Last Saturday, six of us were crowded around my apartment in Austin playing Catan when someone leaned on the table and the front right leg just gave out. Everyone immediately said grab the wood glue or buy a new one. I grabbed a roll of gorilla duct tape from the kitchen drawer instead. Wrapped it around the break about 15 times, stacked some books underneath for support, and we finished the game. Three days later it's still holding, no wobble. Anyone else think wood glue is overrated for quick fixes?
Picked up a blue tarp from the hardware store near me because my shed roof started leaking after that big storm. Guy said it was the toughest one they had. Put it up with some bricks and rope. First strong wind and it tore right down the middle. Ended up using a roll of gorilla tape to fix the original leak and it's held for like 3 months now. Anyone else find that tarps are basically just expensive garbage?
He was patching a garden hose and I had to bite my tongue - my uncle held a muffler on his 1987 Ford Ranger together with duct tape for six years before he sold it. What's the longest you've ever kept a duct tape fix going?
I drove my 2003 F-150 through a hailstorm last Tuesday and it busted one of the coolant hoses right in half. I was about 20 miles from home with no cell service near the old logging roads outside of Hood River. I had half a roll of silver gorilla tape in the glove box from patching a kids pool last summer. I wrapped that hose tight, like three layers overlapping, and it held pressure all the way back to the driveway. Next day I ordered a proper replacement hose for $28, but the tape job got me through that afternoon and the next morning's school drop off. What weird car fixes has duct tape gotten you out of on the side of the road?
I had a golf ball sized hole in my RV roof after a branch fell on it during a windstorm, so I slapped a few layers of duct tape over it and hoped for the best. The storm hit hard and the tape actually held, but now there's a little water dripping inside near the vent and I can't figure out if it's coming from the patch or somewhere else. Anyone else had a duct tape fix on an RV that seemed solid but found a sneaky secondary leak later?
So last month I had this crack in my hose that was spraying water everywhere in my backyard. My neighbor Bob saw me getting ready to toss it and said just wrap some duct tape around it, it'll hold for the season. I figured why not, it's a $5 fix versus a $30 hose. I used about 3 layers of gray Gorilla tape, wrapped it tight around the leak. It's been 6 weeks now and that thing hasn't dripped a single drop. Has anyone else gotten a surprisingly long fix out of duct tape on something you'd normally replace?
I tried to save a few bucks and bought a blue tarp from a gas station outside Tulsa last spring. First heavy rain came through and the grommets tore right out, soaking my firewood pile and tools. That cheap tarp ended up costing me more in damaged stuff than a proper one would have. Anyone else regret skimping on something that should have been a simple duct tape and tarp fix?
Sprayed water everywhere for three days before I noticed a second hole I missed. Check your whole length before you think you fixed it, not just the obvious split.
I had to fix a sagging bookshelf in my garage last weekend. My first pick was always duct tape because it's what my dad used for everything. But I watched this video from a guy in Ohio who said zip ties are stronger for load bearing stuff like shelves. So I tried it, wrapped zip ties around the wood joints. It held for about 2 hours then snapped clean off and all my old bike manuals crashed to the floor. I went back to duct tape, layered it about 6 times around each joint, and it's been solid for 3 days now. The duct tape bends and flexes with the weight while the zip ties just gave up. Has anyone else found duct tape beats other fixes for weird shelf problems?
I got that flexi foil tube from the hardware store because it was way cheaper than the solid metal one. Within two weeks the tape I used to seal the joints started peeling off from the heat. Did anyone else find a duct tape that actually holds up on dryer vents or do I just need to suck it up and buy the metal pipe next time?
My webbed lawn chair got a tear last week. Fixed it with gorilla tape first. Three days later it peeled off in the sun. Switched to plain old duct tape and it's been holding for a week now. Why does the fancy stuff fail so bad? Anyone else have a tape that surprised you?
I kept patching my 2002 Civic exhaust with duct tape every few months and it never held. Fellow mechanic at the garage in Tulsa told me I was doing it wrong. You gotta clean the pipe with acetone first, let it dry, then wrap the tape tight while the exhaust is cold. Tried it on a 3 inch rust hole 6 weeks ago and it still holding. Anyone else run into this issue or found a better way to prep the surface?
Last weekend at a cookout in Austin, my friend Steve dropped his tailgate and the handle just snapped off. He grabbed a roll of duct tape and wrapped the whole thing around the latch area, and honestly it held that gate shut for the whole drive home. I never thought about using tape for car body stuff like that. Anyone else got a duct tape fix that saved them a trip to the body shop?
I was out near Lancaster last Saturday running supplies when the hose let go and steam went everywhere. Duct taped the split tight enough to get me to the next town where a buddy had a proper clamp. Has anyone else used duct tape as a true emergency fix on a cooling system without cooking the engine?
I was hauling a load of scrap shingles to the dump in my truck and the fiberglass camper shell cracked clean across the back corner. Stuck a patch of gorilla tape over the split and it held for the whole 40 mile trip, no flapping or anything. Anyone else have a duct tape fix that lasted way longer than it should have?
He used the same roll of gray duct tape to patch a cracked wooden step on his front porch in Des Moines, never replaced it. When I asked why he didn't just buy a new board, he said 'why fix what ain't broke when tape works cheaper'. Has anyone else met someone who took duct tape repairs way too far?
I used to buy the cheap silver duct tape at the hardware store on Main Street for like $4 a roll. About 6 months ago I grabbed a roll of black gorilla tape on a whim and now I cant go back. The black tape blends into my car interior and furniture way better than the shiny silver stuff. Anyone else made the switch or am I just being picky about colors?
He told me last Saturday that a strip of gorilla tape would hold for a few days until I could get to Lowes, but 8 hours later I woke up to water leaking through the ceiling into the kitchen and had to tear out the whole bathroom floor, so has anyone else had a duct tape fix completely backfire like that?
My heat shield started rattling about a month ago on the highway. I had to choose between duct tape and zip ties to hold it up. I went with duct tape because it handles engine heat better than plastic zip ties do. Three layers wrapped around the shield and the pipe, and it's been quiet for 500 miles now. Heat hasn't melted it yet, which surprised me honestly. Anyone else used duct tape on exhaust parts or am I just asking for trouble?
One guy said duct tape leaves a sticky mess that fails after a week while the other swore by it for quick fixes. Which side are you on for a temporary hose patch that actually lasts through a summer?
He said just wrap it tight around the rust hole and it would hold all summer. Three mows later it melted through and left a burning plastic smell across the whole yard. Has anyone else tried this with exhaust heat and gotten it to last longer?
I used to think duct tape was just for temporary stuff around the house, like sealing boxes or taping up a torn couch cushion. But last month I was out on the greenbelt trail near my house and this dude's tire went flat. He pulled out a strip of duct tape, slapped it over the hole from the inside, pumped it back up, and rode another 8 miles no problem. I always carry those little patch kits from the bike shop but they never hold for me. Now I just keep a mini roll of tape in my pack instead. Has anyone else tried this on something other than a tire?
Used to replace the whole latch every time it broke. Cost me $15 a pop at the hardware store. Finally just wrapped the busted plastic piece in 4 layers of silver tape and it's held through two storms now, anyone else stopped replacing stuff because tape works better?
My patio chair snapped at the base last week and I wrapped the whole thing in gray duct tape, still holding up after 4 days of rain. Has anyone else tried taping furniture joints instead of welding or gluing them?