nesc39 Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Does anyone use reinforced gummed tape for pasting their shells? It has the string embedded inside of the tape for strength. I've never made a shell before so I don't know if its better or worse than regular gummed tape. I fig it might make shell burst harder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTUPyro Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Never used it, but as much as I heard it burst shell harder and requiers less pasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaMtnBkr Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I've never heard of it being used and have never seen it in narrower sizes. I also think it would probably not lay down as smooth as regular tape. But I have never used it so don't know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowcat1969 Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I have used it and it works fairly well, you simply have to cut it into narrower strips before wetting, which can be tedious. Unless you have a band saw and can cut the entire roll down. It is a bit heavier than regular gummed paper tape and, as FlaMtnBkr says, takes a bit more work to get it to lay smoothly as well, but can be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I don't really like the idea of reinforced gummed tape for pasting. Besides just giving confinement to the burst, the pasted layer also makes the shell solid to survive lifting forces. Reinforced tape being stronger, would require fewer layers. I would think that this makes it harder to dial in shells bursts, even if it did save time/effort. I'd also be somewhat concerned about the integrity of the shell wall. While the shell wall would offer more resistance to bursting, I don't know if it'd actually be any physically stronger, as the composition is still mostly comprised of paper. I draw a comparison to rebar reinforced concrete. Yes, it is overall stronger and harder to actually break, however reinforced concrete is still no more difficult to chip through and probably only somewhat harder to crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowcat1969 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I should also add that what I was using it on was hybrid 2" spherical shells with plastic hemis. As a method of "pasting in" with the plastic already completely sealed. Within that small method of use, I thing it worked pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cogbarry Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I haven't used it, if I did, it might be just for a wrap around the equator where the two hemis meet. I agree with Mumbles and have never understood all the threads on how many layers when pasting shells or trying something to reduce the need for layers. I paste until the shell is the correct diameter so I don't have to worry about low breaks or inconsistencies due to blow by of lift gasses. You're way better off learning to do things correctly than trying to find short cuts. Just my 2 cents. If you can afford it, I highly recommend a WASP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taiwanluthiers Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Gum tape resaws terribly... I tried it with whatever blade pitch I can find and it just doesn't work well no matter what. Best result I actually had was with finer pitched blades such as 6TPI. Problem is even unused gum tape doesn't have much integrity so the layers move around as they are being cut, leading to blade binding and burning, as well as potentially ruining the blade. As soon as I was able to grunt through it it worked great for pasting 3" shells. Also make sure you make a jig to hold the gum tape, as the round shape can cause the piece to self-feed leading to injuries if you are not careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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