Wrapping Poles

[rainbowgirl28]

I bought some of Becca's tape and taped 51 of my poles so far.

Did you strip off the original factory tape first to get a uniform surface to tape on?

- master

If the original tape is in good condition and has a smooth surface, you can tape over it, just keep in mind that if the original wrap is colored, that color may show through. I recommend doing this if possible because it gives your poles that much more protection against nicks and scratches from spikes.

If the original tape is peeling or scratched much, the poles will look prettier if you strip them first.

I recommend leaving the brand label on in the middle of the pole. This helps the officials know which weight label to look for, helps you keep your poles straight, and helps preserve the resale value of the pole.

[AVC Coach]

Did you strip off the original factory tape first to get a uniform surface to tape on?

Only enough to make the surface smooth.

How many rolls does it take per pole or how many poles per role? (For the stuff they sell on pvp)

I can tape at least 4 of my 12 footers with one roll and 2.5 of my 15 footers. Like Becca said though, it depends on how efficient you overlap.

[Darth Vaulter]

I stripped the poles before I re-wrapped them. This was by far the hardest part of the process -- that stuff is stuck on there. The spray bottle version of Goo Gone helped and I also used it to clean off the adhesive residue left on the bare poles. I didn't want to get any static from overzealous officials about 2 layers of tape on the pole.

As far as overlapping goes, you want to make it as small as possible to get the full effect of the design on these tapes. Too much overlap and the ducks don't look like ducks anymore. A consistent level of overlap is important too so the pattern looks the same up and down the pole. I tried to do just a little more than the factory overlap -- it's a little tricky to do alone. Next time I'm going to have a couple of assistants turn the pole while I apply the tape.

[rainbowgirl28]

I stripped the poles before I re-wrapped them. This was by far the hardest part of the process -- that stuff is stuck on there. The spray bottle version of Goo Gone helped and I also used it to clean off the adhesive residue left on the bare poles. I didn't want to get any static from overzealous officials about 2 layers of tape on the pole.

As far as overlapping goes, you want to make it as small as possible to get the full effect of the design on these tapes. Too much overlap and the ducks don't look like ducks anymore. A consistent level of overlap is important too so the pattern looks the same up and down the pole. I tried to do just a little more than the factory overlap -- it's a little tricky to do alone. Next time I'm going to have a couple of assistants turn the pole while I apply the tape.

Yeah stripping newer poles is the hardest. Old poles the sticky has dried up and you can scrape it off fairly easy with a paint scraper. The newer ones are hard!

Keeping the overlap consistent is pretty hard. This tape is not flexible like vinyl tape is, so it is not very forgiving. You should set aside a time when you have a a good chunk of time and patience. The end result is worth it

[souleman]

What I have had good luck with is using a vinyl tape that is used in making vinyl graphics for cars and or boats. Downside of this is the stuff is pretty expensive if you buy it off the shelf. Fortunately I have a source for it and the installer gives me her left over stock for free. By using this I have a number of poles that are metal flake, Candy apple metallic, and (master has seen this one) silver metallic not to mention some cool spiral designs. By removing the old tape and using a vinyl tape that's actually thinner than the factory I believe overall weight of the poles is not effected and may be a tad lighter.I'm not a big fan of using anything to scrape the old stuff off. The way to do it is to get a heat gun ($12 to $20 at home depot) and heat the area and then pull the old stuff off.(Very tedious and no fun at all). You will leave some of the old glue on there so to remove this use an adhesive remover or lacquer thinner to wipe the old tape glue off. Once that is done and the pole is clean then you can re-wrap with your new tape. Start at the bottom and work up to the top of the pole. As a rule I try to have about an 1/8th of an inch overlap. This gets harder to do as you work up around the prebend area of the pole and as the pole circumference gets smaller. That's where the stretchiness of the vinyl comes into play. Key thing with any tape is to make sure there is no pre-mask on it. That's a clear tape over the main tape that protects it when the installer is working it in an installation. Because I have done this with several older poles, another benefit has been realized. With the pole completely stripped and before I re-wrap it, I can inspect it for any dings, dents or chips. It takes about 2 hours per pole from start to finish, that is if I work at it non stop. That usually doesn't happen. Most of you geezers out there knows how a garage project goes. Work a little, check email, work a little, get a cup of coffee, work a little, go get the mail or paper and read it, work a little.............etc. In other words takes me a day. After all, I wouldn't want to get to worn out by working a pole from start to finish. Besides the longer the project goes the less time a guy would have in the day to get to the honey-do list. Later...............Mike

[rainbowgirl28]

Scraping the old stuff off is safe as long as you are careful around any scratches or nicks on the pole, and careful not to scratch the pole with any sharp corners on your paint scraper or whatever (and even then, you'd have to really gouge it to do any damage).

[master]

...Most of you geezers out there knows how a garage project goes. Work a little, check email, work a little, get a cup of coffee, work a little, go get the mail or paper and read it, work a little.............etc. In other words takes me a day. After all, I wouldn't want to get to worn out by working a pole from start to finish. Besides the longer the project goes the less time a guy would have in the day to get to the honey-do list. Later...............Mike

Mike, you're a real laugh

- master

[Darth Vaulter]

I too took the geezer approach and made an afternoon of pole stripping. [I think some Googlers are going to end up unexpectedly on a pole vault discussion board as a result of the juxtaposition of the two words at the end of that sentence, but so be it.] I didn't use a scraper of any kind but I have fingernails like screwdrivers. I put the poles out in the sun for a couple of hours before starting to soften up the adhesive a bit and then used the Goo Gone when I ran into a spot that was giving me difficulty. The nicks, scrapes and spike tears on the factory wrap of older poles makes it harder to just peel the tape off because it tears around those spots. I had more luck when I didn't try to peel the tape off the way it went on but rather got a piece started and then pulled down and around at a 45-ish degree angle so the tape is tearing rather than simply unwinding. The hardest part for me was getting the wads and small pieces of removed tape off my fingers. It just moves from one hand to the other until you can get it to stick to another hunk of old tape or the side of a paper bag.

[AVC Coach]

The hardest part for me was getting the wads and small pieces of removed tape off my fingers. It just moves from one hand to the other until you can get it to stick to another hunk of old tape or the side of a paper bag.

I feel your pain Darth! I would try to get 5 or 6 completely done in one day. That's all my nerves could handle! I really feel sorry for the cats that some sickoes thought would be funny to put tape on their paws!

[Borntovault]

I use Uline labeling tape on our poles at Clemson and that stuff works awesome. I've never had any problems with it and it comes in all different colors. As Becca said before it takes some time to get used to wrapping them with a good overlap but it's worth it. Definitly worth taking your time to do it right when you're doing a second layer to spiral up the pole.

[PVTEXAN]

Reviving an old post here, as I did not see my question answered in the existing thread. What do you do with the original manufacturer's label in the middle of the pole?

All of the weight-rating labels are in good shape and still intact, but is it necessary to keep the "Pacer FX" in its original location? Pros and cons regarding removing the label?

Thanks for your sharing your experiences with this particular issue; it's greatly appreciated

[rainbowgirl28]

I highly recommend keeping the brand sticker in the middle of the pole if it's being used for high school, so that the official can confirm that the weight label matches the brand/manufacturer.

The cons are that it's more work to decorate the pole and it doesn't look as nice, but it's not worth making the pole look nice if it gets DQ'd! There's no guarantee that it would, but why take the risk or make it an issue?