Right after I posted about the 3M ScotchBlue® Painter’s Tape Applicator, Efiwym, my wife and I were going to paint the living room. The tool worked so well, I wrote, “The skies cleared and I could hear the angels sing,” as I was taping the family room trim.
Well, that was then. I started taping the living room chair rail and it was working fine until I needed to replace the tape roll. Suddenly the tool turned on me. I would set the tape in place and tried to glide the applicator along the chair rail. I struggled to get the applicator to move, and the tape would pop off the chair rail. I needed to hold down the end of the tape to the chair rail and eventually the applicator released the tape. This tool wasn’t so heavenly now. What happened?
I pondered if the new tape roll was slightly larger and was too tight in the applicator to turn. I already used 2 rolls from that batch without any problems. I struggled through about three-quarters of the taping, when I saw a flash of light, as if the angels were giving me a sign. (I am really going off the rails with the heaven stuff.)
I decided maybe to spray silicone in the inside of the applicator to make the tape roll turn easier. But when I opened up the applicator, I noticed a blue residue around where the tape roll sat on both sides of the applicator. It was the residue of the glue on the edge of the tape building up on the sides. I still sprayed the silicone on the inside and with a towel I rubbed off the glue. Maybe fingernail polish would have worked as well, but I got the benefit of the lubrication of the silicone.
I put the applicator back together and gave it a test. My once wonderful tool turned ugly, was wonderful again. I whipped through the rest of the taping. Also, the felt pads on the bottom of the applicator need to be replaced, but that is a minor issue.
I told Efiwym about my discovery, and as always, she showed me some interest just enough to make me believe she cared. Time to paint.
