"When news breaks,
we Duct Tape it."
—Jim and Tim
The Duct Tape Guys
All the Duct Tape News that's fit to print...
Click here for more Duct Tape news stories provided by our watchful readers.
Jim and Tim, the Duct Tape Guys present all of the news pretaining to Duct Tape. If you find a duct tape news item, or, if you are interested in how duct tape relates to a current event, e-mail us your news item (and it's source) or current event question with the subject: Duct Tape Headline News.

Duct Tape fix for Apple's iPhone 4

If you just dropped $300+ on the new Apple iPhone 4 and discovered that you are dropping calls, it's because of a design flaw in the exterior antenna placement. Don't dispair! You can easily fix it with a little piece of our favorite power tool: Duct Tape. Click here to watch the video explaining how to make the repair.


(above) Thanks to Dave Frykman, whose eagle eyes spotted duct tape on equipment being used in plugging/cleaning up the BP oil spill. This shot is from BP's live feed from the disaster site.


Emergency shelter kits contain tools to make immediate basic home repairs and construct temporary shelter (including two rolls of Duct Tape).

Each emergency shelter kit includes:

(2) five-gallon buckets.
These are useful for the removal of concrete and debris and can be used to carry water and other essential supplies.
(2) contractor-grade tarpaulins, big enough to shelter a family of five.
Tarps are much more versatile and cost-effective than tents, which can become hazardous during Haiti’s upcoming rainy season. Additionally, tents generally do not allow standing room or adequate air ventilation.
100 feet of solid braided rope.
Used to help secure tarps to posts or trees.
100 feet of 14-gauge utility wire.
Used to help secure tarps and serve various other functions as needed.
(3) lbs of nails
For attaching tarps and assorted other duties.
(2) rolls of duct tape.
Used to connect two tarps or patch rips (They should include our books - they'd have at least 4,000 other uses for the tape.).
(1) 4-pound hammer.
Useful for driving in stakes and chipping away concrete, etc.
(1) 24-inch pry bar.
For use in salvage and pulling out roofing nails
(1) 3-inch mason chisel.
For chipping away concrete, blocks and brick in salvage work.
(1) 8-inch pliers with cutting tool
Used for twisting and cutting wires.
(10) dust masks.
To help protect survivors from the thick dust inherent with cleanup and reconstruction.
(4) pairs of leather gloves.
To help protect hands when working with concrete.
(4) pairs of safety glasses.
For protecting eyes in cleanup and reconstruction.
(1) 12-inch hacksaw with six replacement blades.
For cutting rebar and assorted other duties.
(1) 24-inch wrecking bar.
Used in salvage.
(1) folding knife with a steel blade.
For cutting rope and assorted other duties.
(1) pointed chisel.
Used in salvage.


Duct tape used to mend stab wounds

05/26/2010
One of two men involved in a knife fight last week in Georgetown may be able to thank duct tape for saving his life. The two men--who were friends--got into an argument which escalated into a double-stabbing. 
Clay County court documents say one of the men was cut so severely, his innards were exposed.  So the second man grabbed a roll of duct tape and wrapped it around his friend's wounds. 
The duct tape "held" until the man was taken to surgery.  His buddy was treated and released. 
Investigators say the men admitted they had been drinking. 



CDC seals bioterror bugs – with duct tape
Other biosafety labs set to contain lethal contaminants such as smallpox, Ebola
Posted: June 23, 2008 - WorldNetDaily

Only one week following the annual duct tape festival where enthusiasts fashion sculptures and share wacky applications for the adhesive, theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed a unique, high-tech use of its own – sealing off potentially fatal bioterrorbacteria.

At its $214 million Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory in Atlanta, Ga., CDC scientists have been duct taping a lab door in an attempt to contain the airborne Q fever, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"It's an enhancement," said Patrick Stockton, CDC safety and occupational health manager. "We could take it off."

The silver adhesive was taped around a lab containment door one year ago following a ventilation malfunction in which potentially contaminated air streamed backward through a duct and into a "clean" hallway. Nine workers were blood tested in May 2007 for exposure to Q fever bacteria following the leak. However, CDC spokesman Tom Skinner told the AJC the blood tests were performed out of an "abundance of caution," and none of the workers contracted the illness.

Q fever, a potential bioterror agent, is known to cause fevers and fatal heart conditions. The bacteria is usually contracted after humans inhale dust loaded with bacteria from animal excrement, though transmission from one person to another is relatively rare.

CDC officials told reporters that the lab's ventilation system is now in working order, and they insist the environment does not put workers at risk.

However, the duct tape remains around the containment door.

The CDC lab procedures were criticized last summer by Congress and the Government Accountability Office after the newspaper investigated a power outage lasting a full hour in which generators failed to activate. The CDC inspects its own labs, though the U.S. Department of Agriculture has secondary authority since Q fever bacteria can spread to animals as well.

"I do not believe the CDC would approve this arrangement in a laboratory other than their own," said Richard Ebright, a microbiologist and biosafety expert.

Ebright told the AJC that the CDC's use of duct tape to contain bioterror bacteria "raises very serious concerns about management. And those concerns are particularly important when one bears in mind this facility will ultimately be handling a full range of lethal pathogens – up to and including smallpox."

He said the tape is inadequate and does not meet guidelines in the CDC biosafety standards manual requiring that "Seams, if present, must be sealed."

Though CDC offcials claim a new self-sealing door is expected to replace the old duct-taped one, installation is not scheduled to begin until sometime between November and April 2009.

Meanwhile, four maximum containment biosafety labs in the building remain closed because they do not meet safety certification standards – nearly three years after they were scheduled to open. According to CDC plans, the labs will be testing locations for potentially lethal contaminants such as smallpox and Ebola.

According to the report, the building was evacuated Dec. 18 after a medical waste incinerator began smoking, shaking itself free from anchor bolts and fire caulking. The CDC claims it has been certified by state regulators and is in full operating condition.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce told the newspaper the duct tape and ventilation issues are of great concern to Congress.

"This is yet another incident that calls into question the CDC's self-inspection policy," he said. "I highly doubt that the CDC would accept duct-taped doors on the privately owned bio labs it inspects."

Dingell said with the large amount of money spent to construct the facility, it should have been better equipped to handle airborne bacteria.

"If the going rate for a leaky door and roll of duct tape is $200 million, then I think I'm in the wrong line of business," he said.


Duct Tape Aids Shuttle Mission (August 2, 2005)
SPACE CENTER, Houston - Employing the kind of NASA ingenuity seen during Apollo 13, an astronaut prepped for an emergency repair job Wednesday on Discovery's exterior with forceps, scissors and a hacksaw fashioned out of a blade and a little duct tape.
Stephen Robinson's mission was to remove two short pieces of filler material that were sticking out of the shuttle's belly. NASA feared the material could lead to a repeat of the 2003 Columbia tragedy during Discovery's re-entry next week.
He could simply pull the stiff fabric out with gloved hands. If a gentle tug did not work, he was to pull a little harder with forceps. And if that didn't work, he was supposed to use a hacksaw put together in orbit with a deliberately bent blade, plastic ties, Velcro and the handyman's favorite all-purpose fix-it: duct tape. (photo credit: NASA TV)

Man Arrested in Washington DC for Wearing Duct Tape In March 2003, as an edgy Washington, D.C., prepared for possible domestic terrorist reactions to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, David Olaniyi and wife Reena Patel were arrested at the Capitol, where they had embarked on an "art" project consisting of Olaniyi wearing a mask and objects duct-taped to his body, resembling the appearance of a suicide bomber. (Said Olaniyi at the time, "Duct tape is a hot item in D.C. I wanted my art to reflect what was hot here.") Apparently, Olaniyi continues to believe the Capitol police had no cause to be fearful of suicide bombers, for he filed a lawsuit in March 2005 against police and FBI agents for violating his first-amendment rights by arresting him. - Washington Post, 3-14-05


Man-Eating Croc Caught - secured with Duct Tape
Officials from the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) unload a five-meter-long, and more than 60 year-old crocodile at farm in Buwama, 45 miles from the capital Kampala, March 8, 2005. The 16-foot crocodile is said to have eaten more than 83 people over the last two decades, mostly fishermen and was caught alive in Uganda and transferred to a sanctuary, officials said on Tuesday. The giant beast, weighing about a ton, was captured by wildlife experts who spent three nights camping in the bush before locating their target. Story and photos by Reuters.
Man binds bear wounds with Duct Tape.
WASILLA, Alaska (AP) 9/24/03 -- A hunter attacked by a grizzly bear on a remote trail said he used duct tape to bind his bite wounds, then rode an all-terrain vehicle to his pickup truck and drove himself to a hospital.

Bill Murphy said the Sept. 17 attack happened after he surprised a grizzly cub and its mother on a trail about 50 miles northeast of Anchorage where he was hunting for moose and sheep. "I didn't even have time to jump," Murphy said. Murphy grabbed his rifle but before he could raise it, the mother bear pinned him face-down.

It then clamped her jaws around his right shoulder and started shaking him like a rag. He said he felt teeth pressing against his skin, then a pop as they sliced through. At some point, the bear let go, then stood over Murphy, panting and drooling onto his head. All he could think about was a bear attack over the summer near the Russian River where a man was bitten on the face and blinded.

"I just lay perfectly still and said, 'God, don't bite my head,"' Murphy said. Finally, the bear moved away. Murphy said he got up, planning to shoot the bear, but it had broken his rifle.

Murphy said he wrapped duct tape around his shoulder and cut up a cloth bag to wrap around his thigh. He hiked out to his four-wheeler, rode about 15 miles back to his pickup truck and drove a half hour to Valley Hospital in Palmer.

The 54-year-old said he has no idea how long the attack lasted, but it felt like "two lifetimes." "I can laugh about it now, but I wasn't laughing then," he said.
No wonder Duck brand duct tape named Wasilla, Alaska the Duct Tape Capital of the World for 2003. Click here to see THAT story.

Tacoma school district sued for duct-taping child
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
TACOMA -- A teacher's decision to put duct tape over the mouths of talkative third-graders has resulted in a lawsuit against the city's school system.
According to the lawsuit filed by China Fortson, her daughter's skin was irritated by having the duct tape on her face for several hours at Stanley Elementary School in June 2001.

Cartoonist Aaron McGruder again found humor in duct tape in relation to the current SARS scare. Following through on a Dept. of Homeland Security idea that hundreds of cartoonists picked up on (see our collection here): Duct Tape Cartoons/DHS

DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY Recommends Duct Tape
In a 2/10/03 statement from the Department of Homeland Security, it was recommended that Americans prepare themselves for the possibility of chemical and biological warfare by getting duct tape, plastic sheeting, and a three-day supply of food and water. Families are to seal themselves in a room of their house using the sheeting - sealed air tight with duct tape. Hey, we've always said, that duct tape is homeland security on a roll... But, we were just wondering, if you make the room air tight, shouldn't you worry about having a three-day supply of oxygen, too? Read the rest of our Take on this story here: www.ducttapeguys.com/DHS

Who Gave Iraq Duct Tape?
AL-TAJI, Iraq — A remotely piloted aircraft that the United States has warned could spread chemical weapons appears to be made of balsa wood and duct tape, with two small propellors attached to what look like the engines of a weed whacker.

Iraqi officials took journalists to the Ibn Firnas State Company just north of Baghdad on Wednesday, where the drone's project director accused Secretary of State Colin Powell of misleading the U.N. Security Council and the public.
"He's making a big mistake," said Brig. Imad Abdul Latif. "He knows very well that this aircraft is not used for what he said."

In Washington's search for a "smoking gun" that would prove Iraq is not disarming, Powell has insisted the drone, which has a wingspan of 24.5 feet, could be fitted to dispense chemical and biological weapons. He has said it "should be of concern to everybody."

The drone's white fuselage was emblazoned Wednesday with the words "God is great" and the code "Quds-10." Its balsa wood wings were held together with duct tape. Officials said they referred to the remotely piloted vehicle as the RPV-30A. (story continues, but that's the duct tape part...)


Largest Duct Tape American Flag Unvealed in NYC
NEW YORK, June 24, 2002 – What is red, white and blue and constructed from more than 13 miles long of duct tape? Duck brand® Duct Tape celebrated the 60th anniversary of duct tape and Flag Day by unveiling an American flag the size of an NBA-basketball court made entirely of red, white and blue duct tape in New York City's Union Square Park. Read more about the flag and see more photos here.

Duct Tape becomes Fashionable This summer, the storefront windows in downtown Toronto's upscale Holts Renfrew Department Store have been sticking out more than usual. Twenty-six Duck Tape dresses, created by students at Ryerson University for their annual fashion show, Mass Exodus, are on display, along with multi-colored rolls of Duck® Tape.

The Duck Tape dresses were sponsored by Duck brand duct tape and are part of a Duck Tape-themed merchandising idea throughout the store partnering Duck Tape with everything from designer socks, to handbags, to lipstick. The Duck Tape displays will be hitting all ten Holts stores all over Canada during the month of July.

Click here to see more Duct Tape Fashions


Judge orders Defendant's Mouth Duct Taped Shut
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- A Texas judge ordered a defendant's mouth to be taped shut after the man kept interrupting his lawyer and the judge during an aggravated assault trial.

For about 20 minutes Tuesday, Carl Wiley, 36, ignored pleas from state District Judge Jim Bob Darnell and his own mother to keep quiet during a hearing outside the jury's presence.

Finally, Darnell ordered bailiffs to seal Wiley's mouth with duct tape.

"He was being very disruptive and he was trying to fire his second court-appointed attorney, and I informed him that when the attorney is appointed by the court, only the court can fire the attorney," Darnell said.

"Mr. Wiley continued to interrupt him," Darnell said, referring to attorney Steve Hamilton, "so the court duct-taped his mouth until the jury came in. Then I had him removed from the courtroom."

Hamilton declined to comment on the incident or on his client's conviction later Tuesday for ramming his vehicle into his estranged wife's car. She was not injured.

No sentencing date has been set.

Study says duct tape effective for removing warts
By DEANNA BELLANDI, Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO (AP) --
Duct tape, the all-purpose household fix-it with hundreds of uses, can also remove warts.
Researchers say over-the-hardware-counter duct tape is a more effective, less painful alternative to liquid nitrogen, which is used to freeze warts.
The study was reported in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
In the study, patients wore duct tape over their warts for six days. Then they removed the tape, soaked the area in water and used
an emery board or pumice stone to scrape the spot. The tape was reapplied the next morning. The treatment continued for a maximum of two months or until the wart went away.
The duct tape irritated the warts, and that apparently caused an immune system reaction that attacked the growths, said researcher
Dr. Dean "Rick" Focht III of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
He said researchers did not test other kinds of tape, and so they cannot say whether there is anything special about the gray, heavy-duty, fabric-backed tape.
Pediatric dermatologist Dr. Anthony J. Mancini of Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago said he uses a form of duct-tape therapy for warts. He combines duct tape with a topical, over-the-counter wart remover for nightly treatments.
"The whole point of this is a non-painful approach," said Mancini, who was not involved in the study.
The study was conducted at the Madigan Army Medical Center near Tacoma, Wash. It began with 61 patients between the ages of 3 and 22, but only 51 patients completed the study.
Of the 26 patients treated with duct tape, 85 percent got rid of their warts compared with 60 percent of the 25 patients who received the freezing treatment.
Researchers did not test the duct tape on older adults and also did not study whether warts recurred.
The apparent curative powers of duct tape are no surprise to Tim Nyberg, one-half of the Duct Tape Guys, who write books and perform comedy about the adhesive's allure. Nyberg said he and his duct tape partner, Jim Berg, do a shtick that includes duct tape wart removal.
"It's the universal panacea," Nyberg said.

Next time they want to fund a study like this - we wish they would just send us the money! That would buy a LOT of duct tape. - The Duct Tape Guys


Duct tape used as a gag in court.
Click here to read the actual newpaper articles.
Duct Tape in the Olympics Click here to read articles about the use of duct tape in the luge event and other events.
Duct Tape Used in Biohazard Removal. Click here to read more.

Models Hit the Runway Wearing Duct Tape Fashions
(left) New York's Parsons School of Design gave their fashion students a challenge: Create fashions using Duck® brand tape. The students jumped at the chance and came up with some pretty amazing fashions. Click the photo on the right to watch the video. (left photo by Ron Monk)

First Interstate main office robbed in midday
By GREG TUTTLE Of The Gazette Staff
A downtown Billings bank was robbed by an oddly dressed man just before noon Tuesday. It was the city's first bank robbery in nearly six years.

A man wearing a scarf under a hat and blue jeans with duct tape on the knees walked into First Interstate Bank at 401 N. 31st St. at about 11:50 a.m. Police said the man handed a teller a note, was given cash, then left the bank calmly.

Duct Tape Keeps Afghan Choppers in Flight
While reading my latest National Geographic edition (August 2001) I encountered some more duct tape uses. In an article about the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia (pages 72-73) there is a photo of a helicopter parked on the ground. What caught my attention were the drooping rotor blades that exhibited a dull silver color. Sure enough, they were covered in duct tape! The (partial) quote below the photo says, "...in Afghanistan the blades were full of holes, and we could still fly". (I believe they are talking about BULLET holes!) May I riff on Travis Tritt and say "10,000 feet tall and (almost) bulletproof". --- spotted by Rich Skoba


Duct Tape Guys Quack Up at Marlins Game
Jim and Tim, the Duct Tape Guys, make one of their "Salute to Duck Tape Night" appearances at the Florida Marlins game. For More photos of various game night fashion shows, click here.
(photo by Walter Michot, Miami Herald)

Bear-proof suit uses thousand of meters of duct tape.
Read more,
click here.
Sending him out well prepared Outgoing Maine Gov. Angus King displays a roll of duct tape and a can of WD-40 that he received as going-away presents Tuesday from Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky at the State House. The gifts are for keeping King's RV repaired during a cross-country road trip that he plans to begin after his eight years in office come to an end today.
(below) Thanks to Cheri, whose watchful eye netted us this great endorsement of duct tape from the Chicago Tribune.
Duct Tape Stops Leak at Sherrif’s Dept.

The Santa Rosa, California, Sherrif’s Department used plastic garbage bags and duct tape to stop a leak in their ceiling. Maybe the Bush administration should try the same remedy to stop their "leaks."

Photo: Mary Gardella, Press Democrat

Duct Tape Headline News Archives
Click Here.