Does anyone know where I can find a roll of Kapton tape?I have found places but they require a $100.00 minimum.One roll will last me a lifetime but I cant find it locally.Locally is Nashville Tennessee for me.Please help..........
if i run out of kapton i simply use tamiya masking tape or ordinary scotch tape. never had any issues so far.
In a pinch, I think simple electrical tape, or like said even scotch tape if it needs to be thin. I think Kapton tape is kinda overkill for most hobby uses. It is pretty expensive (per inch) to use. We used it in aircraft electrical systems, but that is where something like that is warranted due to chaffing, heat, etc in aircraft. But for hobby use, kinda overkill IMHO..
Litchfield also has different widths and sells down to one yard> http://www.litchfieldstation.com/xcart/home.php?cat=172 Jason
Kapton tape is thinner, stronger, electrically neutral, and resists abrasion and heat better than the other tapes mentioned above. In certain cases, the thickness of electical tape is enough to prevent a decoder from installing correctly. A customer of mine and I were talking about a source for Kapton the other day and neither of us knew where to get it. The next week he comes walking in and hands me a roll of it. He found it at an electrical parts warehouse in California I believe. He also learned that there are different grades of the tape. This stuff he picked up resists heat up to 750 degrees if I remember. Overkill for N scale but nice to know that it can handle it.
Like I said, we used in for aircraft use, also on and around jet engine harnesses. It was originally designed for the aviation industry. Sure it's good stuff, but still overkill for hobby use. But if you can get it and the cost is ok, it's great for most all electrical uses. If I would have a choice, overkill is better then underkill.
It's not really that expensive since we use only a little at a time. I think Litchfieldstation charges $1/yard and the 2 yards I bought from Bruce has lasted me a looooong time!
Thats true. But, $1 a yard really isn't that bad either. I remember when I was an aircraft electrician we were paying $100+ a roll for it. But that was also when it was a new product, and underwent costly testing for teh aviation industry. So, apparently, it isn't that big of a cost as it used to be. Besides, the tape for non-aviation use might be a version that does not undergo all that the aviation version goes through. I am sure that there are many levels and versions of it these days.
Got mine here... 1/2", 36 yards, $15 http://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-7595 Shelf life is 1 year!
I just recently bought a couple digitrax decoders where the instructions said they'd have the tape in the kit with the decoder, but didn't. I emailed Digitrax and they told me to just use scotch tape instead. I'm going to get some kapton tape from my LHS, he carries some.
The PnP Digitrax decoders use the Kapton tape to secure the decoder to the styrofoam block. Usually goes around once or twice.
All the Digitrax PlugNPlay decoders have Kapton Tape wrapping the decoder around a strip of styrofoam. It's more than enough to do one decoder installation if you unwrap it carefully. Stay cool and run steam....
It'll be ok as long as you don't eat it. It gives you really bad gas. Don't ask me how I know that!!! :zip:
The last batch of decoders we got in the shop was missing the kapton tape. I believe they were decoders for Kato P42's but I honestly can't remember. A customer came in bought them all and noticed the tape missing but said he wasn't worried about it, he said he had plenty left from other installs.
