What is your go to Rocketry Project Tape

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Yukon@K-9 Rocket Tech

Student, Drone and Rockets, Aspiring Engineer
Joined
Jun 21, 2019
Messages
577
Reaction score
199
Location
Georgia, USA
Just another fun question to ask the community. It seems we all have our go to tape of choice when building rockets. Here are a few I see used on rockets, what are yours? Mine is Blue painters tape

Masking tape
BLUE painterd tape
Gorilla Tape
Duck Tape
Electrical tape
Gaff tape

What else? What's your favorite? And why? Let's find out
 
If using electrical tape...be SURE the paint being taped if fully cured or it may peel off when tape removed.

Another great tape for using on curved surfaces like NC tips is pin stripe tape in auto department Wally world, Pepboys ,Auto zone, Amazon, etc.

Very elastic/stretchy and works as clean line maker or striping on it's own.[cheap also]

https://www.google.com/search?q=pin...-PrjAhUMKqwKHcynBCYQ_AUIEigC&biw=1150&bih=588

It's very thin, after laying out , you must add masking tape of your choice for full coverage. Pin stripe tape will just give you a perfect clean curved line to paint to.
It's very thin so when spraying over it....use a light mist coat to seal, let dry,then regular coat over that.
If you hit it first coat heavy, may pull paint when removed.

Few examples;
used colored elec.tape to enhance color break between orange and black to make it pop. A differentiating break always looks better. white and black 1/2 in tape.101_0020_2.jpg

Pin stripe tape used to mask curved line on NC tip and compound curve across fins and tube.
Blk elec. tape in-between fins for accent.

101_0029.jpg

Pin strip to box checkerboard and yellow /black tape to build out accents.

DSCN0191_2.jpg

Again colored elec. tape to build out all the accents. Some are "layered".

DSCN0770.jpg
 
Last edited:
Blue painters' tape, but I'd like better. I've heard good things about Frog green painters' tape and Tamiya tape. I'd've thought electrical tape would leave glue residue, or did you not mean for masking? I might give it a try.

El Cheapo masking tape for temporary positioning, snugging up nose conse, etc.
 
Last edited:
snugging up nose
Blue painters' tape, but I'd like better. I've heard good things about Frog green painters' tape and Tamiya tape. I'd've thought electrical tape would leave glue residue, or did you not mean for masking? I might give it a try.

El Cheapo masking tape for temporary positioning, snugging up nose conse, etc.

Haha yes. The EL Cheapo is da good studd sir! I regularly buy a bunch of rolls of cheap blue tape at my nearest WalMart and keep a stock
 
How....how on earth have I never tried electrical tape?!
I know right! I guess they don't want the secret of the clean paint line trick among the painters let out. So they paid the company a ton of money to add the "electrical" to keep the amazing painters secret to themselves. Haha Jk
 
If using electrical tape...be SURE the paint being taped if fully cured or it may peel off when tape removed.

Another great tape for using on curved surfaces like NC tips is pin stripe tape in auto department Wally world, Pepboys ,Auto zone, Amazon, etc.

Very elastic/stretchy and works as clean line maker or striping on it's own.[cheap also]

https://www.google.com/search?q=pin...-PrjAhUMKqwKHcynBCYQ_AUIEigC&biw=1150&bih=588

It's very thin, after laying out , you must add masking tape of your choice for full coverage. Pin stripe tape will just give you a perfect clean curved line to paint to.
It's very thin so when spraying over it....use a light mist coat to seal, let dry,then regular coat over that.
If you hit it first coat heavy, may pull paint when removed.

Few examples;
used colored elec.tape to enhance color break between orange and black to make it pop. A differentiating break always looks better. white and black 1/2 in tape.View attachment 390403

Pin stripe tape used to mask curved line on NC tip and compound curve across fins and tube.
Blk elec. tape in-between fins for accent.

View attachment 390404

Pin strip to box checkerboard and yellow /black tape to build out accents.

View attachment 390405

Again colored elec. tape to build out all the accents. Some are "layered".

View attachment 390406

Hey thanks for the in depths explanation! Gotta try that soon!
 
Tamiya for line painting, Frog tape masking for larger areas, friskit film for vast areas
Frog tape also seems to double as random masking tape or igniter holding, as well as low speed camera taping.

Electrical tape for select electrical issues, attaching transmitters to shock cords, and taping cameras to faster rockets

Also: Yukon, you can multiquote reply in a Single message. It saves from posting 7x in a row. (that's even higher than the andrew_asc record I think....not good)
 
a tape thread!! at least we're not on glue thread #4,203,972 :)

That powder coat film splicing tape in the second post is a great find. It's like the regular Mylar tape except the adhesive is silicone rather than acrylic.

Electrical tape is really sticky and leaves residue, *but* a lot of people like it for taping electronics bundles to shock lines because it will stretch quite a lot before failing.

A personal go-to for double-sided tape is 3M VHB (very high bond) tape. Expensive but is insanely stronger than typical "servo tape" - the quoted bond strength is on the order of 20 lbs per square inch. There are several varieties. 5952 is black while 4910 is clear. Example https://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotch-5952-VHB-Tape/dp/B01BU7038A/ref=sr_1_9 Rather thick at 25-45 mils. Works great for fixing small batteries to sleds, actual servo attachment, etc. You can remove by slicing through it with dental floss.

Kapton (polyimide) tape is really useful for electronics and misc rocketry purposes. 1 mil Kapton can be put under chips to insulate vias and will survive toaster oven reflow. Patents on polyimide have all expired so it's really cheap compared to what it formerly was. Here's 4 100' rolls in useful widths for $11 on prime: https://www.amazon.com/Hxtape-Temperature-Polyimide-Printing-Soldering/dp/B07CPP4LBV/ref=pd_cp_328_2
It's very heat resistant (effective Tg 350-400C) so good for securing LPR motors in tubes by wrapping over the tube/motor joint. If you want 1 mil you have to shop carefully, most of what's on Amazon is 2 mil. I use the 1 mil for assembling some Eggtimer Rocketry products.

You can also use polyester (Mylar) tape for similar purposes *except* reflow. The major difference from Kapton is that the useful temperature limit is about 150-200C - losing strength above 150C - and for whatever reasons it's usually a bit more expensive. Nonetheless it still works fine for tape-over-joint LPR motor retention, body tube joint sealing, etc. and is often seen on the range at NARAMs. Unlike Kapton, you can get it in shiny metallic colors. Another caveat is that like all polyester, edge nicks will propagate easily and rapidly across the tape.
 
Last edited:
I know right!...
I like it!...


Yukon, you can multiquote reply in a Single message. It saves from posting 7x in a row. (that's even higher than the andrew_asc record I think....not good)
Yeah really, please.
 
Tamiya yellow tape for straight edge masking, various blue tape varieties for filling in the larger areas. I also have some Tamiya masking tape for curves which works well but it gets tricky if you're trying to do tight curves. I have a roll of green Frog tape that I haven't used too much yet; the adhesive feels pretty strong on it so it makes me a bit nervous, but I do appreciate the plastic storage case it comes in (all my blue tape rolls are covered in crud on the sides).

@hcmbancjo uses clear cellophane tape for many purposes; I haven't quite figured out the strategy yet myself, but would like to. My biggest problem is when masking around sharp edges, like the leading or trailing edges of fins, is that the layers of tape build up and it becomes very hard to get the edges of the top layers sealed down. That's where I usually get leakage.

I would pay money for pieces of pre-slotted masking tape, that I could wrap around the ends of fins. Problematic because fins come in so many different thicknesses...
 
I would pay money for pieces of pre-slotted masking tape, that I could wrap around the ends of fins. Problematic because fins come in so many different thicknesses...
Try this; it's just a I thought I had on reading the above, but it might work.

Put a piece of the tape of your choice down on a piece of baker's parchment. That stuff is paper treated with silicone, not as waxy as wax paper. I have a hunch that tape might stick to it loosely, enough for cutting the slots you need but loosely enough to peel off without loss of stickiness for applying to the fin.
 
Put a piece of the tape of your choice down on a piece of baker's parchment. That stuff is paper treated with silicone, not as waxy as wax paper. I have a hunch that tape might stick to it loosely, enough for cutting the slots you need but loosely enough to peel off without loss of stickiness for applying to the fin.
In general, any clean hard surface can be used as a surface for cutting tape. A clean sheet of glass works well (not so good for the knife blades, though...) Problem becomes cutting the shape of the tape correctly. Probably easiest way to do it would be two half-pieces, like this:
upload_2019-8-15_10-13-41.png

Then only one overlap is needed. Hand-cutting a whole pile of pieces like this still doesn't thrill me, though. Gotta be a better way, but I can't think of what it might be at the moment.
 
Just one more reason I want my own laser cutter. Even a low power one would handle this just fine. Even a low power one costs too much.

On the other hand, there are maker spaces one can join, and if you're lucky in a nearby public library, so that's a possibility to get these cut just so.
 
Just one more reason I want my own laser cutter. Even a low power one would handle this just fine. Even a low power one costs too much.

On the other hand, there are maker spaces one can join, and if you're lucky in a nearby public library, so that's a possibility to get these cut just so.
Or buy a super cheap 3d printer and a laser, because you just want the laser function :)
 
Tamiya for line painting, Frog tape masking for larger areas, friskit film for vast areas
Frog tape also seems to double as random masking tape or igniter holding, as well as low speed camera taping.

Electrical tape for select electrical issues, attaching transmitters to shock cords, and taping cameras to faster rockets

Also: Yukon, you can multiquote reply in a Single message. It saves from posting 7x in a row. (that's even higher than the andrew_asc record I think....not good)

Lol I broke the record in a bad way. Sorry used the Youtube where I answer everyone's comments personally lol! Also am a newbie at forums too. Yes I'll multi quote from now on
 
If you're using Frog Tape for masking, check it first with the paint you're spraying. I found that Krylon paint+primer partially dissolved the adhesive, leaving some of it behind when the tape was removed.
 
Electrical tape comes in colors, I have seen white, blue, red, green, and yellow. It is the only tape I know of that can make a good candy cane spiral, because it will form/adapt to the curved surface. So you can use it for decorating the rocket, as well as for masking, holding cameras on, etc.

Mylar tape has at least two uses.
First you can put it over areas that might get nozzle jet flamed (boost glider wings or tails, booster stages, etc)
Second, it is shiny and also comes in a lot of colors, can use it very much like trim Monokote. I have used it to cover entire rockets.
 
For masking, I've had good results with:
- Yellow Frog tape ("Delicate Surfaces")
- Tamiya tape
- Testor's masking tape
(https://www.amazon.com/TESTORS-8869-Masking-Assortment-TESR8869/dp/B007KMW5NQ)

I've also used the Frog tape to protect the body tube area between the fins from excess glue when applying fillets.

To cover a large area, I might use the Frog tape for the edge, and then tape newspaper pages onto it with:
- regular masking tape.
It's also good for friction fitting a nose cone or a motor.

To protect the inner body tube from recessed motor exhaust, I've used:
- Aluminum foil tape
(disclaimer: not yet launched or tested)

To tape a 9V battery onto a dual-deployment E-Bay, I've used:
- Electrical tape

That's about it.
 
Back
Top