The width of the original tape is about .330". Although gaffer's tape is a very close substitute, that width is simply not available.

So.....

Creative lathing ensues. Place roll of three inch gaffer's tape in the lathe and set up a new razor blade in the tool holder....


Look at that nice clean cut. It's the dark one that's barely visible. 90 rpm and the blade cut in neatly. Now I have some tape to work on Byron's /6 harness.

Hey Joe, IIRC Chris @ Tangerine sells some about that size. I don't know where my roll is or I'd measure it for you.

Old and new:

For what it's worth:

The factory used a brand called Tesa for the cloth tape. You can buy it on Amazon. It's what we used throughout the 917. It's a high temperature cloth tape made specifically for wrapping wire harnesses.

Another option Joe & all, is to check with Jeff Bowlsby on what he uses for his harness resto's & his source, since he's got a good match to the OE stuff.

It may be what Ethan said, which is another great option from the "Porsche-horse's-mouth" so to speak!

This is for others on here reading this for their own restos ....

I added Jeff as an additional source for others looking to resto their own chassis harnesses. AFAIK Jeff only does 914 engine bay harnesses - get them from him to save time/grief with finding connectors/boots/etc.
> IIRC he also restores the engine bay relay boards too, including re-tarring the undersides.

... & Ethan is with Porsche's historic racing resto shop - when he says "what we use" - so it's correct!

Cheers!
Tom
///////

I've got some Tesa tape as well. Really nice looking stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/Tesa-51608-Interior-...words=tesa+tape

I have been using the Gaffer cloth tape for years. Very sticky stuff.

Here's the test section on the rear harness of the /6.

I think it's pretty close:

A man with a lathe is a dangerous thing

Ever saw a roll of tape in a metal lathe?

Just takin' it to the next level......wow

Wasn't this known a "friction" tape or electrical tape ?...... which is available in 3/4" width.

I mistakenly ordered extra rolls of the stuff from tangerine and it would cost more than they're worth to ship them back. I think I have 3. PM me if you want one free....

Ps...Joe...are you in the production biz like me? Most people call it duct tape unless they've spent some time in the trenches....

Old timers Used friction tape as electrical wire wrap before plastic electrical tape. Another sub if still available is cloth bicycle handlebar tape.

I used hockey tape and ripped it in half by hand as I wrapped. Was temped to use white, then it passed.

The Tesa brand is a household name here in Europe. I suppose you can get it on every motor factors... Try the European eBay sites for the correct tape!
The correct tape costs 3 euros/roll overhere.

Menno

When I did my loom I got the correct tape here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251808817142?_tr...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It's the correct tape, far cheaper per roll than gaffer tape and you don't need a lathe either..:-)

Just search Tesa tape

This has been a great thread.

Many thanks to all that have contributed all their experience and knowledge.

The correct tape is not 19mm wide.

There's a drop box on the ebay listing link I posted where you select width.

They offer 9mm wide :-)

Don't overthink it. 3M makes the perfect product. Friction Tape Part #3407NA. Home Depot. Perfect size. Perfect texture. Pretty much exact duplicate.

I hope you guys know that putting a roll of tape in a lathe, while serving a practical purpose for me, is posted partly for your entertainment.




For me, part of the fun of learning a lathe is the simple fact that I have little idea what I'm doing.

Experienced machinists would probably never do some of the things I'm doing, but I simply don't know any better.

Neither did Edison

Thanks, we needed this! ...picked some up today off Amazon.

Please take care.....lathes do not forgive inexperience or the naive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9grSq-TWMQ...;has_verified=1

We don't want you entertaining us like the guy in the clip. (This is the least graphic film I have seen, didn't want to post anything too shocking on here. Being a qualified Lathe turner I've seen far worse things happen on lathes over the years to folk doing what you'd think were simple easy and safe tasks)

Yep..my dad was a tool and die maker for many years and when I was a kid I used to go into work with him on Saturdays sometimes. He told me many horror stories about lathes. I remember he pointed out a few holes in the side of the building where people were careless with check keys and the keys got launched through the wall.

There was a guy working there who was missing a couple of fingers. When he was a newbie he thought he would brush away the metal shaving curls as the part was turning...bad mistake as they pulled his fingers off!

My dads a surgeon. Growing up, he told me the golden rule to working with power tools was always pay attention to your fingers. He kept all his. Many of his patients weren't so lucky. You can bet I passed that piece of wisdom down to my son.

It’s NOT just fingers,
The accidents can be any of the following:
1, Materials coming loose and flying out.
This includes the parts your turning, clamps, packing pieces, tools, drills, steadies, nuts and bolts on faceplates, broken/snapping tools and the most common…a left in chuck key.
I have even seen a 50lb chuck and a 70lb face plate fly off a lathe when it wasn’t fitted correctly or a fixing failed.
2, Getting caught up.
These range from shirt or coverall sleeves, to coat or shirt tails (getting caught in a leadscrew) ties, jewellery and even long hair.
3, Falling objects
Tools or anything left on the headstock vibrating across the machine and falling in. Shelving near a lathe is also dangerous as things can fall off onto the machine.
4. Tom Foolery and complacency (the worst of all)
I have seen students and workmates sabotage a colleagues lathe “for amusement” and experienced guys get hurt from being complacent.

At best you’ll lose a finger. I’ve seen people lose an eye and break bones in a very messy way.
“Series 9” Please take care.
Boasting about not having a clue and doing stuff you shouldn’t on a lathe without training and awareness, is not conducive to a happy ending and makes me worry for you.

I'll be okay.

A roll of tape rotating at 90rpm is the least dangerous thing you can do on that machine.

I don't have long hair and I don't go near it with long sleeves.

Like I said, this thread was at least partly for entertainment purposes.

I'm not "boasting" about my inexperience with the machine, I'm simply expressing a little humility.

I'm 47 and have worked in automotive shop-type environments for significant portions of my life. I still have all my fingers. I am very aware of the potential dangers.

I use and the the 3M Friction Tape 3407 as mentioned earlier. Readily available from local hardware as well as electronics store.

Reviving this old thread.

The tape on my 1971 914-4 is much narrower than any of the above.
It measures in at about 7-8mm in width.
The smallest Tesa I've been able to find is 15mm....way too wide.
And forget about friction tape or anything else easy to find...it's all too wide to really look authentic.

The below tape is just too wide.
You should see much more of the wiring, and much less of the tape.
On mine, the width of the tape is about what you're seeing in wire and the exposed wire is what you're seeing in tape width here.
I'm just trying to get a better look for my car.
Any ideas where to get 1/4" width Tesa tape....can't find it myself.
And I don't have a lathe handy.
Click to view attachment

We have in stock. Just need to list. Matt was wrapping his today. I'll ask him to post some pics ans get a link up.
Mark

Weren't you tempted to string it "aviation style", Mark?

I used to do this to alarm systems back in the day - WAY back in the day. I was tempted to do this on one of the 914s.

Wire Lacing


Click to view attachment

Way back in the day when I had my cabinet shop I had a guy who liked to scare the shit out of the guy running the saw, caught him in the act and fired his ass on the spot.
Sucked because he was one of my best worker's and we were swamped, but it had to be done.

I also knew a guy that was playing chicken with with a bud and a forklift... buddy's dead.

Actually they did something similar on the older 911 Porsches....

Click to view attachment

Ah - when automakers were artists!

Today they can still be craftsmen but the day of auto artistry is waning...

It's actually my brother Matt trying to be ready for Octeenerfest. Here's a pic he sent me.

Mark, that looks just about the right width to my eye.
Everything else I've seen is just too wide.
When will that be up on your website?

The tape I am using is the correct width.

I had wrapped it with the wrong width and then I undid it and rewrapped it yesterday with the correct width. Also put in our new material for covering the metal tabs on the wiring harness connection to the body. Yes these do need to get listed on the website but I'm working on the car today

You can see how much wider the typical 15mm tape like Tesa is.

The harness the Tesa tape is next to is NOS 1971 914-4.

The correct width is about 8mm as far as width goes.

Click to view attachment


Your tape width looks "spot on" Matty.

Will try to see if Blake can get it listed tomorrow. I'm still out.