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Clear Adhesive Tape: Rubber and Rosin Cement on a Clear Cellulose Film, Drew 1939
Richard Drew's clear tape (US 2,177,627, 1939): a clear cellulose film coated with a sticky rubber-and-rosin cement that stays tacky without water or heat. His Example E is 250 parts rubber to 160–200 parts rosin, dissolved, spread thin on the film, and dried. Here the film is celluloid, one of the cellulose esters he names.
The picture: a roll of clear adhesive tape (photo by BarberJP, Wikimedia Commons, public domain).
Intermediate
2 days
Instructions
1
1
Break down the rubber twice
Break down the rubber twice
Mill the rubber about fifteen minutes to soften it, rest it for 24 hours, then mill it again.
Materials for this step:
Smoked Rubber Sheet250 gTools needed:
Two-Roll Rubber Mill2
2
Dissolve rubber and rosin apart
Dissolve rubber and rosin apart
Dissolve the rubber in naphtha, stirring with a paddle. Dissolve 160–200 g of rosin in more naphtha in a second jar. Naphtha catches fire easily: no flames, work outdoors.
Materials for this step:
Pine Rosin180 gTools needed:
Naphtha
Glass Jar
Wooden Paddle
Balance Scale3
3
Combine into a cement
Combine into a cement
Pour the two together and stir until even. Add naphtha until it spreads easily.
Tools needed:
Glass JarWooden PaddleNaphtha4
4
Spread on the clear film
Spread on the clear film
Spread a thin, even coat on one side of the clear celluloid film and let the naphtha evaporate. The coat should stay tacky.
Materials for this step:
Celluloid1 sheetTools needed:
Stirring Rod5
5
Cut into tape
Cut into tape
Cut the coated film into strips and roll them up.
Tools needed:
Craft Knife
RulerMaterials
3- 250 gPlaceholder
- 180 gPlaceholder
- 1 sheetPlaceholder
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