Bond It F4 Emergency Self-Fusing Silicone Tape, Repair Plumbing Pipe & Radiat...

Mechanical: speedboat throttle connection still good 6 years later. Copper Pipe & Rubber Hose: 3 years later. Still strong! No leakage or bulges. I failed to winterize a house spigot and a garden hose. Frost/freezing did it's thing and blew the lines. The KEY to having a successful pipe/hose repair is two fold: A) Not exceed max PSI B) PROPERLY applying tape. PROPERLY APPLYING TAPE: Don't just wrap it tight one time and expect it to work or claim that IT failed. If you don't wrap as follows, then YOU failed to apply it correctly. Applying it correctly is the best way to contain high psi as opposed to connecting two parts together - which can vary the wrapping process greatly depending on the parts being joined. For splits/punctures in Hose and Pipe (+/- 3/4") do the following: Step #1: Begin wrapping on solid, clean hose about 6" to one side of the split/leak. STRETCH wrap it towards, over, and past the split/puncture area another 3 or 4 inches and stop. Step #2: VERY CRITICAL STEP - "DOUBLE BACK" over your first layer of tape towards where you began wrapping. Stop about 3 or 4 inches beyond the split/puncture. You now have TWO (2) tight layers over the split location that extend 3-4" on either side. Step #3: Reverse direction again. Moving toward, over and beyond the split/puncture location. Continue warping about 6" on clean, solid hose. You should now have THREE (3) full layers covering the puncture site - not counting the additional 50% coverage layers created by overlapping each rotation. Step #4: Double wrap the very last roration or two in order to help secure the final loose end from unraveling. Success depends on a tightly stretched pressure on each wrap, proper 50% overlap on each wrap, and following the Left/Right/Left steps above. For extensive psi's, temperatures, large diameter hose, long gaping splits, or spiral punctures consider widening your application site and doubling back additional times as necessary in order to contain the leak and restore proper function. The repair doesn't need to be from one continuous roll of tape. Layering is what matters. It can be applied wet or dry. There's "Emergency Tape" (cheap) and "Emergency Self Fusing SILICONE Tape" (quality). Their performance is like night and day. F-4 Silicone Tape is the the higher quality good stuff. I've used both. FiberFix Repair Wrap is another repair tape that's a good "cast or splint" like material. It can be applied OVER Self Fusing Tape for added stiffness.

I have used a few different brands of this type of tape over the years. I use it for a wide range of things. From electronics and wiring to waterproofing and sealing and even arts and crafts and I love it. This brand it quite sturdy and thick, stretches out and bonds exceptionally and does not peel back at the end over time like many other brands do. Its plastic backing it also actually stuck to it unlike many other brands I have used where it is just a loose layer that fall off easily when applying long strips or directly off the roll. Just remember, it attracts dust and particulate like a magnet attracts metal filings! And the cleaner it is the better it bonds, so clean your work area if possible and wash your hands before applying it. The one feature this brand has that brings it to the forefront though is the thin blue line going down the middle of it. This makes it a snap to line up and apply evenly, allowing you to get the most use out of every piece. Very handy. And if you do not want or need it you can simply put that side on the inside as the other side is blank. It is available in a bunch of colors, even clear, and the amount you get the price? VERY good deal for a very good product. Kudos to the manufacturer I would recommend this product without hesitation and will be purchasing it for as long as it is being made.

Works on anything. Used it on my power steering hose that was leaking profusely. I use it on electrical wire. Truly is self-fusing, and it couldn't care less about dirt or oils. Once finished, it's like you just made a whole, tight, and solid rubber coat/tube. The blue line helps wrap tightly. Stretches wonderfully. Great for mechanics and technicians. Really a 'dream' product. Waterproof. Sticky. Designed with functionality in mind! Expensive, yes... but not really for what it is.

This is some really neat "tape"--I stumbled across it while shopping for some of the standard vinyl electrical tape, and I am definitely happy about taking the chance on something new to to me. The tape is thin, but it is extremely strong and pliable, more so than standard electrical tape. Even better is that there is no sticky, gummy glue that proves a pain to remove after being subjected to high temperatures or water. This product makes a strong bond to itself (wrap it/overlap it on top of itself) or onto another silicone-based product. I bought it to serve as an insulating tape on various electrical R/C projects, in the construction of customized car wiring harnesses, and some various household projects. I have not been able to test over long periods of time so I cannot say how it will hold up over the long term, but I have no reason to think it would disappoint over time. I would have given the product full five stars, but, like a few other reviewers here, my order arrived with only 6 feet of tape, not the 36 feet of tape as listed. While annoying, Amazon took care of the problem without hesitation and refunded 5/6th of the price. I'd rather have the other 5 rolls instead of the money--I'm gonna run out of this stuff quickly at the rate I'm using it!!

I have used this tape for a variety of projects that it was probably overkill for using. For example, the bar grip for my kids’ trampoline that the 2 year old started to bite chunks of foam off. However, I wanted to give one example that I think was on the more extreme end of things. I was driving home after a day-long meeting and noticed something hanging down on my car. I bent over and saw it was the muffler strap, argh! I stopped at my mechanic and they were too busy until later in the week and the auto parts store wouldn’t have it in until the next day. I needed to be at work the next day, so not driving my car wasn’t an option. So, I decided to give this tape a chance to hold my muffler in place. It worked like a champ even with the hot temperature and vibration it was experiencing. I had to cut it off with a knife when I replaced the muffler strap 2 days later. It was not melted or pitted from road grit at all. I probably used half a roll to be on the safe side, which was 4-5 times around the muffler and frame. There is an art to using this tape correctly. It needs to be pulled and layered onto itself. You can touch it to any other materials and it won’t stick, but once it touches itself you aren’t getting it apart so beware. I am usually prepared to use extra tape than I think because it does get stuck to itself, especially when you are wrapping it in a tight space (like under a car). It’s expensive, but works better than duct tape for a lot of things.

Self fusing tape is not sticky tape. You have to stretch it a lot so the wraps pull nice and tight and fuse to themselves. I use this type of tape for non-pressure waterproofing, smoothing out hose clamp wire & the like so it doesn't snag, building strain reliefs, and emergency (and temporary) pressure patches. I once patched a radiator line on a vehicle with silicone tape - expecting it to fail in minutes or an hour. Lasted around a month (I left it on to find out). Easily long enough to get by while I ordered the replacement part. But this stuff is not duct tape or gaffer tape. It has different uses than sticky tape.

I wouldn’t buy the tape or anything wouldn’t even work on a non-pressurized line net worth the money didn’t work at all

I've used this type of tape in different brands for nearly two decades. It works where nothing else will and it doesn't leave a sticky residue when removed. It will hold household water pressure in hoses and pipes if you stretch it the full 3X and apply several layers. It only sticks to itself, so you can't use it to tape a note to the door. My first roll many years ago was much thicker. But the 20 mil thickness seems to be the standard anymore and I haven't seen thicker silicone tape for years. F4 tape from Amazon is a good buy if you get enough stuff to get free shipping. Most brands come in much smaller rolls. I had no problem getting free shipping as I bought four rolls, one each for the car, truck, boat and house. It seems to be a little easier to start as it initially sticks to itself better, and I trust the quality of anything that meets Mil Specs. Brands I know I've used are X-Treme and Nashua plus several whose brands I can't recall. The F4 seems to grab a little better initially, but they have all served their purpose. The blue stripe down the middle of the tape is handy for getting a sufficient and even overlap. I also often cut it in half and it makes a good guide. The " Triangular Guideline style tape designed for aviation use" statement in the Technical Details is misleading IMO. F4 makes a triangular silicone tape for aviation use, but this isn't it. Triangular aviation tape is thicker in the middle to give a flat finished product. The statement refers only to the blue line which triangular tape requires.