Gaffer tape
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Cling gaffa cloth tape.jpgGaffer tape (also, gaffer's tape, gaffa tape, gaff tape, or cloth tape) is a tough, fabric backed adhesive tape used in the movie and entertainment industry and elsewhere. The tape is manufactured in many colours, including fluorescent and custom colours, but the most commonly seen variety is matte black, since this blends in with the typical stage floor of a theatre. Although the tape is difficult to break by pulling, it is easily torn by hand along either axis and leaves little to no residue when removed. When cables are taped down on a stage, they are sometimes said to be gaffered or gaffed.
The tape is most likely named for the gaffer, the film crew member responsible for rigging lights.
A 4" wide version, commonly known as Dutchman's tape, is also available. This name probably came from the common method of plastering two canvas flats together. As 2" gaffer tape is easier to deal with, it has become more commonly used. Gaffer tape is manufactured in six-foot tubes which are then cut into narrower rolls for sale. This means that extra-wide gaffer up to (as an extreme example) six feet can be special-ordered, though it can be hard to pull the tape from very wide rolls.
The tape is commonly referred to within the British Army as 'black and nasty'.
In the US, duct tape, although a different material, is frequently used for similar purposes.