The Framers Forum

I normally use brown gummed tape for sealing the backs of frames. I’ve been asked to take apart and reassemble again a large frame on site/location (ie not in my workshop!) and thought I would make my life easier by not using gummed tape.

Are there self adhesive brown tapes that have the appearance of gummed tapes, something that looks and feels like paper rather than masking tape?

Recommendations appreciated thanks

Hi David

Like you, I use brown gummed tape 98% of the time. Very occasionally I use Sekisui 500 self adhesive purchased from "Shand Higson" some time ago. It is a shade darker than the gummed and when burnished it does not resemble masking tape.

I also use a very small length of Sekisui to bind the snipped ends of the brass hanging wire. I sort of lash the cut ends to the main wire (after winding the end around) to 1' prevent pricked fingers, 2' save the cost of ferrules and crimper and 3' use up the roll

It looks quite tidy too

Peter.

Thanks Peter, that sounds like some seriously versatile tape:

"Polyethylene coated paper tape used for carton sealing and also in industries as diverse as picture framing and road surface dressing."

Went to have a look at the job yesterday and decided after all I'll be able to apply wet gummed tape without too much difficulty while on location. But the Sekisui tape could be a useful addition to my workshop so may get some on my next order anyway.

Funnily David, I have been mostly using sekisui and ordered some gummed tape just last week as I feel it will be the better option going forward (fairly new to framing). I have found sekisui great to use, it sticks well to itself, burnishing thoroughly is vital..but what I wanted to say before you ordered, I get mine from Simons, I think it has blue labelling on the inside, however I did recently get some from Wessex that was well priced but was simply not as sticky (especially to itself) I think the label inside the rolls is orange. To confuse things even more I think the bag the simons ones come in has orange labelling on.

I’ll check tomorrow and correct if I’m wrong.

Thanks for pointing that out Buster. It seems there are two grades of Sekisui tape, 500 and 504NS. On the Wessex website they list the 500 and on Lion's they list the 504NS describing it as premium grade.

504 ns is the good stuff, 500 doesn't even compare

With regard to gummed paper tape, I wonder how many of us know that gummed paper tape is available in different weights of paper and as the weight increases it seems that the thickness of the gummed layer also increases. Gummed paper taper is available from suppliers in the packaging industry and is wound as gummed side in, or gummed side out.

It seems that much of the companies that need to use this tape cannot be bothered to thread the tape around the rollers in the machines that wet and dispense the tape. I have found that the heavier weight brown gummed paper tapes, not only work extremely well, but also result in an excellent result in terms of both presentation and easy of usage.

The company which originally supplied me ceased trading after it owner died and I have not found another supplier who will supply smaller quantities, as most suppliers want to sell box quantities usually of perhaps 48, or more rolls depending upon the width of the tape on a rolls. If anyone knows of any supplier of the heavier weight (thicker) paper in less than full box quantities, I would be happy to hear about this. My thanks in anticipation.