Ahh, the handyman's secret weapon. Duct tape is made using a cloth fabric core. A vinyl or polyethylene coating is bonded to either side of a fabric sheet. Adhesive is applied to one side and the sheet is wound into a roll. The roll is then sliced into different lengths and packaged. If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Cotton mesh Cotton mesh forms the backbone of duct tape. It provides tensile strength and allows the tape to be torn in both directions. Cloth that has a tighter weave and higher thread count is of a higher quality, provides greater strength, and gives a cleaner tear. A premium quality tape can have a thread count of 44 by 28 threads per square inch. Accordingly, tape made with this fabric is more expensive. The cotton fabric is called a “web” when it is spread across the coating machinery. Polyethylene coating. The cotton fabric is coated with polyethylene, a plastic material that protects it from moisture and abrasion. This plastic coating is flexible and allows the tape to adhere better to irregular surfaces. The polyethylene is melted and applied to the fabric in a preliminary coating operation. The coated fabric is then stored on rolls until the manufacturer is ready to apply the adhesive. Adhesive compound. The adhesive used in duct tape is unique for two reasons. First, the adhesive itself is formulated with rubber compounds that ensure long-term bonding. Other tapes typically use adhesive polymers that are not as binding. Second, the adhesive is applied to the substrate in a much thicker coating than those used on cellophane or masking tapes. This too serves to increase the adhesive properties of the tape. The rubber-based adhesive used in duct tape is prepared in a multi-step process. In the first step the adhesive is compounded in a mixer known as a Branbury-type mixer consisting of a stainless steel tank equipped with a steam jacket to heat the compound and a high torque mixer. The rubber compounds are introduced in pellet form, then heated and mixed until they are melted and homogenous. Other ingredients are added to the blend tank as specified in the formulation. These include tackifying agents, viscosity modifiers, antioxidants, and other adjuncts. The final mixture is thick but smooth enough to be pumped to a holding tank connected to the coating equipment. The adhesive and the fabric are combined using sophisticated coating equipment. First, the adhesive is further softened by heat on a roller mill. A roller mill consists of closely spaced hollow rollers which are made of heavy gauge stainless steel. The rollers are attached to high torque gears and a motor that rotates the them at a set speed. The temperature of the rollers is controlled by continuously pumping water through them. The top roller is held at a temperature of 260°F (127°C) and the center roller is kept at 100°F (38°C). The cylinders are fixed in place so that only a small gap exists between them. As the rollers turn, the rubber compound is fed into this space. The friction generated heats and softens the rubber. This arrangement allows the molten adhesive to form a thin sheet across the surface of the rollers. 3. The cloth is then fed into the coating machine through another set of rollers. It runs against the third roller (held at 199°F [93°C]) that is in contact with the adhesive. During this process, known as coating, the adhesive is transferred to the cloth. By controlling the gaps between the rollers, the machine operator can determine how much adhesive is applied to the cloth. When the adhesive is ready, the cloth backing material—which has been pre-treated with polyethylene—is fed off its storage roll and onto the coating rollers. As the backing material comes in contact with the third roller, it picks some adhesive up off the transfer roller. This process used to apply such heavy adhesives is known as calendaring. Coatings as thin as 0.002 in (0.05 mm) can be used but they become less uniform below 0.004 in (0.1 mm). These fluctuations occur because the rollers experience a small degree of bending as they rotate. This creates uneven gaps between the rollers which cause variations in coating weight across the web. 4. After coating, the tape fabric is wound onto large cardboard cores. When enough tape has been coated and the roll is full, it is removed from its spindle and moved to another area where it can be cut to the proper size. These storage rolls are approximately 5 ft wide and 3 ft in diameter (152 cm by 91 cm). http://www.gale-edit.com/products/volumes/duct_tape.htm

Duct tape is made specially so that it is very durable and waterproof. The core, or inside, is made of a strong cloth mesh. Then, the fabric is coted in a film of waterproof polyethylene. After that a stick rubber adhesive is added on the bottom so that it will stick to almost anything. Finally, the duct tape is put on rolls and packaged. Then it is ready for the store.

is the adhesive LATEX???