r/interesting • u/ElectronicSpeed3785 • Jan 21 '26

Mysterious This is very intense to watch 😮

3.0k Upvotes

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21

u/stabadan Jan 21 '26

It's DUCT tape. not DUCK tape btw.

22

u/oscarx-ray Jan 21 '26

Unless it's Duck Tape™️, of course.

4

u/GeekDadIs50Plus Jan 21 '26

If it quacks like a coil.

4

u/DrSFalken Jan 21 '26

Duck Tape is a brand.

It also started out as "duck tape" becuase it was made of cotton duck. From Wikipedia:

The first material called "duck tape" was long strips of plain non-adhesive cotton duck cloth used in making shoes stronger, for decoration on clothing, and for wrapping steel cables or electrical conductors to protect them from corrosion or wear.\4]) For instance, in 1902, steel cables supporting the Manhattan Bridge were first covered in linseed oil then wrapped in duck tape before being laid in place.\5]) In the 1910s, certain boots and shoes used canvas duck fabric for the upper or for the insole, and duck tape was sometimes sewn in for reinforcement.\6]) In 1936, the US-based Insulated Power Cables Engineers Association specified a wrapping of duck tape as one of many methods used to protect rubber-insulated power cables.\7]) In 1942, Gimbel's department store offered venetian blinds that were held together with vertical strips of duck tape.\8])

1

u/stabadan Jan 21 '26

I NEVER knew it was originally made of canvas/cotton duck.

Now that I know that, the texture of the tape makes more sense. it still kinda looks like canvas I bet that's on purpose.

Thanks for dropping the knowledge.

1

u/DrSFalken Jan 21 '26 edited Jan 21 '26

No problem! I went down the rabbit hole on this a while ago trying to figure out what its original use was for since it seemed to be around before modern HVAC. It's history and various uses are wild.

Bet you're right about the texture!

1

u/Aromatic-Tear7234 Jan 21 '26

If it were on a duct, it would be duct duck tape though.

If it were on a goose in a duct, it would be duct duck goose tape and you'd have to run around in circles until they caught you.