# Out of Gaff Tape!



## rwhealey (Mar 12, 2009)

I was starting to gaff down some cables yesterday when my roll ran out. 

I went backstage to the place where our director hid the box of gaff tape (so nobody uses it to make white shoes black for run...)

AND THERE'S AN EMPTY BOX!!!!!

Fortunately, I had finished the sections that people might walk over, so I grabbed some dark spike tape and put down a couple of strips so the cables wouldn't move.

A new box should be on the way  I think this one lasted a year and a half. Before we hid them, it was less than a year.


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## DaveySimps (Mar 12, 2009)

That is both expensive and frustrating. I am usually VERY flexible and easy going, but nothing frustrates me more than when I go out of my way to make sure we are well stocked and organized, and I cannot find what I need for the task at hand.

Tape got so bad that I decided to have one stash by the rail for crew use. The case is is an odd ball storage room that few people have access to. That seem to do the trick. Ever since then, everyone has always had tape when they need it, and I only go through a case or so a year, instead of two or three. And, no one feel likes they need to ask for tape, it just always seems to be refilled before the roll or two gets low.

~Dave


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## mnfreelancer (Mar 13, 2009)

This is a problem more at our hotels than our rental warehouse. I've found myself holding the last roll and not realizing it, using it up and finding no more in the box. The housemen seem to like to use it for random things that duct tape would be far more appropriate for. I'm happy though because at the warehouse we have two cases on deck - we shouldn't be running out for a couple of months now.


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## chris325 (Mar 18, 2009)

The worst part is when directors find the stash of gaff tape, and then proceed to use ridiculous amouts of it on things completely non-theatrical, completely oblivious to how much gaff tape costs.


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## mattbarnes84 (Mar 18, 2009)

1 in my truck, 5 in the AV booth, and one taped under the house amps for bad times... next day none can be found for a show? how dose this happen...


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## NickJones (Mar 20, 2009)

chris325 said:


> The worst part is when directors find the stash of gaff tape, and then proceed to use ridiculous amouts of it on things completely non-theatrical, completely oblivious to how much gaff tape costs.



I had a conversation like this last week:
Director: Nick, please can you gaffa some chairs together, I want to make a couch for the set.
Nick: We are having a real couch for the show, why can't we just get the stage crew to carry on 3 chairs?
Director: It's easier to tape together.
Nick: (Sigh) Ok
Director: Good, all taped together!
[Ten minates later, after scene has finnished. Stage crew try and carry off chairs taped together, only to find it bends, and there needs to be 3 people to carry off the 3 taped together chair]
Director: Nick, please can you gaffa that some more?
Nick: It will do exactly the same thing, only use more tape, the chairs are bending, not the tape,
Director: Try it.
Nick: See, same thing.
Director: Oh
Nick: Where is the other roll of gaffa?
Director: The arm rest on my chair fell off.
Nick: So where is it?
Director: Used.

FRUSTRATING!
Nick


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## Eboy87 (Mar 22, 2009)

I'll admit that when I first saw this thread, I thought it was going to be about Gafftaper. Gaff, where have you gone?

I have nothing real constructive to add to this thread.


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## cdub260 (Mar 22, 2009)

Eboy87 said:


> I'll admit that when I first saw this thread, I thought it was going to be about Gafftaper. Gaff, where have you gone?



Lately Gafftaper has been busy playing evil overlord over in the Off Topic Forum


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## lieperjp (Mar 22, 2009)

cdub260 said:


> Lately Gafftaper has been busy playing evil overlord over in the Off Topic Forum



Yet another reason to become a CB supporter!!! (To everyone out there...)

Ok, Gafftaper, you can point the gun somewhere else now...


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## thatactorguy (Apr 12, 2009)

chris325 said:


> The worst part is when directors find the stash of gaff tape, and then proceed to use ridiculous amouts of it on things completely non-theatrical, completely oblivious to how much gaff tape costs.



I recently built a set for a high school production an hour away from me. After final construction, I forgot to take my gaff home with me, but didn't realize it until a few days later. When I went to see the show, somebody had discovered my gaffa and used it to tie up the sheriff in the show (he was supposed to be). Since they only ran two performances and I had four more rolls at home, I waited until strike on Monday to bring it home. Duct tape would've looked more believable, but unfortunately, the students thought they'd found a roll of black duct tape. *sigh*


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## NickJones (Apr 14, 2009)

thatactorguy said:


> Students thought they'd found a roll of black duct tape. *sigh*



That is unforgivable.
Truly unforgivable...
Nick


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## renegadeblack (Apr 14, 2009)

I had brought a roll of gaff tape into school from home and I tell my crew to go easy on it, it was a brand spanking new roll, so I told them that it was expensive. They went friggin hog wild, I told them to tape down one cable and half the friggin roll was gone. I reimbursed myself by taking a new roll that we got. 

I suspect that if everyone realized just how expensive it was, they'd be much more conservative in it's usage. I think that something that may be interesting to do is have everyone on the crew buy their own roll so that they realize just how much it costs. 

Which brings me to my hijack 

How much to you guys normally pay for gaff tape?

I pay $30 a roll from B&H.


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## spiwak2005 (Apr 14, 2009)

Ouch! Usually between $12-15...


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## derekleffew (Apr 14, 2009)

I tell new crew members it's approximately 10¢ a foot. ($17.95 for a 2" wide, 60-yard roll.) Ten cents may not seem like much, but when you don't have any, it's priceless.

Use enough to do the job, but do not waste.


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## thatactorguy (Apr 14, 2009)

renegadeblack said:


> I suspect that if everyone realized just how expensive it was, they'd be much more conservative in it's usage. I think that something that may be interesting to do is have everyone on the crew buy their own roll so that they realize just how much it costs.
> 
> Which brings me to my hijack
> 
> ...



A few of our instruments are still the theatre's original coffee cans- literally coffee cans. When I gel them, I use a 2"x3" piece on each corner of the gel. No more than they come on, that's plenty to hold the gel. We had an ED/LD who used enough gaff to circle the can at least twice; I discovered this when I lit the next show. Had to be careful not to tear the gel, and a huge waste of the stuff. Of course, he didn't pay for it out of his pocket, so cost wasn't his concern...

I get Pro-Gaff for $12-15.


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## waynehoskins (Apr 14, 2009)

renegadeblack said:


> I pay $30 a roll from B&H.



Ouch too! I'm used to half that, 12-15 as someone else noted too.

But if you tell the people who are wasting it that it's 30/roll, maybe they'll use less...


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## ReiRei (Apr 14, 2009)

We don't usually run out of gaff tape that often. Last year I caught someone using it to write "hello" in tape on a desk in the booth. Our tech class had a discussion the next day about how expensive gaff tape is.

We do run out of duct tape though which is a little sad. In fact, I was just looking for some to tape a rose onto our booth wall. There seems to be none which means now I have to go to Ace and buy duct tape myself.

Curse you tape eating theatre monster!


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## icewolf08 (Apr 14, 2009)

renegadeblack said:


> How much to you guys normally pay for gaff tape?
> 
> I pay $30 a roll from B&H.



If you are paying that much for gaff, you are being robbed. I love B&H, but they are not the place to go for things like tape. If you need a new camera then B&H is great.

Try going to your local theatre supplier or to one of the national suppliers like Production Advantage or BMI Supply. Locally, I pay about $15 per roll for single rolls and get about a $1 off per roll when I buy a case (including mixed cases of black and white). BMI I think is like $12 per roll with the same dollar off discount for full cases of BMI core tape.


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## tech2000 (Apr 20, 2009)

My crew used to go through about a box o gaff a show. Glad to say that doesn't happen anymore!


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## gafftaper (Apr 20, 2009)

Eboy87 said:


> I'll admit that when I first saw this thread, I thought it was going to be about Gafftaper. Gaff, where have you gone?
> I have nothing real constructive to add to this thread.



I'm here... just didn't notice this thread. I've been busy with a couple of different shows and events lately. I'll try to be around more. 

As for the rest of this thread...

OUT OF GAFF!?!?! HERESY!!!! Never let it happen! 

If you're paying $30 a roll you are buying at the wrong place. 

Used your gaff to tie up the sheriff in a show.... yeah duct would have worked but it could have been a lot more painful to remove if it got on skin. As a TD I would definitely go for gaff first in this situation.


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## photoatdv (Apr 20, 2009)

We go through about 6-12 rolls every dance production, but that's because we have to tape down all the pieces of Marley. So it's a legit production use (the marley is REALLY expensive, so we can't use duct tape on it).

Speaking about duct tape vs. gaff on skin we had an interesting experiment on an event I did this weekend(I will post the story of that show when I get the chance... it was quite an adventure... in a good way). So this was a fundraiser and middle of the night some guys decided they'd shave their legs if people would donate money. Well the people doing the shaving didn't know what they were doing so we had some injuries and I grabbed gaff tape (for lack of a first aid kit). And next thing they were taking donations to pull the hair off their legs with gaff tape and/or duct tape. The gaff pulled a little bit of hair but didn't hurt much. The duct really hurt (and pulled more hair). By the way this is all being determined by what I saw... I was definately NOT part of that circus.

Note: There was NO alcohol involved... I don't think the guys from the production co. believed me when they came back in the morning and heard all the stories (and found several hair covered pieces of tape during strike).


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## gafftapegreenia (Apr 20, 2009)

Actually, for Marley floor, you should be using NEITHER gaff, or God forbid, duct tape, what you should be using is vinyl dance floor tape: Pro-Splice Vinyl Dance Floor Tape, Black, 2" X 36 yd


I had a fight with a dance student recently over me using it for other purposes other than Marley. It's nice cheap wide flexible vinyl tape. She was convinced it cost $20 a roll. Its $5. 


I never use duct tape hardly ever anymore. Only if I'm making the seldom wallet. 
Gorilla tape is great stuff, I seldom use it but its great if you never want it to come off, and I"m serious, it does not come off. We used it in high school to tape the legs together on our old stage platforms who's edges were so beat up the locks didn't work.


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## thatactorguy (Apr 25, 2009)

gafftaper said:


> Used your gaff to tie up the sheriff in a show.... yeah duct would have worked but it could have been a lot more painful to remove if it got on skin. As a TD I would definitely go for gaff first in this situation.



Had I known they were going to tape him in the first place, I would've suggested rope instead. Wrap it around the wrists a few times, the audience will never know the diff 

I wound up doing sound- not running- for HSM2, and am in charge of taping the lapels on the actresses. Removal at the end of the show makes me cringe when they cringe; takes me back to my days of performing Greater Tuna and having a lav taped on me...


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## NickJones (Apr 25, 2009)

gafftapegreenia said:


> I had a fight with a dance student recently over me using it for other purposes other than Marley. It's nice cheap wide flexible vinyl tape. She was convinced it cost $20 a roll. Its $5.


Silence is golden,
Duct tape is silver.

I have been very tempted to gaff some peoples mouths up many times. 

We pay $16 AUD per roll, (about $12 US) for Nashua gaffa, and we buy it in bulk, 100 rolls 

As for a waste, I must admit, one show I got rather bored during a show, and gaffered my laptop lid. It looks pretty awesome. I have to admit. It looks like the leather bound ones, and it doesn't scratch!

I found this in a store room the other day
 
Waste much? (I'd like to point out this wasn't me, I wouldn't have the patience!)

Nick


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## gafftapegreenia (Apr 25, 2009)

I use medical tape to put on lav mics. 

I remember in high school they would take my gaff tape and use it to tape the mic packs on the actors. So much gaff....


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## thatactorguy (Apr 26, 2009)

I also use medical tape, gafftapegreenia; sorry for the misunderstanding. One would think a theatre person would know better about communicating clearly


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