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what brand of copper tape

598 views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  gsnopoint  
#1 ·
I built a new routed track (first one since 1966) and used 3M Venture Tape Masterfoil Plus Copper Foil tape used for stained glass. I chose this based on the suggestion of it's dimensions of 7/32 x 1 mil. I taped it fall of 2023. Over the course of the summer the tape started to lift. Mostly in the corners. Perhaps I didn't burnish as well as I could as I used a plastic roller. The road surface is a charcoal flat black. Besides burnishing better what do you think of applying the tape to a semi gloss paint. I would paint it just where the tape would go. Or is there a better tape to use?

Many thanks,
John Roberts
 
#2 ·
I used Venture stained glass tape on my last routed track in 1980. The track is still in operation in another basement and still has mostly original tape. I always liked taping a day after painting with semi gloss latex. I think the paint was still soft enough for the tape to kind of settle in and hold better.
 
#3 ·
Built my track in 2020 using the 3M Venture Tape Masterfoil Plus Copper Foil 7/32 x 1.5 mil. Still using the same original tape. Yes, the tape will tend to come up due to the contraction/expansion of the track. I just use a flat nylon stick or burnishing tool to press - burnish it back down without issues. I did have a break in a turn, but one can just use a small piece of copper tape and thin solder the new copper tape connection. Doesn't look pretty but it works. The track is painted with a satin latex.

Hard to find this tape anymore. Still looking for a suitable substitute. Way less expensive the using non-magnetic braid, so I deal with the continued occasional maintenance.

A trick that seems to help with stubborn spots, spray some gorilla spray glue (or something alike) in a shallow cup. Using a toothpick or similar, get some glue on the toothpick and then gently rub the underneath of the lifted copper tape. Reset the copper tape in place and burnish down again.