What is duct tape and where did it come from? I’m so glad you asked. Duct tape is a fabric tape that easily adheres. If you’ve ever tried to cleanly remove duct tape you are probably aware that while it easily adheres it does not easily remove. It is coated with polyethylene and this causes it to be water-resistant. The combination of these features makes it a great sealing tape.

While duct tape was first created in 1920 by a man by the name of Richard Drew, it became heavily used during World War II. It was put into production because it was used by the military as a sealant for ammunition cases and guns, used to repair military vehicles of all types, and numerous other things the military found to repair or seal. The waterproof coating and highly sticky adhesive made it very useful for the military.

These same qualities have made duct tape very popular for a wide variety of uses including duct tape crafts today. Between its original invention and today it was used for a short while to connect heating and cooling ducts, thus the name “duct tape”. Although its use in that industry was short lived, the name stuck. This was also the reason that its original green color, used for military purposes, was changed to gray to match the color or duct work.

Modern Day Duct Tape Uses

Today duct tape is used for such a wide variety of things that it couldn’t possibly be listed in one short article. The general public uses it for everything from repairing furniture, automobile seats, book covers and a multitude of other things. However, the fun thing is that in recent years duct tape crafts have become very popular. No longer are we limited to olive drab green or dull gray colored duct tape. Oh no! Now your choices are nearly limitless.

You can find every color of the rainbow, zebra stripes, tie-dye, camoflauge, leopard-skin patterns and more. These bright and beautiful colors have been fashioned into duct tape wallets, duct tape purses, duct tape flowers and an infinite number of other useful and attractive duct tape crafts.

Whether its small children to full grown adults, male or female, there is some kind of duct tape craft that appealing, fun to make and useful. The variety of colors also makes it male-friendly as the guys often like the camouflage or flames to make hunting items or decorate their stuff in general.

The producers of duct tape are happy to have consumers find new uses for their tape and continue to oblige the artistic abilities of duct tape crafters by continuing to develop new colors and patterns.

Today's Duct Tape Craft Challenge

So, try something new today! Grab a roll of duct tape, even if it’s that dull gray tape that is in your junk drawer. Engage your creative abilities. See what type of duct tape crafts you can make today!