Last month, we embarked on an incredible journey into the world of tape. Masking tape, masking paper, duct tape, soft-edge foam-we covered the basics in paint and body prep tape applications. While perhaps a bit of a yawn-fest for some, we hope others got some useful information that will help them out the next time they tackle some paint and bodywork. using the right materials for the job will yield a finer finished product and oftentimes make the job much simpler and quicker to complete.
While we were visiting with Zane cullen at creative concepts, he showed us a couple other trick uses that they've come up with out in their fabrication shop. Not dealing with paint necessarily, we decided to split up those into a different story and also add a couple other useful tape applications.
Here's a roll of Scotch Super 33+ black vinyl electrical tape-a premiumgrade, 7-mil-thick, all-weather vinyl-insulating tape. it's designed to perform continuously in ambient temperatures up to 220 degrees Fahrenheit, which means it's great for under hood applications, and it has excellent resistance to abrasion, moisture, alkalis, acids, corrosion, and varying weather conditions.
The first is the old standby-vinyl electrical tape. Vinyl electrical tape has been the industry standard for insulating, organizing, labeling, and harnessing wire and cable for some 65 years. Sometimes used in conjunction with wire loom, it is great for wrapping numerous wires together to create a bunch that can then be cleanly run from the source to the application. it is designed to insulate and protect electrical connections from moisture, acids, alkalis, abrasion, corrosion, and varying weather conditions (including ultraviolet exposure). in addition to the standard black, Scotch 35 vinyl electrical tape is available in nine additional colors. these additional colors can be used to code for job identification and safety, and automobile enthusiasts may find that the available colors are most aesthetically pleasing or aid in the organization of their particular wiring needs.
The second two types of tape covered are great for protecting, holding, splicing, or masking applications and were being utilized in the aforementioned fab area at creative concepts. the orange tape is Scotch Flatback 2525 and was being used to protect a piece of stainless trim as the fender was being sanded using an orbital sander. its high adhesion strength, high temperature resistance, and high backing strength make it a great candidate for protecting sensitive areas when sanding, welding, or grinding nearby. the second tape we spotted being used was an aluminum foil tape. the dead-soft aluminum foil backing tape provides excellent heat and light reflection to protect against high temperatures and also serves as an excellent barrier against moisture, dust, flame, and certain chemical strippers. the dead-soft aluminum backing also makes it malleable, which means it can be conformed to contoured shapes and will maintain that shape fairly well, useful in backing up areas to receive body filler, patch panels, etc.
Black Super 33+ works great for automotive wiring, but for the discerning enthusiast, Scotch 35 vinyl electrical color-coding tape takes the insulation and organization job one step further.
Welding and spark deflection paper is a great way to protect working surfaces from welding spatter and grinding sparks. Available in 24-inch-wide rolls, the flame-retardant, repositionable, adhesivebacked paper is an inexpensive solution to protecting glass, paint, and other damageable surfaces from spatter, sparks, and debris.
The last item covered is a relatively new item from 3M called Smooth transition tape. After listening to body shop painters' pain points, 3M developed a tape to virtually eliminate rework caused by poor paint and coating transitions. unlike traditional tape/paper systems that can leave distinct hard or visible lines, Smooth transition tape allows painters to feather the transition between existing and new paint. Featuring adhesive down the center of the tape while the edges are adhesive-free, Smooth transition tape allows coating to feather under the edge of the tape, virtually eliminating paint lines.
With all the different tape and masking-related products out there, it's impossible to cover every single one. With that in mind, we decided to take a dozen or so of the most commonly found techniques and products as examples and threw in a few others we thought were neat or particularly helpful. Something to keep in mind is that while all tape and masking products were designed with a specific task in mind, it doesn't mean that their usefulness should be limited to that particular task. Many of these tape products can be used for numerous applications, such as the aluminum foil-backed tape. remember to use heat-rated tapes in applications that will be witness to any type of heat or hot debris, and always check the temperature rating if you're not sure. that sheet of masking paper being used to block welding spatter may in fact catch fire and cause more grief and aggravation than it was intended to avoid.
A plug like this, if left as is, exposes the connectors to moisture and elements that can result in poor electrical conduction. | 
Old dash lights, taillights, license lights, or turn signals sometimes have a pigtail wire running out of the housing such as this one. originally, this unit had a rubber boot to keep out moisture, but it's since decomposed over the | 
Using brown Scotch 35 electrical tape, the pigtail and housing is sealed from the elements and color-coded so as to not get confused with the other pigtail light assem-blies for the car. |
Wrapped in a single sheath of Super 33+, the connection is moisture-free and the wires are bound and organized. | 
Its excellent adhesion, backing strength levels, and resistance to high temperatures make Scotch 2525 Performance Flatback tape great for protecting chrome, aluminum, and stainless trim when local repairs are necessary, such as when welding, grinding, or sanding. | 
Scotch 2525 also works great to hold patch panels in place while being fitted or tacked. the patch panel can be checked andrechecked for fitment numerous times without losing the adhesion properties of the tape. |
Scotch 2525 Performance Flatback tape is used in holding, splicing, or masking Applications where high adhesion strength, high Temperature capability, and high backing strength are required. | 
Similar to the Scotch 2525 in application, this aluminum-backed tape is also a practical, easy way to use as backup for plastic filler on rusted-out areas. | 
Welding and Spark Deflection Paper is a great way to protect the wife's car when working in a cramped two-car garage. the flame-retardant, repositionable, adhesive-backed paper product is used to protect vertical surfaces such as glass, painted surfaces, chrome trim, wheels, etc., from damage caused by welding spatter and grinding sparks. |
It's also great in protecting painted surfaces when drilling or machining is necessary, although it's not designed to prevent heat transfer from sparks and spatter that are allowed to sit in one position on the paper, as this will burn through. | 
One of the newest products from the 3M company is Smooth transition tape, developed to virtually eliminate rework caused by poor paint transitions. | 
In the past, blending reworked areas resulted in a hard, visible paint line due to the hard edge left by the tape. |
One technique used to try to alleviate this symptom was to fold the edge of the tape and allow the paint to feather toward the tapeline. this process worked on certain areas with mediocre results. | 
Smooth transition tape eliminates paint lines that would otherwise require re-shooting, sanding, and buffing by featuring adhesive down the center of the tape, while the edges are adhesive-free. this allows coatings to feather under the edge of the tape. | 
On an external bodyline such as one that follows the contour of a rear window, the absence of a paint line due to necessary rework is of utmost importance. |