Tips for Duct Tape Crafts

Duct tape crafts provide a fun and inexpensive way to spice up mundane or every day objects. Duct tape’s ability to adhere to almost any surface makes it the perfect candidate for experimentation and creation of almost anything that the imagination can come up with. Yet, many more complicated duct tape crafts may take some practicing to master.

Below are some handy tips for duct tape crafts. Knowing these basic tips and fun facts may help you through whatever creations that you think you may want to try to make.

• Duct tape comes in 20 different colors and patterns. Do not limit your thinking to silver. Special orders can be made for any color produced. Buying your duct tape by the case will usually save you some money per roll.

• Duct tape can be used much the same way that leather or vinyl can. One student re-upholstered an entire couch with duct tape. This student offers one main suggestion to others who are thinking about re-upholstering furniture of their own: “overlap each strip of tape so that it will hold when you sit on it.”

• Duct tape can be used to create all kinds of sculptures and art pieces. In fact, duct tape creations can be found in museums all over the United States. In fact, a giant lion sculpture decorated with duct tape is currently on display at the Cleveland Zoo.

• When working with duct tape it is often easier to rip the tape after first making a short cut. Continuing to cut all the way through the tap usually leaves your scissors sticky and your cuts tend to be bunched up or uneven.

• Duct tape wallets are the most popular duct tape craft. Duct tape wallets are popular first time duct tape crafts because they are relatively easy to make. All you do is make a basic sheet of four 7-inch long strips of duct tape. Place the first one, sticky side up, down on your work space. Overlap the strips a little on top of each other. Next, repeat that process by putting four strips sticky side down across the first four strips making a sheet that is smooth rather than sticky on both sides. Trim any uneven edges and fold the sheet in half. Make sure that the sides match up and use the tape to seal the openings on the sides of the wallet. The result is the largest pocket of your wallet. Simply repeat the process with progressively shorter sheets of tape to make more pockets.

• You can also make all kinds of jewelry with duct tape. Pendants, bracelets and chains can all be made by using small pieces of tape and a good pair of scissors. Try different patterns like a weave of tape or a zigzag interlocking piece of jewelry.

• Use Teflon coated scissors so adhesive won’t build up as much on your scissors. Or you can try spraying cooking spray on your scissors after a couple of cuts are made. Make sure that you regularly wipe up the mess that you will make with the spray.

• Use the smoothest duct tape that you can find so that your projects have more of a clean and put-together look. Sloppy duct tape crafts can look really bad. Generally duct tape crafts aren’t worth doing unless you are willing to be careful in your measurements, make clean cuts and pay attention to the details.

• In general paint pens, permanent markers and stickers are all good mediums to use on duct tape. If you do not have the energy or the time to cut out all the tape designs that you would like, consider using something other than tape for the embellishments.