How many times have you lost the end of the sticky tape and spent hours running your fingers around and around its wheel to try find it ? Lots of times ? Well worry no more with the super air reactive sticky tape! Its all down to the Super Blue Glue(tm) paste of the tape, which when in contact with air instantly turns clear. Now as you break off the bit of tape you wish to use air instantly turns it clear ! However some air is trapped under the last bit of tape still attached to the wheel, this air reacts with it too turning it clear, but the tape which hasen't been pulled off remains Super Blue ! Now you have an easy to spot clear end to your sticky tape !
Please don't hurt me this is my first idea.-- AbyssUK, Jul 18 2005 Sellotape - how it is made http://www.sellotape.com/tapemade.htm [Ling, Jul 22 2005] Improved Tape Improved_20Tape [loonquawl, Jan 30 2009] Groovy idea, eliminating a major minor annoyance, but div you gots any links on chemicals that can change colour when they come into contact with the air. I understand that lettuce does this, but it takes time.-- calum, Jul 18 2005 is there a glue which loses its stickiness on contact with air so that the end is permanently flapping about?-- po, Jul 18 2005 Po, um... well, never mind; nonstick plastic strips from a tape dispenser could be fun, too.-- phundug, Jul 18 2005 you could add the glue after...-- po, Jul 18 2005 If the tape turns clear, how do you know you're not looking at the blue tape underneath it?-- Mr Burns, Jul 18 2005 Maybe the free end should turn blue? So that way, when in use, pressed up against a surface, it would go back to clear?-- ldischler, Jul 18 2005 This is a very nice idea. Perhaps, instead, have the reactive substance embedded within the tape itself rather than the adhesive so that just the exposed end--the torn edge--oxidizes to a contrasting color.
In fact, the oxidation may not be needed at all were there a contrasting color material within the tape or if the tape color were merely a thin coating so that the torn or cut edge stands out in clear relief.
I remember there being a very similar idea posted here some time ago. I'll cast about and see if I can find it, provided it's still in the database.-- bristolz, Jul 18 2005 "Colored" transparent tapes are finding some vogue here; having the tape already a color and the adhesive oxidize to another would provide a visible contrast. Or, for grins, a color-change treated adhesive that is printed onto the tape in a pattern, say one that spells "Free End" or "Save the Whales," what have you.-- elhigh, Jul 22 2005 Thought this was going to be a duct-tape form of reactive armour, simple to apply and useful for repelling small-arms fire.-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 22 2005 Great Idea. I run into this problem all the time and can only laugh at all the times ive seen other people fight this tedious problem. Maybe you could licence this idea to staples or something. http://www.pdgevaluations.com/ Do you think the color of the torn end could be changed to a desired color AbyssUK?-- Kcsolutions123, Jul 23 2005 Great Improvement on the [Improved Tape] Idea!-- loonquawl, Jan 30 2009 random, halfbakery