Does Kapton tape have a shelf Life? I've had a roll of 1/4 inch wide Kapton tape on my workbench for 8-10 years now. It last a lifetime when working with Z scale or so I thought. I tried to use some today and it would not stick to anything.? It appears that the adhesive has dried up. Is this normal? Does the adhesive on Kapton tape have a shelf life? David
Was the roll exposed to UV light (from a florescent light) for much of that time? That could do it...
kapton tape, like any adhesive tape, does have a shelf life ... many factors affect this, but eight years is really long , lol
We used it a lot at work for a lot of applications, but most of them were not exposed to light (they had overbraid, etc. for abrasion protection, or were inside sealed enclosures).
I have found that Kapton tape will not stick to an oily surface. Clean surface off with lacquer thinner or the like of same. Will it stick to its self— if not it maybe no longer good. I use rolls and it lasts a long time. About a year or more and have had no problems, but this is stored in an controlled temp place.
Thanks for all the input everyone The roll has been laying on my desk/workbench in the plastic Ziploc bag that it came in for years, So yes its ben exposed to natural sunlight, Florescent, Incandescent, and LED lighting. As far as Clean surface goes the chassis are milled drilled tapped then placed in a ultrasonic cleaner with a cleaning/degreasing solution, blown dry with compressed air then put into a 2nd ultrasonic cleaner with IPA, and allowed to air dry overnight before the Kapton tape is applied to prevent any chance of a short between the chassis and decoder. And no it will not even stick to itself. I guess its time to order a new roll and make some room for it in the draw where i keep the light sensitive glues. Thanks David
