Valentine Giftwrap What could be more romantic for Valentine's Day than a hand-wrapped present? You should have seen the adoration on her face when she noticed the finely crafted bow.
- Romantically,Jeff C., Philadelphia, PA.

Or, Xmas Wrap My wife has an obsession about opening Christmas presents early. She likes to carefully open them, look at the contents, and then reseal the package. It's become somewhat of a challenge to stop this, so this year I put her presents into several garbage bags, tied them up, ductaped the openings securely, and then wrote "Merry Christmas" in Russian on all of the tape surfaces. She couldn't open the bags because the tape wouldn't let her, and she couldn't replace the tape because she doesn't write in Russian. Worked like a charm! - thorn

Ski Pant Windproofer I am an avid skier on a budget so when I cut my nylon ski pants I needed to repair them economically. That's when all the years of duck taping came in handy. In order to mend the cuts, roughly 6 or 7 inches above my boot and approximately 2 inches long, there were 3 cuts, I pre-cut the tape and slid it into the cut and then pressed down. It is holding up well and is invisible to the untrained eye. - Harry and David C.

Amaryllis Plant Repair
My beloved amaryllis plant was knocked over (by me) and the stem broke in half-I duct-taped the stem and it has survived. GOD BLESS DUCT TAPE-once again, it saved the day. I have never entered a contest in my life. I AM A LOYAL DUCT-TAPE USER. Forty-six years old woman. Kindest regards from Margaret, another duct tape loyal fan.

"Dup Take" Many young children go through a phase where they can (and will) unnecessarily remove their own diapers. But when you have triplets, this can be an especially "messy" problem. Meet Kathryn, the "oldest" of our triplets. As the "ringleader," she led the way in untimely diaper removal. Solution: Turn the diaper around backwards so that the tabs are on the back (small children may freak at the sight of an unfamiliar gray streak on the front of their diapers) and apply a six inch strip to bind the diaper tabs together. Kathryn, William, and Laura Grace are now well adjusted 3-1/2 years olds. All thanks to "dup take," as my little ones call it. - Jim A., Huntsville, Alabama

Check out our NEW Diaper Gallery page!

Birks on a Roll
Birkenstocks are a fad at my school, so I decided that I would try to outdo everybody else. I took a roll of duck tape, a couple layers of cardboard, and some Kleenexes for foot support, and made the weirdest pair of birks ever devised by human kind. And the most bizarre thing is that everybody loved them! And I have no idea why. For Pete's sake, just check out the picture. They may not be pretty, but I'm one of the only people in the world who at any time can go out with duck tape on his feet and be comfortable. - Drew M., Polk County, NC

Helps the Mail Get Through Last summer the mail boxes for my neighbor and I fell over; the post had rotted through at the bottom, and when the boxes hit the ground, they came off of their platform. I couldn't get to them to fix them for several days, so I used my old standby, duct tape, to ensure that we continued to get our mail delivered! - Dee, Dallas, TX

Making Light Work of Holiday Lighting Having moved to Arizona a few years ago, I was stumped as to how to decorate my house with Christmas lights, especially on the roof and eaves of the house. You cant sink nails in the stucco on the sides of the house and the entire roof is covered in Mexican tile. I duct taped the lights to the top of our house and was the only one to have the entire house covered. It actually has now become a holiday business for me, charging between $100.00 and $300.00 depending on the size of roof. They have to buy the lights and the duct tape. I should patent the idea. - William H., Scottsdale Arizona

Police Suzuki Seat Saver My last years on the police force I drove a 1978 Suzuki 1000. The seat ripped with age so I duct taped it and soon found out that going over a certain speed limit, my butt was sliding off the seat and I was almost straight out. Fortunately, I have a new 1500 minus any tape. At my surprise retirement party two & one half years ago I received many fine gifts and then... a bag with different colored duct tape. - Mike A., Middletown, RI

Billy Ballas White Gray Board Here at college everyone has white boards on their doors, but one of my friend's did not. I took a bulletin board from one of my friend's and covered it with duct tape to create a duct tape dry erase board that works great and is way more stylish than anybody else's. - Billy Ballas, San Luis Obispo, CA

Nathan's North Carolina Mountain Dew Sandals I was at a summer camp with boyscouts in north carolina. My sneakers fallen off during our whitewater rafting trip and we needed to have shoes to walk around the camp - camp policy. So I had to improvise. I had a roll of ducttape and an empty Mountain Dew box. So i traced my foot out on a piece of the box, cut 2 of them out and made sandals, but the camp policy is closed toe shoes - so I closed them in. Then they said my shoes had to have a back on them. I completely enclosed them and had a pair of ducttape and mountain dew box shoes. A lot of the younger scouts were asking me to make them shoes like mine, this was over a year ago and I still have the shoes. - nathan

Classic Recliner Salvage Job I found a old recliner that some one was going to throw out and so I thought "Hey that would look good in silver". I used 3 rolls to cover the chair and then use one of the empty rolls and some tape to make a cup holder. I also have attatched a pocket on the side for a remote control. - James E.

Baking Companion I have discovered a new use while baking!! I don't have a bread board so I use parchment paper to roll pastry out or cookies, etc. As the paper moved around while using the rolling pin I thought, "How can I hold it down so I can roll dough out between parchment paper? Voila! I thought of duct tape! It worked, so I thought I'd pass it on! - Birdie

Canoe Repair This past summer the guys from my office, my brother and I went on a weekend fishing trip to one of the Adirondack Mountains, beautiful lakes in upstate New York. We had 6 guys and three canoes full of fishing gear plus coolers of food and drink. Well once we portaged all of our stuff to the lake and started to paddle to our site my brother&Mac226;s boat started taking on water. Well with in 30min of paddling the canoe had about 5 inches of water in it. They ended up having to paddle to shore empty their boat and dump the water out. By the time we got to our campsite they had another four inches in their boat. That night we thought of ways to fix the canoe, the only thing that we had was DUCT TAPE. The next morning before we started fishing I threw my brother a roll and he went to work. Well, for the rest of the weekend they had no trouble at all. The Duct Tape worked great. This picture is of my brother and the canoe all patched up. Thanks Duct Tape. - Tony and the Fishing Crew

Boulstering your GPA with Duct Tape Matt Wolfe of Millersville University (near Lancaster, PA) gave a duct tape speech and got a womping 95 out of 100 points. As you can see, Matt even dressed the part (entirely in duct tape) - you couldn't even see him sweat. Nice goin' Matt!

Life Saver Hey I'm Cara... I have this wierd obsession with duct tape (as do many other people on this website). I thought that one day it would be a great idea to make clothing and accesories out of duct tape.My friendas and I always get together to make clothes and wallets and bracelets, etc... It's wonderful! I recently wore a duct tape skirt to my high school.. the reactions were awesome! I cant believe how many new friends I have just because of duct tape! It has really saved my life!!! You see, I was feeling kind of sad and depressed.. and I resorted to duct tape. I then started to waste my money on duct tape (its like a healthy alternative to weed) and soon people started to notice me!! So I just want to say thanks to duct tape! It saved me from what could have been a hard fall to rock bottom! - cara

Bulb Removal Got a stubborn bulb? Can't fit your fingers around it in the can to twist it out? Just make a little duct tape "T" to stick on the sturface of the bulf and you can twist it out with ease! Duct Tape is also handy for removing broken bulbs from the sockets. Ever twist a bulb out and the glass comes out and not the metal base? Just wrap duct tape around your finger, sticky-sideout and stick it in the socket (with lamp turned off and unplugged, of course). Twist the broken base out with ease! - Josh, Seattle, WA

Dad's Shoes My dad loves his shoes (photo on right). "I can't wait to get them on the in the morning, they are so comfortable!" he says. When one of them started to meet its demise, he wasn't about to part with them. So, out with the duct tape. This Christmas I'm getting him a roll of brown duct tape and he can do a preventative taping on both shoes. - Tim, St. Paul, MN

More Sole Savers: I worked at a wilderness camp for several years and often found myself stepping out of a tent or canoe into cold mud or icy water. Over the years I wore out several pairs of sneakers and hiking boots, which I spent tons of money on replacing... until my money ran short once and inexpensive duct tape came to the rescue. I used it to patch my shoes and boots repeatedly, finding it waterproof and durable. And, when it did finally wear out, a new layer of tape restored the footwear immediately... and saved me from the $150+ cost of new boots. Good taping! - Dave A., North Vancouver, BC

Duct Tape Alien Queen Here is a costume from last Halloween at The University of Chicago: a full body duct-tape Alien Queen. It stands over eight feet tall, five feet wide, and the head is over six feet deep. It was made with over 200ft of pvc piping and is completely covered with over 1000ft of black duct tape (even the teeth are black duct-tape turned sticky-side out). It is a shame that I don't have good pictures of the 15ft duct-tape/pvc/chain caber we tossed around. - Sawyer G.

For the Birds Rob of Shoreview, MN used duct tape to not only repair the birdhouse roof leak, but also to hang the house (above).

Hondurus Guitar Fix I am attaching what I think is a very unusual use for duct tape (left). Of course I do realize it can be used for ANYTHING! My bother-in-law just sent this picture to me. It was taken in Hondurus, Central America at a Teen ChallangeCenter. Just a man and his guitar and DUCT TAPE. I am a luthier and I have never used duct tape on a guitar, but if it works... I see the top is free to vibrate and I guess it sounded ok and served its purpose. Long live Duct Tape! - Dave, Jamestown, ND

$80 Rose Repair (on the cheap) In the transport of my girlfriends $80 roses, I managed to break a rose stem. It was too late to replace it so I had to think fast. As I thought, I saw a roll of green duck tape and then it hit me. Fix the stem with the duck tape. I then wrapped a few layers of green ducktape around the broken stem and delivered them. My girlfriend didn't even notice. Thanks to handy dandy duck tape, I was saved on valentines day.- John McK., Vicksburg, Mississippi

Bib Button Fix
Shane was so proud of his new Old Navy bibs that his massive heaving chest popped the button hooker thingees. Duct Tape to the rescue once again.

No Doom for the Dune Buggy My dad was cruzin in his dune buggy and landed it wrong bendin one of the steerin arms. He bent it back and kept goin, but littlest bumps would bend it more. I gave him a 1x1 piece of old
wood about 12" long and a roll of duct tape. He taped the 1x1 to the steering arm with about two to three layers of duct tape, just to get him back to camp. It lasted him all weekend and is still in place. He doesn't see the need to remove the duct tape. - Robb P.

Shower Savior I recently moved into a new apartment and needed to take a shower. After a long day of moving in, I had a shower curtain but no shower curtain rings, so I used duct tape as a temporary fix to my problem by taping the curtain up on the rod. Duct tape saved me yet one more time! - Matt

Reworked Snow Shovel
John of Shoreview, MN used duct tape and stick to turn his ergonomically designed snow shovel (now off the market, because they didn't work) into a regular snow shovel.

Duct Tape Controls Gas My dad, Donald T. of Boonton, NJ,  recently had a problem with his new pickup truck. He suddenly had no acceleration at all. Couldn't go anywhere. When the tow truck arrived, they discovered a spring had broken that works with the cable from the gas pedal controlling the flow of gasoline .  He entwined duct tape connecting one end to the gas pedal, the other to the cable, and was able to drive his truck to the dealer for a replacement part. - Brian T.

Bethel Coed Conehead Jay, of Bethel College, St. Paul, Minnesota chose a road construction warning cone and duct tape to create this fashion statement. No further explanation was given - probably none was needed... It's finals week - everybody is going a bit wacko. Nice look, Jay.

Sequin Rash Preventative Duct tape is a valuable tool during dance recitals. My friends and I would have to wear costumes that chafed our skin and gave us rashes. Quick fix? Duct tape on all the seams so the sequins wouldn’t rub. - Caileigh M., Mississauga, Ontario

Hose Saver Barbecue grills generally have a rubber hose that connects the LPG tank to the grill. mice and squirrels are attracted to and love to chew on the hose. I have found that wrapping the hose with duct tape keeps the varmints away, thereby saving the hose. - "Chocknuts"

Real or Decaf? I was recently at a restaurant when the server came to the table and asked if we wanted more coffee. She held what appeared to be two identical pots. I asked her, how do you know which is real and which is decaf? She set the pot on the table and revealed that the decaf pot had duct tape on the handle. Use number 5,794? - JT

Belting Out Duct Tape's Praises I am a teacher at a small school in rural Iowa. Many of my students religiously read the Duct Tape desk calendar in my office. One day this fall, a student came running into my office saying he "desperately needed my roll of duct tape" (always handy in cabinet drawer). He went into the work room where the storage drawer is located and slammed the door behind himself.

Upon emerging from the work room a few minutes later, he proudly showed off his new use for duct tape. It seems his new leather belt had broken as he went down the hall to class. The belt was now better than new as he had duct taped the split seam, saved himself the
embarrassment of falling trousers, and started a new fashion trend all in one fell swoop!

Just wanted to let you know that many disciples of the gray god are educating a whole new generation to the many uses of duct tape. - John S. Choral Director, Bedford, Iowa Community Schools

Wine Box Helper When opening wine boxes I always seem to rip them wrong. Duct tape to the rescue. Here is one of my more modest repairs (on right). Sometimes I cover the whole box with duct tape - it looks like a miniature stanless steel refrigerator.

Duct Tape Fly Fishin' While reading your Stump the Duct Tape Guys section, I read about fishing with duct tape. I make my own flies out of duct tape and the out catch normal flies by far, they are also more visible in the water with their shiney silver color. They are flies that I've climbed over hanging trees to get back. - Joshua M, Alaskan Angler

Pumping Tape Keith of DuctTapeFashion.com decided he needed to bulk up a little - so he fashioned some dumbbells out of duct tape rolls. I don't know Keith - I think we'd call these "Smart Bells"

Candy Retriever One time I was in the vending machine area of the building when I saw a girl in distress at the candy machine. The door opened enough to get her fingers in, but not enough to grab her candy. I pulled out some duct tape, made it into a loop, and stuck it onto the end of a pencil. We fished out her candy, as well as all the other candy that had been left behind. - Rachael R, Ithaca, New York

Reaching another direction: I recently hurt my back and am wearing a brace so I can't bend over to pick up something on the floor. This was driving me crazy. I finally came up with what I thought was a great idea. i have one of those Swifters that pick up dost and I go it out and wrapped it with duct tape, sticky-side out around the pad area. then I was able to go around and pick up whatever fell on the floor with ease. - Marion

Lenscap Retainer If your camera keeps losing it's lens cap, make a little duct tape retainer strap. Works great and costs nothing but a little time. - Jana N.

What NOT to do with Duct Tape This story was printed in the Omaha World Herald. A local furniture rental firm in Omaha had been unsuccessful in contacting a customer in Lincoln, NE who was delinquent in making their rental payment. After several telephone calls and visits to the person's house, the rental firm sent three of its employees to the home in Lincoln to either collect the money or bring back the furniture. The story continued to say that the three men were arrested for duct taping the family inside of their own house! The men duct taped all the doors and windows shut and told the\ family they would be released only when they paid their bill or handed over the merchandise. If only they had cut the phone lines... - reported by Tony G., Belleair Beach, FL

Biker Aid Kevin of Sister Bay, Wisconsin, made a "headlight" for his bike helmet and a little duct tape visor for his recumbant bike's headlight to prevent the strobe from glaring in his eyes.

Reach Extender on a Roll A dead limb fell on top of the roof of my two story house. I do not have a ladder to get up there and would not have the desire if I did. I took my garden rake and duct tape sliced my long handle shovel which to I duct tape sliced my grass rake. Standing on the ground I was able to rack the stick off the top of my roof. - Ed

Band Aid Here's my testimonial! I was in band practice in school one day when a kid's octive key pad fell out (in other words, he couldn't play high notes). Thinking quickly, I ripped a piece of duct tape that was over a hole in the carpet, and taped over the hole. I put a hole in the top, and the octive key worked! I did this in september, and by the time school ended in June, the duct tape was still holding up! - Max D

Guitar Refinishing I did the duct taping myself, cutting out flamelike patterns around the areas where the tape would otherwise meet the neck. I also used sharpie for the headstock and around the neck, and electrical tape for the black stripe down the middle. I would have used black duct tape, but I didn't have enough money for a second roll. - Andrew P., Georgia

Tire Repair Four friends and I went on a hunting trip. Before daylight, I ran over someone's hunting stand in the road and blew out my tire. We put on the spare and went hunting. That evening, we moved to a new spot and heard some air leaking. There was a stick in spare tire we had just put on. We were fifty miles from town and no new tires. We looked in our tool boxes to see what we could fix the leak with. I found a roll of duct tape. My friends laughed and said, "You can't fix a tire with duct tape!" Then I started thinking... I rolled up a little plug out of a strip of duct tape about ten inches long (sticky-side out). I jammed the plug into the hole with a screwdriver and melted the tape with a lighter and used the screwdriver to spread the molten tape around the outside of the hole. Using a 12 volt air compressor, we aired up the tire and it held all night and fifty miles back to town. The guys at the repair shop were totally impressed with our duct tape repair job! --- Jacob C.

Gas Can Labeling The Gundersons of Grand Marais, MN label their myriad of gas cans with duct tape. Never again will they mistake the diesel for the outboard motor mix (right). Note: the gasoline will liquify the duct tape adhesive, so don't try to cap the can or fix a can leak with duct tape.