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Do you use this rubber paste in the USA?


Fred Salles

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Hello

in France you will often see in the sound man's handy bag a roll of that paste we call "pâte américaine", actually a sealing synthetic rubber.

the pic is the bulk version of it.

We use it mainly to stick a planted mike in a corner (very often in cars), because it is very easy to shape and unstick, and does not leave any residue.

Now I wonder if you guys are actually using this kind of stuff, since we don't have a clue how to call it in english on set!!

Thanks

Fred

(American sound recordists I did the boom for in the past did not use it. Here it started about 15 to 20 years ago I think...)

 

pate americaineX4.jpg

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Nope Nao. It is not butyl or "joe's sticky stuff" (I use it too). It does not stick strongly like a thick tape like this. It is rather like a kind of plasticine, just a bit stickier and with no residue at all. It does not do great on clothes as it can enter the fibers and it can be tricky to remove, unlike "joe's stuff", but it is safe to use on fragile wall or wood where "joe's stuff" is pretty sure to tear some bits off.

Also you mould it like a plasticine so you can easily maintain a planted schoeps head on its active cable in perfect direction. That's why we use it so much in sets like cars where boom is excluded.

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Im an italian sound guy living in Mexico now after many years in Spain.

In Spain we used to work with Bostik Blu tack wich i think is exactly what you say Fred, and it´s available on amazon in the US.

I used it in cars, also because has a good isolation from mechanical vibrations, and sometimes also used it with MKe gold mics on hard leather jackets to separate capsule from the surface....really useful

I looked for something similar here but the butyl for sure did not had that characteristics.... too sticky and too many oily residues

I miss that!

If you came to Mexico bring me one of those Henkel Teroson Fred! 

regards

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20 hours ago, Rachel Cameron said:

Tom, is this (pictured below) the same stuff as Blu-tack, and maybe the same stuff the Mr. Salles is describing?

1DPB7_AS01.jpg

Yes, in the UK it was sold mostly as 4"x5" sheets from what I remember.  Held my collection of postcards on the bedroom wall just fine.

Still can't find any background info on why Bostick never marketed it in the US under the Blu Tack brand, or licensed it to any other manufacturer.

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4 hours ago, Fred Salles said:

I really wonder where did we get the nickname "mastic américain" for it then !! ;-)

if Bostick does not leave oily traces then it seems similar.

 

3 hours ago, Tom Duffy said:

Yes, in the UK it was sold mostly as 4"x5" sheets from what I remember.  Held my collection of postcards on the bedroom wall just fine.

Still can't find any background info on why Bostick never marketed it in the US under the Blu Tack brand, or licensed it to any other manufacturer.

I think it's all the same product. So maybe it was licensed to 3M/Scotch and Loctite here in the States? I dunno, but I had it in my lav quieting kit as this Scotch brand removable mounting putty. It never leaves any oily traces, either...

Good stuff.

null.jpg

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1 of the first sets of XLR cables I bought (from a reputable dealer), came with Blu-tack packed round the soldering in the connectors. Not seen similar before or since but I suppose they had their reasons. A lot of homes, schools and offices in UK use Blu-tack or similar for hanging pics and posters but it does leave a bit of a residue, eventually.

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37 minutes ago, daniel said:

'....A lot of homes, schools and offices in UK use Blu-tack or similar for hanging pics and posters but it does leave a bit of a residue, eventually.'

Same here in the states. I've never left it anywhere long enough in audio, but I've seen it stain wall paper, and gypsum board to a pretty shade of powder blue, after a prolonged period of contact.

And putting it between XLR solder cups is a good idea. I bet it's much easier to pick out of there than the hot melt glue I use (but I feel the hot melt glue holds a little more firmly).

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I use the "Prestik" mentioned above as well Blu-Tack. (The South African Prestik mentioned herehttp://www.bostik.co.za/products/stationery/prestik is obviously different in color and packaging, and similar to Blu-Tack)

They do have differences, appart from the color and the mere packages size it is sold in.

Prestik initially was used in construction applications like these: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putty

I picked this, as the photo in the article shows it's classic application, though it is not clear, if it is actually used here.

Blu-Tack's intended market targets household applications. It is less sticky but leaves less stain and Bostik advertises it to be "nontoxic".

I think Bostik has changed the composition of its "classic" product somewhere after 2010. Before, it had a lighter grey, was more suceptible to storage temperature and had a different smell and more "smear". The package was rather similar.

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19 minutes ago, DanieldH said:

I use the "Prestik" mentioned above as well Blu-Tack. (The South African Prestik mentioned herehttp://www.bostik.co.za/products/stationery/prestik is obviously different in color and packaging, and similar to Blu-Tack)

They do have differences, appart from the color and the mere packages size it is sold in.

Prestik initially was used in construction applications like these: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putty

I picked this, as the photo in the article shows it's classic application, though it is not clear, if it is actually used here.

Blu-Tack's intended market targets household applications. It is less sticky but leaves less stain and Bostik advertises it to be "nontoxic".

I think Bostik has changed the composition of its "classic" product somewhere after 2010. Before, it had a lighter grey, was more suceptible to storage temperature and had a different smell and more "smear". The package was rather similar.

In UK window (decorators) putty is a very different substance to blu-tack and is made with linseed oil and with a distinctive smell (quite nice). The surface goes fairly hard, and eventually the rest of it too. My point being, don't confuse the 2, I can imagine using blu-tack to temporarily hold in a pain of glass but I definitely wouldn't use window putty to secure a mic as I think it would leave a horrible mess. Although it's quite different, VHB can be formed into a shape and is very sticky. Not so re-useable and not cheap.

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34 minutes ago, daniel said:

I can imagine using blu-tack to temporarily hold in a pain of glass but I definitely wouldn't use window putty to secure a mic as I think it would leave a horrible mess.

Absolutely agreed. I was referencing the application putty has, not that it is the same substance or of similar properties.
Btw I have Blu-Tack on my cars dashboard to hold my mobile phone since half a year. It becomes brittle after a wile and looses its doughy property either due to heat/air/UV.

I am not sure if I understand your VHB statement in this kontext. This might be similar to joey's sticky stuff but different to Prestik/BluTack.

I use the stuff pictured in #6 (Bostik "Original"/Prestik) if a stronger hold is expedient and the surface is not susceptible to to stain (E.g. a condenser mic on some varnished furniture). To plant a lav on wallpaper, I'd use Blu Tack.

Bostik ("Original"/Prestik) does leave a funny film/smell on your hands and I wash my hands after use if possible.

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On 27/02/2017 at 2:06 PM, mateuf said:

guess its the same as bostik/prestik. its widly used here to stick mics ( amongst other... ) to almost any uneven surface. consists of polyisobutylene 

image.jpeg

I was given 2 of the 1Kg sticks by some prop guys in Cologne. The nick name on set in Germany is Elephant Shit. It's really good stuff, much better tha Blue Tack.

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1 hour ago, DanieldH said:

Absolutely agreed. I was referencing the application putty has, not that it is the same substance or of similar properties.
Btw I have Blu-Tack on my cars dashboard to hold my mobile phone since half a year. It becomes brittle after a wile and looses its doughy property either due to heat/air/UV.

I am not sure if I understand your VHB statement in this kontext. This might be similar to joey's sticky stuff but different to Prestik/BluTack.

I use the stuff pictured in #6 (Bostik "Original"/Prestik) if a stronger hold is expedient and the surface is not susceptible to to stain (E.g. a condenser mic on some varnished furniture). To plant a lav on wallpaper, I'd use Blu Tack.

Bostik ("Original"/Prestik) does leave a funny film/smell on your hands and I wash my hands after use if possible.

Yes, mentioning VHB was a bit of a non sequitur as it's not a putty but it can be squeezed into useful shapes and is very sticky. Too sticky if you need to remove it without tearing the flock wall paper etc.

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