This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Quick. Name five things you do with Scotch Tape - and wrapping presents does not count.
As Scotch Tape celebrates its 75th anniversary this month, writer Vicki Lansky offers her book, Transparent Tape: Over 350 super, simple and surprise uses you've probably never thought of ($8.95).
But she already has thought of another hundred.
"I don't remember a time when there was no transparent tape," she says. "It's something we take for granted today."
It all started in 1925 with masking tape - or the lack thereof. Two-tone cars were the rage, but painters had a big problem: There was no effective way to keep one color masked from the other when painting a straight line. Any attempt ended with ruining one side of the paint job.
Enter Richard Drew, a researcher at Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M). Drew received the go-ahead with experiments to invent the "perfect adhesive." He came up with a product that defined a line between two colors of paint and peeled off without taking the paint with it. Auto dealers in Detroit loved it and masking tape was "born."
When the DuPont company invented cellophane, a moisture-proof packaging material, something else was needed to hold it together. Drew, now an expert in pressure adhesives, and 3M, came up with a cellophane adhesive that evolved into Scotch Tape.
By World War II, the tape was so much a part of American life, that 3M ran ads apologizing to homemakers because all available supplies had been designated for the war effort.
The company promised, "When victory comes, Scotch Cellulose Tape will be back in your home and office."
And so it is. Everywhere.
But before transparent tape, and even some time after its invention, there was string.
Bill Leslie, of Leslie's French Pastries in Holladay, remembers his mother Betty Leslie putting pastries in a box and tying it with string, just as she learned in Scotland.
"That was 30 years ago, when we started the business," he said. He baked, his late father Alex Leslie, decorated, and Betty Leslie, now 87, worked up front.
"We still have string, but few people know how to tie the box so you can carry it with one finger. But next time you come in, ask me. I'll tie up a box just for you."
Scotch Tape's icon, "Scotty McTape"
Inventor Richard Drew
Old packaging
Dispensers were big and heavy
In a 30-year career, writer Vicki Lansky has waxed forth on practical subjects, from making baby food, Feed Me, I'm Yours (1971), to Helping Children Cope with Divorce and Its Aftermath (1989). She also has addressed multiple uses of ordinary vinegar and baking soda.
And now, she presents an updated Transparent Tape: Over 350 super, simple and surprising uses you've probably never thought of.
Question: So, Vicki, why Scotch Tape?
Answer: It fits with the strange but so common things I have written for the past 30 years, like vinegar and baking soda and bags. Actually, the Transparent Tape book is an update of the one I wrote about 10 years ago.
Q: Have you found more uses for transparent tape than there were 10 years ago?
A: You wouldn't believe how many. Think of the wonders that have become commonplace in 10 years, like cell phones, portable CD players. Think of one single thing that couldn't use a little tape to hold it together until it can be repaired.
Q: What is your favorite tip?
A: I love using it "SSO," sticky side out. Take a long piece of tape held at each end to blot up tiny pieces of glass after something breaks, or wrap it around your fingers to pick up lint. Make your own fly-and-pest strip with a cardboard tube covered with tape, SSO, and hang it where you want. Patch holes in window screens, use it . . .
Q: Right. What is the most unusual use you have found?
A: Well, I have never tried this one. But a hunter told me he used it to cover the end of his gun barrel to keep dust out of it, and still be able to shoot [through it].
Q: Any special tip not in your tape book?
A: I love this. A friend sends my book 101 Ways to Spoil Your Grandchild to first-time grandparents and includes a roll of transparent tape. It is a reminder to keep their lips sealed.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO USE TAPE
l Use tape to remove the stinger from an insect bite.
l Tape bare heels before putting on new shoes to help prevent blisters.
In the home
l Tape small bundles of herbs to cutting board to chop.
l Candle ends fit snugly in holders if wrapped with tape.
l Tape strips under throw rug fringe to keep it flat.
l Tape around light bulbs before removing from sockets to prevent breaking during removal and disposal.
l Tape speaker of battery-operated toys to lower noise.
Personal emergency
l Tape works for a temporary hem that comes undone.
l Tape the front of a gapping blouse together instead of trying to pin it. Tape from the inside, under the lapel.
l Knot a scarf; keep ends flat with double-side tape.
l Renew frayed shoelace ends with tape.
l Wrap leather heels to prevent scratches.
Safety tips
l Tape bathroom locks so toddlers can't get locked in.
l Use transparent tape over open light switches as a temporary safety measure when visiting or having little visitors.
- Vicki Lansky
Gift-wrapping contest
l Are you or is someone you know a great gift wrapper? Enter the Scotch Brand "America's Most Gifted Wrapper" contest by Oct. 3.
The contest is open to amateurs and professionals (folks who have earned money gift wrapping at a store, etc.). Write an essay, 100 words or less, about why you or your nominee should be crowned "America's Most Gifted Wrapper."
Eight finalists will get an all-expense-paid, three-day/ three-night trip to New York City's Rockefeller Center for the Dec. 2 finals. The winner will ride off in a new Vespa scooter with a one-of-a-kind "diamond" encrusted helmet.
Entries may be made by snail mail, e-mail or fax. By mail, Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper Contest, c/o Hunter Public Relations, 41 Madison Ave. 5th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10010; fax, 212-6679-6607, or e-mail, giftedwrapper@hunter pr.com.
For complete rules, contact giftedwrapper@ hunterpr.com or http://www.ScotchBrand.com.
l "Scotty McTape" was famous on TV for a decade before any one heard, "Beam me up, Scotty" from "Star Trek."
l The amount of transparent tape sold to homes and offices in the United States each year would circle the globe 165 times.
l John A. Borden, a 3M sales manager, designed the first heavy duty, countertop tape dispenser in 1932. It was made from cast iron and weighed almost 7 pounds.
l In the 1930s, the product was so successful that 3M was one of the few companies that did not have to lay off employees during the Great Depression.
l During World War II, virtually all tape production was diverted to the war effort. 3M developed and manufactured more than 100 different types of tape to help solve problems, such as sealing, identifying parts, holding materials, protecting and
insulating.
l The famous plaid design on the tape dispensers appeared in 1945, marking the end of the war and return of Scotch tape to America's homes, schools and businesses.
l The handheld "snail" tape dispenser was created by industrial designer, Jean O. Reinecke, whose name is associated with the curved chromeplated shells on Toastmaster model 1B9. The designer also co-patented a version of Hamilton Beach's soda fountain Drinkmaster.
l Welcoming the 21st century, the new "snail" tape dispenser is the first makeover in 60 years. The new dispenser, with the contoured lines and low profile of a snail, comes in berry, lilac, lime and mango. Never fear. Plaid dispensers, in many colors, remain on the market. All sell for about $2.99.
Above, a print advertisement from 1951 touts the use of Scotch tape in sewing. At right, Scotch Pop-up GiftWrap Tape Dispenser is one of the company's newer products, dispensing pieces of tape.
Vicki Lansky has written many books about commonplace items. Transparent Tape is an update of her 1995 book.