From: tnp@invalid.invalid   
      
   On 07/01/2026 14:40, Lars Poulsen wrote:   
   > [Note Followups-To:]   
   >   
   >>>> Lars Poulsen wrote:   
   >>>>> My nieces in Denmark call it Gaffer tape.   
   >   
   >>> Groovy hepcat Andy Burns was jivin' in comp.os.linux.misc on Sat, 3 Jan   
   >>>> gaffer tape is different, designed to come off cleanly when used e.g.   
   >>>> for marking positions on stage   
   >   
   >> On 2026-01-05, Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood  wrote:   
   >>>    No, gaffer tape is electrical tape. Gaffers are stage/movie/TV   
   >>> electricians. They rig up wiring for the lighting, etc.   
   >   
   > On 2026-01-07, Robert Riches  wrote:   
   >> At least in the US since the latter 1970s for "gaffer tape" and   
   >> since the 1960s for "electrical tape", the two are drastically   
   >> different:   
   >>   
   >> - electrical tape is stretchable, about 3/4" wide, and it is used   
   >>    for wrapping bare wires to prevent short circuiting   
   >>   
   >> - gaffer tape does not stretch substantially, is about 2" wide,   
   >>    and is used for making sure (already-insulated) cables don't   
   >>    move around on the floor, walls, etc.   
   >   
   > Subsequent posts have made it clear that "gaffer tape" may be   
   > any of:   
   > - duc[kt] tape - silver, very sticky, cloth tape   
   > - electrical tape - usually black or white, stretchable plastic   
   >    - also very sticky   
   > - painter's masking tape - usually paper backed, removable with   
   >    minimum residue. May be beige, yellow, blue or green - different   
   >    brands with different properties.   
   >   
   > Since - as I understand it - a "gaffer" is a stagehand specializing   
   > in electrical wiring, I would expect that they would be prone to   
   > using electrical tape. My understanding (which may be faulty)   
   > is also that only movie sets have full-time work for a proper   
   > gaffer. On a movie set, there may be wiring belonging to different   
   > groups, so the wiring may be color coded to quickly recognize who owns   
   > what wiring, so you can dismantle it separately as the set is broken   
   > down. Work may be inside, or if outside, mostly in good weather,   
   > and installation is very temporary. So a desire for something that   
   > does not leave a mess.   
   >   
   > A music roadie mostly works outdoors, subject to weather. Also very   
   > temporary installations. Needs more stability than afforded by   
   > paper backed tape. Duct tapes leave sticky cables, but you live   
   > with it.   
   >   
   You simply have no clue.   
      
   Roadies work in concert halls and clubs. Gaffer tape is there to stop   
   the cloth eared musos high on drugs tripping [over] the cables and   
   puklling connectrirs out,. Its les sof an issue these days with radio   
   mics and so on.   
      
   > Stage markings are semi permanent (weeks or months), may need   
   > color coding. Sticky residue is not desirable. No single kind   
   > of tape meets every objective. So masking tape or electrical tape   
   > each meet half the objectives.   
   >   
   > Are we all in alignment here?   
      
   --   
   “It is hard to imagine a more stupid decision or more dangerous way of   
   making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people   
   who pay no price for being wrong.”   
      
   Thomas Sowell   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)