Duct tape bandages

Nothing butches up your wounds like an official duct tape band-aid. Nexcare Duct Tape Bandage One Size (via Red Ferret)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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BubbleDragon

That liquid bandage stuff worked really well when my dog got a thorn in her ear and would simply shake any clot loose the minute we stopped holding her head still. The pharmacist at the counter also mentioned, er, super glue is pretty much the same stuff, if you’re in a real pinch.
IamInnocent

Is there a museum of the Duct Tape ?

Can we visit the biggest duct tape ball in the world somewhere ?

Do construction workers bring duct tape to the Port-o-Let, in case that there is no paper ?

J.
Junior

I â™¥ Nexcare.

Been using their Duct Tape bandages for the last few years (not every day, mind you – but close); and their comfort strips have been my favorite for much longer than that.

I haven’t drank the 3M kool-aid – they just really do make a great bloodstopper.
Faelynn

My husband saw these on vacation when he needed a bandaid and couldn’t resist! They worked well for him, but we put one on my 5 year old’s back when he had a nasty little scrape and oh my goodness it was very very hard to get off his sensitive little kid skin. Even with soaking it left red marks on his skin that lasted a few days. :(
pm

For a moment there, I read “Duct tape bondage”, but I must have been thinking about something else, ahahah.
Baldhead

Yeah, I work concerts and staging. Do these come in black?
snagglepuss

Up Next: The Duct Tape Home Circumcision Kit!
LeviticusMky

These things are pure fantastic. Perhaps not so great on children, as the above commenter found out, but that downside is exactly the best thing about them, they STICK.
The Lizardman

I typically use gaff tape on tour. My tour photos often include random bits of whatever color gaff was readily available holding together the wounds of the previous nights show and/or post show revelry.
cha0tic

Where I work:

Gaffer Tape or PVC Tape + paper towel or Loo Roll = Roadie Plaster
mdh

If it’s moving, and it’s not supposed to, use Duct-tape.

Corollary: “If you cant duck it, …. it”
grimc

@#20

I’m actually undergoing duct tape therapy for a plantar wart right now. I’ve heard it takes months, though, and I’m only a few weeks in.

In general I prefer gaffer tape. Does almost everything duct tape can without the adhesive residue.
valdis

@#12: “Duct tape feminine hygiene products… THAT would be impressive.”

I just picked up my Wilderness First Aid certification a few weekends ago, and using a maxi-pad and duct tape to control severe bleeding was mentioned – that fiber stuff is *designed* to soak up blood, you can restock damn near anyplace (though you hope you don’t have to), and it costs about 5% of what the stuff the EMT’s carry in the ambulances.

Yes, I know, it’s not *sterile* like the professional product – on the other hand, it’s pretty damned close to sterile, you’re not sterile, the victim isn’t sterile, and it’s 6 hour’s walk (or more) to the nearest road. Balance off a *very* slight chance of infection that can be treated once the victim gets to civilization against the victim *making* it back to civilization….
Takuan

http://www.freakingnews.com/Duct-Tape-Condoms-Pictures-24876.asp
mdh

To all of you who work in offices: this is not a new thing in job site first-aid. Maybe the bandage part is new, but people have been duct-taping wounds and getting back to work since the invention of duct-tape. I’ve done it for at least 15 years now.
Waterlilygirl

Those are so hardcore!
demidan

Duck take is the building bloc of the SCA. From our rattan “swords” to our armor bites, duck tape covers all!
macegr

I’ve used duct tape to seal up my wounds for as long as I can remember, the greatest advantage that you can get it wet and not end up with a soggy gauze pad like real Band-Aids. However that is also a disadvantage if you leave it on more than a day…the covered area gets clammy. But if these duct tape bandages have holes punched in them like normal Band-Aids, then the original advantage is gone…what we need are Gore Tex bandages. I think they exist, but not on the mass market.
TJ S

@4:
Isn’t the whole point of bandages to avoid gore?
*ducks and runs away*
wolfwitch

As has already been said- Duct Tape/Duck Tape has been a staple of construction-site first aid for decades.

These 3M bandages came out a couple of years ago. They attempt to look like the silver tape we all know and love, but fall far short of being as durable.
coleasdf

@7

They most definitely exist. They’ve had them at the ace hardware where I’m from for a couple of years. I have an unopened box in my trunk. Shopped photos are usually clearly stated here.
jimmy kirby

This has got to be a spoof ad right? Do they exist?
I’ve been messing around with photoshop myself and have made some spoof ads if anyone wants to let me know what they think here’s the link

Spoof Ads
Thinkerer

Duct-tape + paper towel = bandage.
Duct-tape + any rigid material = splint.
Duct-tape + duct tape = compression bandage.
Duct-tape + ice bag = contusion relief.
Duct-tape + bare skin = blister/abrasion prevention.
Duct-tape + $2 million = MRI scanner.
TJ S

Only two tools are necessary for any repair: Duct-tape and WD-40.

If it’s moving, and it’s not supposed to, use Duct-tape.

If it’s not moving, and it’s supposed to, use WD-40.
Micah

“Nothing butches up your wounds like an official duct tape band-aid.”

Except for actual duct tape.
Jerril

#8:
Duct-tape + paper towel = bandage

I applaud your injenuity, but I’d want to use something STERILE. I suggest, instead:

Duct-tape + gauze = bandage

:D
Axx

Now, Duct tape feminine hygiene products… THAT would be impressive.
SC_Wolf

Someone should tell Aaron Williams. His Dungeons & Dragons themed comic Nodwick features a cleric who needs duct tape as the material component of her healing spells.
Jeff

Dexter likes it, so it’s gotta be good.
Brad S.

To be honest, duct tape doesn’t make the best bandage if you have a wound that’s doing any bleeding. It doesn’t breathe, it doesn’t expand well. If you had a bleeding wound, just use your imagination on what would happen if you wrapped it up for a few hours and didn’t allow room for breathing or for absorption. At least these have a gauze pad to take up some of the fluid. A much better alternative is a product Band-Aid makes for blisters, which seems to heal cuts and splinter wounds at insane speeds and also adheres really, really well.

Another 3M Nexcare product is indispensable for anyone working with wood on a regular basis who experiences cracked skin on their fingers – a nail polish-like substance that dries instantly as a bandage over the cracked skin. It’s saved my life more times than I can recall.
Peter

Handy-man’s secret weapon.
Ernunnos

Duct tape is great for pulling splinters. Put it on, rip it off, splinter goes with. Especially good for glass or metal shards you can’t even see.
nehpetsE

A fashionista friend of mine slashed her wrists after some drama with her boyfriend.

i had to make emergency repairs on her at 4am. She turned up her nose at regular duct tape but luckily i had some glossy bright red gaffe tape. I gave her the remainder of the roll and she wore it with pride for the next two weeks.

About keeping things sterile, i am seldom without a 2 liter bottle of brandX equivalent of original flavor Listerine.
Best cheap all purpose antiseptic, fungicidal, and dandruff cure ever. Also great for genital hygiene if you don’t mind the cool burning.
Phikus

Electrical tape works great too. As a field tech, one of my crew or myself is always getting scraped up on the innards of a server or on badly cut network cable pungi-ties, so I keep a little sterile gauze in the toolkit, as well as Neosporin. I keep alcohol cleaning pads and white electrical tape on hand anyway, so this takes up a minimal of first-aid kit space among my gear. White elect. tape has the advantage of not leaving the sticky residue that black elect. tape or duct tape does, and doesn’t look as ghetto. It holds better than standard medical tape, to allow you to continue to work with your fingers, and is waterproof to boot.

For this reason I also recommend using the white elect. tape for audio cables / mics, etc. I’ve seen too much musical gear gooed up by using duct, regular elect. or even masking tape. The latter kinds do not age well. Best not to use any at all, but if you do for a quick fix, use the right kind that won’t permanently screw up your gear.
jackie31337

My brother generally preferred electrical tape for his improvisational bandaging needs. I think I know what one of his stocking stuffers will be this year though. :)
RJ

Anyone who’s ever had to make a bandage with duct tape and a napkin knows it works pretty well. I’ve never tried the liquid skin stuff suggested at #14, but I hear it works well. I might have to pick some up and toss it in the ditty bag.
Tgg161

I have a box of these at home, for anyone crying photoshop.
Islington

My father used to use duct tape for construction injuries…and i can attest to the fact that it works wonders for wart removal. Just tape up your wart, and leave it on for a long time. Gross, but effective.