How much heat can gaffer's tape take?

W

WonJohnSoup

Active member
Hi, I did a search and didn't find the answear to this. Basically, I was thinking of just taping sheets of blackwrap around some home depot worklights to create a quick ad-hoc barndoors/snoot setup. I understand I can go through the entire process of actaully building barndoors and getting them onto the lights, but I'm bad at that. So anyways, would taping gaffer' tape to say, a 500w worklight cause them to catch fire to melt? Thanx for any help!
 
They probably could last a decent amount of time, but not long enough for them to be there permanently by any means.
 
I'm betting < 1 minute.

I would not suggest it. If you want to rig blackwrap to a work light use a c47 (clothespin) or even a bulldog clip.
 
The tape is made to not burst into flame. It will melt and leave residue. And as Gohanto said, it will smell.

Gaff tape on barn doors seems to work much better, but since you are using home depot work lights, you would be best with c-47's or just using enough black rap that you can mold the edges of the black wrap around the corners of the light and have it stick on that way. Just make sure to leave enough space for the heat to escape (best to leave the top uncovered with anything)
 
Try putting gaff onto a piece of blackwrap and then letting it sit as barndoors on a hot light. It wont catch fire but it WILL smoke. Even more depending on the size of the gaff piece. Don't bother with using gaff near hot surfaces, it is dependent on an adhesive that cannont withstand hot temps for prolonged periods of time.

Filmtools.com has blackwrap for $20. You can also use aluminum foil if your simply trying to shape the light. Beware of spill and reflections though.
 
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