Camo tape on LnL

[+badger10]

What is the best way to prepare a lock n lock before you put tape on it. I have seen a few lnl's that the tape is peeling off.

[+Totem Clan]

Use real duct tape and not the knock brands. They just don't stick well.

[+StarBrand]

Even then - with enough exposure to sun and moisture - it is going to eventually start peeling up.

 

I have a few with camo tape out for 4+ years and they are looking a little ratty. Probably why I paint them instead these days.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Whatever the case, if you do not prep the surface, you just may run into the same problem.

 

You don't know whose hands have been on the LnL, you don't know what else is on the surface.

 

Goes for painting as well. If there is 'junk' on the surface that you don't know about, how is it to cling?

 

As Totem Clan says also, not all duct tapes are created the same. The old adage of 'Garbage In - Garbage Out' applies.

[+DragonsWest]

What is the best way to prepare a lock n lock before you put tape on it. I have seen a few lnl's that the tape is peeling off.

 

Duct Tape, even the genuine item, dries out. It may last longer in a humid woodland hide, but I can't recount all the caches I've found with the tape peeling away. Figure on visiting your cache now and then to apply a fresh wrap or replace the container.

 

This is why I use Krylon (not Rustoleum) which appears to do very well and adds a layer of protection for plastic containers. Roughing the exterior up with a Scotch Brite (or similar) pad helps the paint gain better purchase.

 

Best of luck with your cache-crafting!

[Clan Riffster]

I had an issue with a can of Krylon when I was painting a bunch of Therapak containers. They were quite professional in getting me a replacement can, even though I had emptied the purchased one, and didn't consider trying to get a refund. During our communications, they did suggest one thing for painting plastics: Windex. They wouldn't mention it by name, but rather said to use an ammonia based cleaning product to remove whatever protectant was applied at the factory, and to ready the surface for positive adhesion.

 

I tried their suggestion, and I was impressed with the results.

 

Like others, I don't use tape, as I've seen it fail too often.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

I had an issue with a can of Krylon when I was painting a bunch of Therapak containers. They were quite professional in getting me a replacement can, even though I had emptied the purchased one, and didn't consider trying to get a refund. During our communications, they did suggest one thing for painting plastics: Windex. They wouldn't mention it by name, but rather said to use an ammonia based cleaning product to remove whatever protectant was applied at the factory, and to ready the surface for positive adhesion.

 

I tried their suggestion, and I was impressed with the results.

 

Like others, I don't use tape, as I've seen it fail too often.

 

I don't paint or tape my LnLs. I make sure I find a spiffy hide location where I can use natural cover and camo to hide it.

[+Ambrosia]

I don't really have problems with tape, as long as I get the right kind. Just make sure that it's the kind that has all the thin little threads through it. This kind seems to last for many years (even in my dry climate). Some of the newer brands/kinds of tape do not have this and they peel within months.

[+CanadianRockies]

I've had good luck with the 1-inch-wide, cloth-based camo tape that's used to wrap hockey sticks. It seems to stick well, and it blends in better since the cloth surface isn't as shiny.

[+briansnat]

I've had good luck with the 1-inch-wide, cloth-based camo tape that's used to wrap hockey sticks. It seems to stick well, and it blends in better since the cloth surface isn't as shiny.

 

I used cloth camo tape meant for hunting on a cache. After taping it. I sprayed it with a clear spray paint sealant and it lasted close to 6 years directly exposed to the elements. Snow, sun, rain, you name it.

 

I've never had a problem with good duct tape peeling but it does get ratty looking in a couple of years if it is exposed. Generally speaking, I think painting is the way to go.

[+Totem Clan]

Even then - with enough exposure to sun and moisture - it is going to eventually start peeling up.

 

I have a few with camo tape out for 4+ years and they are looking a little ratty. Probably why I paint them instead these days.

Yep.

 

Add a vote for paint over tape.

[+DragonsWest]

I had an issue with a can of Krylon when I was painting a bunch of Therapak containers. They were quite professional in getting me a replacement can, even though I had emptied the purchased one, and didn't consider trying to get a refund. During our communications, they did suggest one thing for painting plastics: Windex. They wouldn't mention it by name, but rather said to use an ammonia based cleaning product to remove whatever protectant was applied at the factory, and to ready the surface for positive adhesion.

 

I tried their suggestion, and I was impressed with the results.

 

Like others, I don't use tape, as I've seen it fail too often.

 

I've used rubbing alcohol, which seems to prep a surface pretty well, too. Generally looking to break down and remove any oils from hand or manufacturing.

[+Dgwphotos]

Here's a previous discussion on the subject: Camo'ing caches.

 

I personally use the camo spray paint, using dark green as the undercoat, then spraying black over a fern frond placed on the cache container, as I've previously described.