The 2D Step by Step Duct Tape Record

Welcome! Today we will be making a duct tape record. For those of you who were born a bit later, this is an older form of audio storage. A record is the predecessor to the cassette, which is the predecessor to the C.D. So, in an effort to reach all of our audience groups, and in appreciation of our parents, we will be creating a fancy, sharp looking record to honor earlier generations.

When we are finished with our lesson today, our finished product will look like the picture below.

Be begin, we will need a few extra supplies. As seen in the picture below, I used a colored pencil, a small iced cream container, and a medium sized bucket to create the three necessary circles for our record.

However, here anything will work and long as they have the proper size ratio. So, refer to the picture below or get out there and Google, "records," to get a general feel for the sizes which are demanded by this project. (Our paper is 8 inches by 11 inches, so our largest object's diameter should be no larger than the copy paper which we are using.)

To begin our template, we will need to set our medium sized bucket on a piece of regular copy paper. We will need to trace and create a line around the circumference of the bucket.

Next, we will repeat the same procedure with our iced cream cup. Be sure to take the needed time to center the cup. Errors in centering are easily noticed.

Again, we must repeat this process by carefully tracing around the colored pencil. Be sure to firmly hold the colored pencil because it will easily displace itself.

When we are finished, we should have a paper that appears like the one shown in the picture below. We should have a total of 3 circles which have a similar size ratio to the picture below.

Now, we must prepare our cutting board. We must meticulously cover the cutting board with strips of black duct tape which slightly overlap each other on the sides. Be sure your duct tape base is larger than the largest of the three circles which we have traced.

Now, we must fix the copy paper, with our three circles, over the black duct tape. Be sure to tape the design down to prevent movement while cutting.

Now, with our trusty razor knife, we must CAREFULLY cut the largest and smallest circles. For now, we must not cut the middle circle. (Be sure to keep the circles. Throwing them away now would be bad.) Our finished product should look like the picture below.
Remember when I said save those circles? Well now, we will need our middle circle. We must lay a red foundation which is slightly larger than the middle circle. Next, we must fix the circles over the red tape and cut around our small circle and medium circle. Our finished product should look like the picture below, or a miniature version of the black circle we created.

Now, we must place the red circle over the large black circle and we must be sure to center the two small circles so they appear as one, like depicted in the picture below.

What would our red record label be if it was blank? Here at WeeklyDT, we go the full distance. So, now we must decorate our record with some song titles. This can be accomplished by carefully cutting a piece of duct tape in half, like a hot dog bun, Then, by cutting small, long rectangular pieces, as seen in the picture below.

When we finish placing all of our song titles, they should look somewhat like the picture below, but please feel free to install your own creativity into any aspect of this project!

To add the final, magnificent, finishing touch to our piece, we must add a realistic reflection. We must lay a long white base of duct tape. It must be two widths of tape long, and it must be two inches longer than the radius of the record. (Radius is the distance from the center point to the side of a circle.) It should look like the picture below.

Now, we must cut a piece of tape, as shown in the picture below. Be sure the cuts are curved as opposed to straight. They should curve outward from the smallest point.

Once we have our glare cut out, we must place it on the record. The smallest point should be placed over the center of the circle and the largest end should be overlapping the outside of the record.

When I originally placed my tape on the record, I felt that a shiny record label, in addition to a shiny record looked somewhat distasteful.

So I carefully trimmed the inside of the glare around the red label. Then I removed the label glare and presto! A record was created and we didn’t even need to hire any producers!

Great lesson today! Keep up the good work! Enjoy your new duct tape record and get out there and create a few projects of your own! I would love to see them!

Be sure to join me for my next lesson!