, and other things by hanging them from a safety pin.

 

Other uses are limited only by your imagination...

 

But where or wear should you keep them...

 

You should always have some with you, kept in your repair or “possible” kit (for more on “possible” kits read So, What’s in Your Possible Kit!? ©, HERE), pinned to the inside of a chest pocket flap, or pinned elsewhere on your shirt, and definitely in your survival kit.  

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “100-MPH Tape ©”, where we will talk about how to camp in the winter wilderness and stay warm and safe.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ Ancient examples of safety pin, or fibula as they are called, from the 11^th to 10^th century BCE, have been found in Crete, per Oscar W. Muscarella, “Ancient Safety Pins”

 

² “Medical Miracles”, by Richard Bauman, reported that the design was sold for $400.00, other sources state $300.00.

 

 

Sources

 

Bauman, Richard; “Medical Miracles”, The Rotarian, Jun 1989, page 16 to 19

https://books.google.com/books?id=ZzIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18&dq=safety+pin&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiB3cvxy-GAAxWFnokEHYBgDwQ4KBDoAXoECAcQAg#v=onepage&q=safety%20pin&f=false, accessed August 23, 2023

 

Erichsen, John Eric; The Science and Art of Surgery, Volume 2, Tenth Edition, [London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1895], page 665-666, https://books.google.com/books?id=HACCp4Q5z-AC&pg=PA666&dq=trussing+pins+suture&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj47cG4utqAAxVOGlkFHa6SDpsQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=trussing%20pins%20suture&f=false, accessed August 13, 2023

 

Friedmann, Lawrence W.; “Amputations and Protheses in Primitive Cultures”, Bulletin of Prosthetics Research, Spring 1972, page 131, https://books.google.com/books?id=ArWmmxfpYB8C&pg=RA1-PA131&dq=thorn+sutures+africa&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBt53-t9qAAxVZD1kFHWEdAxUQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q=thorn%20sutures%20africa&f=false, accessed August 13, 2023

 

Muscarella, Oscar W.; “Ancient Safety Pins”, Expedition Magazine 6, no. 2 (January, 1964), https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/ancient-safety-pins/, accessed August 18, 2023

 

Wikimedia, “Annual_report_of_the_Board_of_Regents_of_the_Smithsonian_Institution_(1929)_(14596908300)”, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annual_report_of_the_Board_of_Regents_of_the_Smithsonian_Institution_(1929)_(14596908300).jpg, accessed August 18, 2023

 

Wikimedia, “Patent_6281.jpg”, by William L. Hunt, 1849, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Patent_6281.jpg, accessed August 18, 2023

 

Wikimedia; This is a subungual hematoma of the finger”, November 2, 2014, by Callaleo, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Subungal_hematoma_of_the_finger.jpg, access August 19, 2023

 

A 'Compact' Survival Kit©

 

 

The other day I was rereading Colonel Francis Max McCullar’s article titled “Just Pure Hell”, when I noticed an interesting sidenote.  A Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) that he knew, had removed the powder from a ladies compact, a replaced it with survival supplies.  The Chief Warrant Officer thought that having a signal mirror, waterproof matches and some other survival supplies in a pocket-size container that was always with him was a great idea, but some of his fellow soldiers laughed at it.  Colonel Francis Max McCullar thought that it was ingenious, and I agree.  

 

Today, in many survival magazines, authors talk about every-day-carrying (EDC) items.  These are usually some type of survival supplies that are held in an innocent looking container, which doesn’t draw attention to itself, and is always carried in your pocket, every day, everywhere.  Most times when an emergency happens, people don’t have their emergency supplies on them, the supplies always seem to be in the glove box, a backpack, a coat pocket, etc., and often these supplies are destroyed or can’t be reached during or after an emergency survival situation.  

 

So, I thought I would try to duplicate that unknown Chief Warrant Officer’s compact survival kit and see just how much, and what I could fit into it.

 

First, I had to take out the powder and the hinged tray, so that there would be room for survival supplies.  When I was done, I only had a space that was about 2 ¼ inches wide by 3 ¹/₈ inches tall and ³/₈ inches deep (about 57 mm wide 80 mm tall, and 10 mm deep).  That isn’t very much space to work with, so we will have to prioritize what to put into it.

 

So, what should go in it?  Your survival priorities, based on the “Rule of Threes”, are FIRST AID-SHELTER/FIRE-SIGNALLING-WATER-FOOD, in that order. 

When building a survival kit, you should keep in mind the “72 Hour Rule”, which is that most times, when you are “misplaced”, searchers will find you within 72 hours.  In fact, Paul Anderson, a 42-year veteran of the National Park Service with 11 years as the superintendent of Denali National Park, is quoted as saying that “Our stats show 85 percent of all lost people are found within the first 12 hours, and 97 percent are found within the first 24 hours”¹.  However, you might have to keep body and soul together longer than just 72 hours, because according to Orrin Knutson, the author of Survival 101: How to Bug Out and Survive the First 72 Hours, sometimes it takes a while before anyone realizes you are missing, and some police departments have a policy of waiting an additional 24 to 72 hours before beginning to look for a missing person.  

  

The first problem with the compact survival kit is that it is WAY too small to be able to hold much of anything.  I decided that I would prioritize building a fire and providing drinkable water and leave out the higher priority first aid or shelter building supplies.  On the plus side, the compact already has a built in mirror, that can be used for signaling, so our third priority has been met. 

 

 The items I chose to include were:

 

Three UCO Stormproof Matches, each with a 15 second burn time, and a striker, and one Cakemate® Relight “trick” birthday candle, all in a reclosable baggie.

 

Two reclosable plastic baggies, each with a petroleum-jelly soaked cotton ball inside.

 

One piece of 12 by 18 inch (30 by 46 cm) heavy duty aluminum foil, enough to make a container that will hold one liter/quart of liquid.  This foil will double as a waterproof container for the survival supplies.

 

Two pouches of Katadyn Micropur MP1 water purifier tablets, enough to disinfect 4 liters/quarts of water.

 

Two large safety pins and one razor blade, in a reclosable baggie.

 

I was already upset that I couldn’t fit a gauze pad, some BZK Antiseptic Towelettes and a couple of Band-Aids ®, into the compact with the other supplies.  And I WAS really unhappy that I couldn’t fit the other survival supplies that I wanted, into the compact. 

 

However, I was able to fit the UCO Stormproof Matches and trick candle, two large safety pins and one razor blade, and one of the petroleum-jelly covered cotton balls inside the compact.  And I could have put the two pouches of Katadyn Micropur MP1 tablets in as well, but without anything to hold the water to be disinfected in, they were useless, and I just couldn’t squeeze the aluminum foil into the compact. 

 

But was it a failure?  The Chief Warrant Officer originally only put a book of matches inside his compact, and I was able to fit three stormproof matches and a few other items into mine.  So, even if I would have liked to have been able to put more into my compact survival kit, I would have to say it was a success!

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read "1001 Survival Uses of Safety Pins

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ Devon O’Neill, “How Backcountry Search and Rescue Works”, Outside, March 4, 2016,

 

Sources

 

 

McCullar, Francis Max, Colonel; “Just Pure Hell”, United States Army Aviation Digest, September 1973, page 7, https://books.google.com/books?id=PjSe9kA8x_gC&pg=RA9-PP2&dq=%22krispy+kritter+klub%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwieqdPA9P__AhUEq4kEHdyPB3gQ6AF6BAgHEAI#v=onepage&q=%22krispy%20kritter%20klub%22&f=false, accessed July 8, 2023

 

O’Neill, Devon “How Backcountry Search and Rescue Works”, Outside, March 4, 2016, [© 2021 Outside Interactive, Inc.], https://www.outsideonline.com/2059616/how-backcountry-search-and-rescue-works, accessed October 9, 2018

 

United States Navy, Sea & Land Survival, Device 9B7, [Naval Training Equipment Center, Olando, FL], https://books.google.com/books?id=R3er5Ef-m28C&pg=PP1&dq=land+survival+9b7&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHob3u4dD_AhXbKFkFHaHHAZUQ6AF6BAgDEAI#v=onepage&q=land%20survival%209b7&f=false, accessed Aug 1, 2023

 

Waite, Sara; “Merino man publishes survival guide”, updated May 8, 2019, [©2021 MediaNews Group, Inc.], https://www.journal-advocate.com/2013/07/26/merino-man-publishes-survival-guide/, accessed September 9, 2021