Johnston 1 Skylar Johnston Dr. Suter SOC 338X 19 May 2019 America’s Universal Glue: An Artifact Study of Duck Brand Duct Tape Duct tape, known to the majority of backwoods hillbillies as the “universal glue”. This universal glue takes up many brands, colors, and sizes. Not only is its overall physical structure extremely versatile, so is its history and functionality. In this paper, there will be an in-depth examination of Duck Brand duct tape through a four-step process. The object will be identified through its physical appearance, authenticity, development, and history. It will then be evaluated through how aesthetic it is in general and compared to the product Gorilla Glue duct tape. There will then be a cultural analysis, which includes various functions involved with duct tape. The last step will include the interpretation of the object and how it is valued in society. This series of steps will give insight to the material culture aspect the artifact and will allow individuals to develop a greater knowledge of the artifact. Towards the end of 1942 a woman by the name of Vesta Stoudt received letters from her sons in the army detailing their problem with the current tape being used on their ammunition boxes. Stoudt was an employee at the Johnson and Johnson company, so she took her knowledge from working with bandage tapes and got to work with solving her sons’ problems. The resulting product is known today as duct tape, or is it duck tape? During this time period, this artifact was known as duck tape because of the cotton duck material used to attach the adhesive to. This material was also rumored to be waterproof, much like the animal. Once the patent was in place, the duct tape was being made by the government. In 1943, duct tape was army green, so that it would blend into the army equipment. Shortly after Melvin A. Anderson Company was allowed to produce tape in 1950, the color of duct tape changed from army green to its classic silver color Johnston 2 to match its newly developed function: wrapping duct work (See Figure 1). This is when the name change occurred. The new function influenced the new association of duct work and thus is modernly known as duct tape. (Ganninger) (Steven) (“How Duck Tape® Was Named”) (Hiskey) About 20 years later, Jack Kahl bought out Melvin A. Anderson Company and changed the name to Manco, Inc (See Figure 2). Not only were company names changed, the wrapper on the packaging was changed to black. Shortly after the switch, the packaging was also changed to the current green color that we see on the Duck Brand packaging today. This was the first time that packaging of duct tape was angled at retail. In 1980, Manco, Inc. created their first of many duck logos and changed the common pronunciation of duct tape to the original version of duck tape. While this logo was not advertised on their packages it was still used to show case advertisements of their new colored duct tape. Their first duck logo debuted in 1984. It was a simple illustration of a yellow duck surrounded by a green circle with the words “The ‘Original Duck’ Tape” in yellow lettering (See Figure 3). Within that same year, the mascot Manco T. Duck was born (See Figure 4). The logo was updated again the following year to a duck that was cutesier and appealing to the consumer (See Figure 5). At the end of the 20th century, Manco, Inc. added on Henkel products, such as Henkel’s Loctite consumer products and LePage products, through a merger of the American and German companies that started in 1997. These product names were also included on the bottom of their logos (See Figure 6). (“How Duck Tape® Was Named”) (Zawacki) At the turn of the 21st century, Jack Kahl retired from the Manco, Inc. and passed on the position of CEO to his son, John Kahl. Within two years of taking on the position of CEO, the mascot was changed to Trust E. Duck (See Figure 7) to give the impression that their tape was in fact “trustee.” In 2003, Manco, Inc. went under a company name change again and is now Johnston 3 currently named Henkel Consumer Adhesives. With the merging of these two companies, there was a change in production style to mass production. Also, while undergoing the name change, the company changed the logo again to the one that people currently see on their products today (See Figure 8). Since 2003, not many things have changed with the product other than one more company change to ShurTech, LLC. It now has an assortment of patterns, colors, scents, and functions. The “classic” colors today are silver and black. The artifact that will be specifically focused on with this brand is the silver colored Duck Brand duct tape. (“How Duck Tape® Was Named”) (Zawacki) With the history of duct tape laid out in the previous paragraphs, the next question may be ‘Well, what is this “duct tape” that you speak of?’ Duct tape is essentially industrial tape. Its has been used in the army to repair vehicle, boots, airplane gear, and much more. Its durability is a result of the three main materials used in the duct tape itself: adhesive, duck cotton, and poly film. The adhesive starts as two smaller components: a rubber block and yellow sticky resin pellets. Both are placed in a machine called a banberee, where they are mixed together to get the consistency of dough. The mixture is then transferred to the sigma where it is heated and mixed further. Large rolls of duck cloth and poly film are then both fed into the calendaring unit where the adhesive coats them. Not only does the adhesive allow for a sticky surface to hold the tape on objects, it also serves to hold the cloth and waterproof poly film together. The result from the last step is a large roll a duct tape that must be further separated into the size that is seen in the stores. (“How Duck Tape is Made”) Duck Brand tape comes in many different lengths and widths. Looking at just the silver rolls of tape, there are roughly seven different sizes. The width of the tape can come in two sizes: 1.88 inches and 2.83 inches. The length of the roll can be anywhere from ten to sixty yards in Johnston 4 length. The typical thickness of the tape also ranges depending upon the said “strength” of the specific roll. For example, rolls that are designated max strength have a much thicker structure than those that are considered original, or average strength. The material and thickness of the tape makes it easy to use. There are divots throughout the poly film that allow for easy tearing. The tape itself is extremely compliable and has the ability to be used on any surface. The overall form of the Duck Brand duct tape is a design that is original to the Manco, Inc. company itself. The design hasn’t changed since the beginning of its production. (“All Purpose Duct Tape”) Duck Brand tape has an overall smooth feeling and finish. When using it around the home, its cylindrical shape can make it easier to hold. If you have smaller hands like myself, you can easily place the roll around your wrist to allow for both of your hands to be free. It is also easily tearable, which is also convenient when try to do more than one thing at a time. With the brand coming out in multiple colors, it makes it easier to match the tape to the surface that you are applying it to. The overall structure of the roll is aesthetically pleasing due to its ease of use. The texture and ability to adhere and blend into any surface is also pleasing. It allows for multiple uses because it is easy to hide. When looking at the label of the roll, it is very simple. The logo is present on each side of the wrapper and just simply has the size of the roll along with the strength. This simple design allows for easy understanding and reading of important information, and if you wish to seek more about the product, the inner cardboard lining will tell you the address of the company and what the uses can be. Duck Brand has many competitors, such as the company Gorilla Glue. While Gorilla Glue focuses more and is more widely known for its glue, it has released its own line of duct tape. The colors for Gorilla Glue duct tape are currently only white, black, and silver, while Duck Brand has a multitude of colors and patterns, which showcase some famous characters. Johnston 5 Duck Brand also offers different levels of strength in their duct tape. When comparing rolls in the store, I happened to look at the max strength duct tape instead of the original strength. The difference in strength is related to the durability of the tape itself. Gorilla Glue only offers one strength. Looking at the rolls of tape, there is a notable difference in the thickness of the tape. While the tape rolls themselves are the same size in diameter and circumference, Gorilla Glue looks to be about one and a half times thicker than both the ordinary and max strength Duck Brand duct tape. The labels support this evidence by saying that the Gorilla Glue duct tape is 1.88 inches by 35 yards and that the Duck Brand tape is 1.88 inches by 45 yards.