# Gaff-tape color-matching



## Jay Ashworth (Aug 7, 2021)

I'm trying to figure out whether Pro-Gaff red or burgundy will match my theatre's wall paint well enough I can use it to hide some camera cabling... without having to buy it first. :-}

I have paint books that I can use to close-match the paint... I don't suppose anyone here has both the tape in stock *and* a set of paint chip books they could look in?


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## RonHebbard (Aug 7, 2021)

Jay Ashworth said:


> I'm trying to figure out whether Pro-Gaff red or burgundy will match my theatre's wall paint well enough I can use it to hide some camera cabling... without having to buy it first. :-}
> 
> I have paint books that I can use to close-match the paint... I don't suppose anyone here has both the tape in stock *and* a set of paint chip books they could look in?


Have you considered repainting your venue to match the Gaffer's tape of your choice? 
Toodleoo! 
Ron Hebbard


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 7, 2021)

Yeah I did. But it look like it was going to cost three or four bucks, so...


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## TimMc (Aug 7, 2021)

Jay Ashworth said:


> I'm trying to figure out whether Pro-Gaff red or burgundy will match my theatre's wall paint well enough I can use it to hide some camera cabling... without having to buy it first. :-}
> 
> I have paint books that I can use to close-match the paint... I don't suppose anyone here has both the tape in stock *and* a set of paint chip books they could look in?


A call to Sure-Tape might get you the Pantone color match for their tapes. Or the might send samples.


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## RonHebbard (Aug 7, 2021)

TimMc said:


> A call to Sure-Tape might get you the Pantone color match for their tapes. Or they might send samples.


The brand of T shirts I buy has a list of their available colo(u)rs including several identified as PMS colo(u)rs. Not being familiar with PMS colo(u)rs, my curiosity was piqued. 
PMS = Pantone Matching System. Who'd ever have thunk?
Toodleoo! 
Ron Hebbard


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 7, 2021)

In fact, Pantone deprecates "PMS" now; they just use "Pantone" to tag the color codes: "Pantone 302C".


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## JonCarter (Aug 7, 2021)

I think Jay is pulling some legs with this one . . .


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 7, 2021)

Nope. Jay's dead serious. I have to get power, PL and camera cables back to my booth, up a 20 foot wall into my box booms, and I can't spend any of the college's money at all.


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## egilson1 (Aug 8, 2021)

White gaff and a pint of color matched paint?


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## Ben Stiegler (Aug 8, 2021)

Are you relocating existing eqpt to make our life easier? Boggles me that you have no budget from them to handle a facilities maintenance or upgrade task...

sometimes I have heard from a friend that when bureaucracy obstructs small purchases, a few extra hours may be added to a time sheet to cover out of pocket matls, mileage, etc. hypothetically ...


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## RonHebbard (Aug 8, 2021)

Ben Stiegler said:


> Are you relocating existing eqpt to make your life easier? Boggles me that you have no budget from them to handle a facilities maintenance or upgrade task...
> 
> sometimes I have heard from a friend that when bureaucracy obstructs small purchases, a few extra hours may be added to a time sheet to cover out of pocket matls, mileage, etc. hypothetically ...


Do your friend's initials happen to be B. S.? I once had a close friend who did the same thing. 
Toodleoo! 
Ron Hebbard


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## Amiers (Aug 8, 2021)

Leave the cables lay and walk the powers that be by it when they ask what’s that explain no budget to conceal so it’s “new wall art” or whatever clever wording you choose. It will get address pretty quick.


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## JohnD (Aug 8, 2021)

Since the admin won't provide a budget for this, I would be tempted to go to wallyworld and buy a cheap roll of that patterned duct tape, they have a lovely (cough-cough) pink and purple leopard print I believe. Of course, that might end with building maintenance having to repaint some parts of the wall.


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 8, 2021)

Ben Stiegler said:


> Are you relocating existing eqpt to make our life easier? Boggles me that you have no budget from them to handle a facilities maintenance or upgrade task...
> 
> sometimes I have heard from a friend that when bureaucracy obstructs small purchases, a few extra hours may be added to a time sheet to cover out of pocket matls, mileage, etc. hypothetically ...


I am relocating the broadcast desk to where *I* want it, so as (mostly) to avoid people having to hear me direct.

It is, to a certain amount, over my boss's dead body, so I'm constrained to do it in a way that doesn't cost money.  He would prefer I set up in the spot pocket, but to my taste, that doesn't solve the sound problem, and is a massive pain in the ass in 4 other ways too, not to mention making me climb a ladder 10 times a day...


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 8, 2021)

egilson1 said:


> White gaff and a pint of color matched paint.


Or the red stuff, yeah.


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## Ben Stiegler (Aug 8, 2021)

RonHebbard said:


> Do your friend's initials happen to be B. S.? I once had a close friend who did the same thing.
> Toodleoo!
> Ron Hebbard


What a coincidence! We should introduce these friends someday soon …


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## Ben Stiegler (Aug 8, 2021)

Jay Ashworth said:


> I am relocating the broadcast desk to where *I* want it, so as (mostly) to avoid people having to hear me direct.
> 
> It is, to a certain amount, over my boss's dead body, so I'm constrained to do it in a way that doesn't cost money.  He would prefer I set up in the spot pocket, but to my taste, that doesn't solve the sound problem, and is a massive pain in the ass in 4 other ways too, not to mention making me climb a ladder 10 times a day...


You could ask him for a bosn chair and a hoist motor— the paint will seem like a bargain in comparison…


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 8, 2021)

Ben Stiegler said:


> You could ask him for a bosn chair and a hoist motor— the paint will seem like a bargain in comparison…


I would in fact need a bosuns chair to paint the tape after I put it in. I might well need one just to put the tape up.

It's what our British cousins would call a Dog's Breakfast.


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## Ben Stiegler (Aug 8, 2021)

Perhaps its time to consider a career shift to the highly paid worlds of box-office staffing or restaurant management ...


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 9, 2021)

Ben Stiegler said:


> Perhaps its time to consider a career shift to the highly paid worlds of box-office staffing or restaurant management ...


Sure. But TV is my jam, and... well, half a dozen reasons. This is the problem I have to solve, and converting it into a different problem won't get me where I want to go.


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## RonHebbard (Aug 9, 2021)

Jay Ashworth said:


> Sure. But TV is my jam, and... well, half a dozen reasons. This is the problem I have to solve, and converting it into a different problem won't get me where I want to go.


Have you / they considered a neatly installed run of Panduct and / or PVC rigid conduit and / or ABS neatly installed once and painted to match its surroundings?
For color matching, remove a switch or receptacle cover plate or a small length of molding, take to your paint dealer for matching, then reinstall it. Panduct's cover is removable if things get hopelessly tangled. Pull lines could be your friend and ALWAYS pull in a new one if / when you're pulling one out.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## macsound (Aug 9, 2021)

I used to purchase samplers from findtape.com when I needed to make color choices. Some hotels I worked in had a different color per floor so conference room setups had tape that matched the carpet.
But alas, the website has so many words and so little spacing, my eyes are literally twitching at the moment and can't find the sampler.


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 11, 2021)

macsound said:


> I used to purchase samplers from findtape.com


Ooooh!

I had missed them. Thanks.

[ ETA: ] Wow. They hit all three corners of the triangle: Wide selection, real item descriptions... and posted prices.

And Polyken 510 is available in *8"*??


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## MarshallPope (Aug 11, 2021)

Looking at their website, I found this interesting as well. GAFF-TEST-PACK Gaffers Tape Challenge Pack


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 11, 2021)

Oh, that's *those* people; I forgot about them. They've upped their web game considerable.

And yes, that's really cool; I think I got one once. Been 7 or 8 years; I don't remember the results.


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## theatremgr (Aug 11, 2021)

Of course whatever you tape with after a while and you try to remove it the wall will need some serious repair and repainting.
*Duct tape is best used for its intended purposes, duct work.
Any tape is death on Gold leafed surfaces.*


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 11, 2021)

Certainly. But I've taken *good* gaff (P-665) off painted gypsum after a year. If you know how to do it properly, and you don't rush, you can do it without lifting any paint, especially if -- like here -- the paint's had 8 years or more to cure.

And we don't even let duct tape through the doors; we'll evict you for that.

Glitter too.

And hay.


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## DrewE (Aug 11, 2021)

theatremgr said:


> Of course whatever you tape with after a while and you try to remove it the wall will need some serious repair and repainting.
> *Duct tape is best used for its intended purposes, duct work.*


What's commonly known as duct tape is actually pretty crummy for ductwork, and not permitted by code in many areas. It presumably does still work well for its original purpose, namely sealing ammunition cases against water etc. while being quick to apply and remove in battle situations--and properly was called duck tape, as it was originally made on a cotton duck fabric base. Appropriate tapes for ductwork are usually more like self-adhesive aluminum foil (and can be handy for some other sorts of repairs, too, being non-stretching, quite strong in tension, and holding its shape when creased).


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## JonCarter (Aug 11, 2021)

Add SPANISH MOSS to Jay's list of NeverInMyHouse!


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 12, 2021)

DrewE said:


> What's commonly known as duct tape is actually pretty crummy for ductwork, and not permitted by code in many areas. It presumably does still work well for its original purpose, namely sealing ammunition cases against water etc. while being quick to apply and remove in battle situations--and properly was called duck tape, as it was originally made on a cotton duck fabric base. Appropriate tapes for ductwork are usually more like self-adhesive aluminum foil (and can be handy for some other sorts of repairs, too, being non-stretching, quite strong in tension, and holding its shape when creased).


Which is to say that we know this *now*, but HVAC installers did used to use "duct tape" back in the 70s and 80s for taping "ducts" -- I've heard convincing arguments both ways as to which name came first...


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## Allana (Aug 17, 2021)

I second the idea of painting it. Tape NEVER matches the color of something else and something thats a little-off color will draw your eye (especially if you are talking TV, not theater).
Maybe you can pre-paint the tape, stick it to something else, and then transfer it.

Another idea that hasn't been mentioned but isn't as good as paint - email your tape-shop and ask them to send you a picture of both rolls side-by-side with something else that you can compare to..... like gel which they probably have in stock.


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 17, 2021)

True enough. In this case, there's rarely enough ambient light in the room for non-professionals to notice it, I suspect, and it will be right at an acute fold in the wall, too (we have those FLW-style acoustic bulges in both sidewalls, and it's at the deepest joint).

I'd prefer to use wiremold, but I don't think I can sell that to the boss, until someone above him sells it to him, which might yet (cough-DELTA-cough) happen this summer. I just got a measuring rope in from Amazon, so I can get a tighter grip on the scope of the problem. I may just have to come back to the door to that room, for both the booth run and the floor run, and suck up the extra cable length. I have 4 or 5 weeks to set it up, so it's not as pressing as it might be.


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## FMEng (Aug 17, 2021)

It sounds like you need a laser tape. They are very handy and getting cheaper.


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## Jay Ashworth (Aug 17, 2021)

They are, but they aren't really great at holding cables up a 25ft wall...


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## EmilBarnabas (Aug 18, 2021)

More Duct Tape history - After the war, soldiers brought the Duck Tape home with them and, since houses were just beginning to get HVAC systems, they found that Duck Tape worked well sealing Ducts, until the real Foil Tape for ducts came along.


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## Chase P. (Aug 25, 2021)

RonHebbard said:


> Have you considered repainting your venue to match the Gaffer's tape of your choice?
> Toodleoo!
> Ron Hebbard


We slightly altered the color of some Ringling Brothers driveable props to match red electricians tape. Saved a ton of time on emergency touch ups, but management would have kicked our butts for doing it.


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## TimMc (Aug 25, 2021)

Chase P. said:


> We slightly altered the color of some Ringling Brothers driveable props to match red electricians tape. Saved a ton of time on emergency touch ups, but management would have kicked our butts for doing it.


Feldian Phollies. Everything's a circus.


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