Black Bodge Tape

[rest have risen above me]

Many years ago I was phoned by a keen young supply officer who in the years before lean e2e etc was obviously trying to save the Air Force money.

His question was "What do you officially (as stated in APs/MPs etc) use Black Bodge Tape for?"

The only answer I could give was nothing but I managed to find one or two other uses such as really good balls for hangar cricket and other uses pertaining to leaving/initiation japes.

Two questions:
Does anyone have an official use?
Any funny stories or uses for that amazingly unbreakable tape?

 

[Lobby1234]

Tape

Tape

We always used it for taping up canopies to prevent water ingress on dets when no hangers were available. Also good for tying lineys to seats when they are posted or sensible things like WRAF bondage games. Ohhhhhh. What about Det packups etc etc and a million and one other things. Sorry cant get the Wraf out of my head.....

 

[rest have risen above me]

We always used it for taping up canopies to prevent water ingress on dets when no hangers were available. Also good for tying lineys to seats when they are posted or sensible things like WRAF bondage games. Ohhhhhh. What about Det packups etc etc and a million and one other things. Sorry cant get the Wraf out of my head.....

Obviously the extra width rolls you could getDT_Xtremez_42:

 

[Scaley brat]

Black bodge tape was perfect for the phone. We found that if you put a piece across the switch, it was would release enough to stop your phone ringing, while not connecting the call or connecting the caller. Endless hilarity as people picked up the phone over and over until eventually yelling abuse, slamming it back into the cradle and walking away. Priceless. It worked best if you could see the target phone and initiated the gag yourself.


Oh yeah, once in London (Regents palace hotel) in the early 90's one lad stuck a pair of the most beautifully crafted spurs I ever saw to the heels of two Bobbies who came on to tell us to keep the noise down. I always wondered how long they wore them for []

 

[shettie]

Bodge tape mortars, Bodge tape cricket, football, baseball... Um... And sticking stuff we'd broken back together...
DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[fat lazy techie]

The best use I saw was in the early days of 47/LXX. It was use to make, what can be best described as, a small planet attached to a piece of string used to knock over/maim/kill anyone entering the crewroom not expecting to get tw@ted with some device or other. It worked a treat and followed us over to C1 hangar. Not sure what happened to it in the end, possibly became a second moon or something.

Still works well as an alterntive to waxing for those that are more hairy than most.

 

[gemarriott]

used it for holding phantoms together.

Used for making rank slides, sticking tri walls together, and of course as previously mentioned bondage sessions.DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[theladf]

Many moons ago at Marham I was in the gliding club having a few beers, and one of the lads (don't recall his name I was only in the gliding club for 2 reasons, 1, it had a bar, 2 it was open!) tapped off with some trolley dolly previous weekend and decided to take her to the caravan park on the other side of camp to biff her brains out in his van. Someone suggested we pay them a visit, so we all pile in a car and head of over hatching a cunning plan on the way. Parking the car a short distance from his van we snuck up armed with said bodge tape and taped the doors and windows shut, doing a couple of complete laps of bodge tape for good measure! then we hooked them up to mates motor, and dumped them in the middle of the VASS pan where the scuffers were most surprised to find them some hours later!DT_Xtremez_31:

 

[novembercharlie]

Black bodge tape.

Black bodge tape.

Many years ago I was phoned by a keen young supply officer who in the years before lean e2e etc was obviously trying to save the Air Force money.

His question was "What do you officially (as stated in APs/MPs etc) use Black Bodge Tape for?"

The only answer I could give was nothing but I managed to find one or two other uses such as really good balls for hangar cricket and other uses pertaining to leaving/initiation japes.

Two questions:
Does anyone have an official use?
Any funny stories or uses for that amazingly unbreakable tape?

Yes, it's primary use is for bodging things that dont need much structural integrity, as opposed to Silver bodge tape or "speed tape" that was mostly used for modifying peoples race cars in the motorsport club in RAF G. Also when I worked in MTSS it was handy for placing over the letters PO on RAF police car signs, it was usually many days before they realised they were driving around in a car that said RAF LICE

 

[skevans]

It's used to prevent LAC's from putting the tea pot down.

 

[FairyGoodGuy]

When I was on TTTE at Cottesmore we had the very same question asked by a young supply zob. After 20 or so minutes of all the wrong reasons to buy us more black bodge tape he left somewhat displeased with our answers. Still, the RAF continue to buy it so its only fair we continue to abuse it..........

Personal favorite......... Bodge Football

 

[Rigga]

I believe..... it was originally for additional waterproofing of Sonar Bouys dropped from the likes of Shackletons, Lincolns and maybe even Grimsods?

Developed as a high-adhesive water-resistant Sealing Tape, it has become the mainstay/backstay of many RAF trade incompetances, including:
Holding Flight Test gear on to helicopters
Cricket Balls
Torture devices
Holding Fairings on to aircraft
Holding Nuclear Bomb Fairings on to some aircraft
Retaining Black-outs in Windows
Replacing Windows (not the MS version)
Replacing a Gas-Mask filter (in times of Real Desperation!)
Repairs a Wind Surfer
Repairs to Wings on a Fabric aircraft!
Repairs to Plates and other eating devices
An Electrical safety device.
An Electrical Connector cover.
An Electrical Connector/Isolator
As Masking Tape
Stationary repairs - including Books and Binders
Holding Car Wings on (for sales to garages)
Rain Sealant for Car Floors

And one very memorable short-term repair to a US Army AH-1 Helicopter Tail Rotor!

I still have several Rolls in my garage, and it has proven more useful than anything else I obtained "during station disposals". (TIC)

The current answer is sure to be....


To replace all the other things you can't get anymore!

 

[suewilldo]

Bodge tape was used on the Squadron to tape party poppers (with the ribbon removed and replaced with barrier cream)inside the safe.The string was then taped to the door by the person with the smallest hands.
This then made one hell of a mess when the safe was opened needless to say.
The boredom of night shift eh!

 

[vim_fuego]

I believe..... it was originally for additional waterproofing of Sonar Bouys dropped from the likes of Shackletons, Lincolns and maybe even Grimsods?

I knew I'd seen a legitimate use for the stuff...The plumbers prep all the bouys before they are stowed in the racks at the back of a Nim...This involved taking then out of boxes and plastic wrapping and putting a piece of black tape over the flapper plate (my name for it...probably got a more tech one) which we would take off (keeping finger on plate so thing does not deploy in aircraft) and shove the bouy into a launcher...

Of course after that the tape was gash and you could amuse yourself by spelling rude yet accurate messages on the aircraft cabin wall in ordanance such as ***** is a c*ck...

It the little things.........

 

[reddeathdrinker]

Bodge tape to the Air Force is like the Force is to Star Wars.


It has a dark side and a light side, and it binds the universe together.....




Best RAF use has to be making ammunition for MEK cannons....

 

[superstacker]

ah ha i just thought of one official use,

one and a half turns around the legs on HUSLE (helicopter underslung loading equipment), to serve as a breakaway!

 

[Rigga]

ah ha i just thought of one official use,

one and a half turns around the legs on HUSLE (helicopter underslung loading equipment), to serve as a breakaway!

Wow! Breakaway Sleeves and Leg Wrapping to prevent "unrequired oscillations"! I'd forgotten all about them! - If I remeber rightly, that was all written in those blinking Army Regulation-thingies? (Can't think of the name of them now! - Yippee!!)
Anyway; Please keep enjoying them.

 

[skevans]

Not sure if this an official use or not. Depends whether you are the MTO at the despatching or receiving station.

I have used it several times to attach otherwise broken parts of FFV's to the surviving wreck, prior to low-loading it elsewhere.

Never been caught yet!

 

[superstacker]

Wow! Breakaway Sleeves and Leg Wrapping to prevent "unrequired oscillations"! I'd forgotten all about them! - If I remeber rightly, that was all written in those blinking Army Regulation-thingies? (Can't think of the name of them now! - Yippee!!)
Anyway; Please keep enjoying them.

The ATP 101 1A, and 1B i believe?

 

[Scaley brat]

Bodge tape to the Air Force is like the Force is to Star Wars.

It has a dark side and a light side, and it binds the universe together.....

Best RAF use has to be making ammunition for MEK cannons....

Good quote mate

MEK cannons, showing your age there I think DT_Xtremez_30: