XPost: alt.unix.geeks   
   From: lars@beagle-ears.com   
      
   [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.   
      
   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?   
   --   
   Lars Poulsen - an old geek in Santa Barbara, California   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)