What is a replacement product for 3M/Scotch "Colored Plastic Tape"?

December 28, 2021 11:54 AM

I'm looking for an equivalent replacement for the clear 3M/Scotch "Colored Plastic Tape." It looks like it's no longer manufactured, but it had a distinctive roll that you might remember (here are some photos to help). The model number might have been 190CL or 191CL (I've found references to both).

It's a clear tape and the backing had some stretch/give to it. My parents used to use it to repair damaged children's books, and it seemed to work really well for that. I managed to find what looks like 3M's product description:

Scotch® Colored Plastic Tapes are extra stretchy, conformable and moisture resistant. They can be used to repair, decorate, color-code or identify. These tapes should be applied to clean, dry and smooth surfaces.

Based on the application, I've looked at 3M Scotch Book Tape 845, but its backing is more like a typical packing tape (i.e. not stretchy). It seems like it works well, but I'm wondering what I could use if I want something like the older tape I was familiar with.

posted by cosmic.osmo to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

Not a replacement, but there is some of the tape being sold on Ebay.
posted by gregr at 1:28 PM on December 28, 2021

Response by poster: None of the tape being sold on ebay looks like it is the "clear" color, which is specifically what I'm looking for.
posted by cosmic.osmo at 2:53 PM on December 28, 2021

I'm not finding an exact replacement but there are lots of tapes in the book repair space that have specific uses. One of those tapes might have the quality you seek for the specific use case you have. See - The Library Store book repair section.

There is also a 3M Super Tough Clear Repair Clear Duct Tape that has some stretch (like a duct tape) but does specifically market itself as being clear. I'm somewhat suspicious that this may be a thicker tape than you want for books but not sure.
posted by countrymod at 4:51 PM on December 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I used to sell these tapes as an office supplies retailer. 190 series was 3/4" wide, and 191 series was 1.5" wide. All of the colors gradually became unavailable; the limited number of suppliers we had that did carry it all said they suspected it had been discontinued (because orders were being continually zeroed) but they never received an official product discontuation notice from 3M.

The tapes were all pretty unique, and the customers that used them loved them, and mourned their passing. For the colored tapes, vinyl electrical tape in assorted colors seemed to be a fairly good substitute in terms of stickiness and feel, though the colors were never as intense as the 190/191 tapes. The clear tapes are trickier, but a clear packing tape/box sealing tape with acrylic adhesive in the heaviest gauge/thickness you can find is close-ish, because they tend to have just a little bit of stretch to them. As much as I loathe ULINE, their S-423 packing tape comes pretty close in terms of feel and stretchiness. The tape adhesive does have a somewhat strong odor in use, which disappears soon after application.
posted by xedrik at 7:55 AM on December 29, 2021 [5 favorites]