07x13 - Duct Tape Hour

[bunniefuu]

Attention, viewers...

Do not try anything
you are about to see at home.

We're what you call experts.

NARRATOR: On this sticky episode
of "Mythbusters"...

Relax.
This won't hurt a bit.

NARRATOR: The team tackle
a trio of duct-tape tall tales.

- Fun for the whole family.
- [Laughs]

NARRATOR: First,
Adam and Jamie strength-test

the mythical material
in "Car Lift."

"Why?" you ask?

Because secretly
you've always wondered,

and that's why we're here.

NARRATOR:
Then they ask,

- can it keep your boat afloat?
- I'm going in.

NARRATOR:
One that's already sinking...

I think we're gonna need
some help from the camera crew.

NARRATOR: And one made
of nothing but the tacky tape.

ADAM: You can keep
your duct-tape prom tux.

We got a boat!

NARRATOR: Meanwhile,
Kari, Grant, and Tory...

[Cuban accent]
Say hello to our little friend!

NARRATOR:
...find out if it can stretch

to sticking a cannon together.

[Laughs]
Run!

NARRATOR:
Who are the Mythbusters?

Adam Savage...

I reject your reality
and substitute my own.

- NARRATOR: And Jamie Hyneman.
- Bye-bye!

NARRATOR:
Between them, more than 30 years

of special-effects experience.

Joining them... Kari Byron...

Look, Ma!
No hands!

NARRATOR:
...Grant lmahara...

- Aah!
- NARRATOR: And Tory Belleci.

We're popping popcorn
with lasers!

NARRATOR:
They don't just tell the myths.

Here comes chaos.

NARRATOR:
They put them to the test.

- JAMIE: What you got there?
- This is pretty cool.

It is a wallet made entirely
out of duct tape.

I was thinking we could do
an entire segment on duct tape.

A segment?
We could do a whole episode.

Heck, we could do a whole season

on the mythical properties
of duct tape.

You know, you're right.

Let's do a whole hour
on duct tape.

Okay.

Recognize this?

A roll of tape.
And that's just the beginning.

NARRATOR:
Duct tape's supple vinyl,

adhesive strength,
and fabric reinforcement...

MAN: Not bad!

NARRATOR: Means its
versatility knows no bounds...

One short strip secures tons
of coiled steel.

NARRATOR:
...which has led

to some wild, weird, and wacky
mythical claims.

[Horn honks]

What's the plan?

Well, I'm thinking that the
mythical properties of duct tape

generally fall
into two categories.

One is strength,

i.e., its tensile strength
and its adhesion.

And the other
is that it's so versatile

you can do anything at all
with it.

I say we start
by testing its strength.

You mean like lifting a car
with it?

Perfect.

- Let's go.
- Hold on.

Before we jump right to that,

why don't we do some
discrete strength tests

just to find out
what we're in for?

Okay.

NARRATOR: So before stretching
our miracle mythical material

to its car-lifting limits...

JAMIE:
Let's start up the crane.

NARRATOR:
...the guys are going to start

with a smaller, uh, force.

Many people say about duct tape
that, well, it's like the Force.

It's got a light side
and a dark side,

and it binds
the whole universe together.

NARRATOR:
No, not the universe.

They'll begin
the strength testing

by seeing how much tape it takes
to bind Adam.

Relax.
This won't hurt a bit.

NARRATOR:
Channeling his dark side,

Jamie "Dexter" Hyneman goes
to work securing his victim.

No!
Ow!

And he's enjoying it
a bit too much.

JAMIE: So, Adam,
this is 20 pieces of tape.

- You holding up?
- I'm doing good.

It's actually strangely
comforting.

Feels like
a really nice blankie.

All right.
Let's do it.

[Laughs]

This is cool.

It's like I am the plywood.

JAMIE: Well, so far,
you're not going anywhere.

ADAM:
No, I'm not going anywhere.

Although I tell you, I can feel
myself settling in here quite...

Whoa!
[Laughs]

Wow.
Really, I'm almost weightless.

Perhaps I should point
towards the mat?

I'm just suggesting.

There we go.

Oh. Whoa!

- Hey! [Laughs]
- [Creaking]

Oh! Oh!

Oh. That was just
the rigging settling, right?

JAMIE:
Yeah. [Laughs]

Dude, this is
actually quite comfortable.

Two rolls of tape equals
a whole afternoon of fun.

Fun for the whole family.

[Laughs]

NARRATOR: Of course,
it goes without saying...

but we're going to anyway...
Please don't try this at home.

Adam and Jamie

are trained duct-tape
strength-test professionals.

ADAM: Lest you think
that I am foolhardy or reckless

for allowing my 180 pounds
to be held up

by two rolls of duct tape,

this is actually
quite a safe system.

I feel quite comfortable.

It's a distributed system,

which means
it has many points of failure,

a lot of redundancy built in

by all the different pieces of
duct tape stuck to the plywood.

So I could hang out here
all day.

NARRATOR:
While Adam's hanging around,

Kari, Grant, and Tory
are about to go ballistic.

- Hit me.
- Wa-pchh!

Okay, so what's the myth?

You've heard of a potato cannon,
right?

Yeah, you take a bunch
of PVC pipe glued together,

seal off one end,
add some propellant,

add a potato,
ignite the propellant,

and, bang,
you're launching potatoes.

Exactly, and as most teenagers
and Internet anarchists know,

you usually use a cement
to seal the PVC piping.

But there's a just-as-reliable,
much quicker way

using duct tape.

Apparently,
duct tape is strong enough

to withstand the forces
of the potato cannon.

All right.
Sounds easy enough.

So we make two cannons...

one the traditional way
and one with duct tape...

and see how they compare.

NARRATOR: If used responsibly,
potato cannons

- are fun for the whole family.
- [Giggling]

NARRATOR:
And here's how they work.

A series of PVC piping is glued
together with PVC cement.

Potato is squished
into the barrel.

Propellant is squirted
into the combustion chamber.

Ignite that propellant
with a spark,

and just like a real cannon,
the projectile is launched.

But the team want to know,

can you really replace the PVC
cement with plain old duct tape?

Now, this may look like a pretty
random bunch of materials.

I mean, we're talking piping,
duct tape, potatoes.

But to me, this looks like
the glorious beginnings

of a good old-fashioned
potato cannon.

And that's exactly
what I'm gonna build.

Basically, a potato cannon
is like any cannon.

You have an expl*si*n happening
in the combustion chamber.

Okay, that is
my combustion chamber,

held together with duct tape.

Gases are expanding,
and they need to escape,

so they look for the path
of least resistance.

[Laughs]
Now, that should be the potato.

That's why the potato
launches... wshoo!..

Across the field.

Mmm.
Baked potato.

KARI:
Now, the big question is,

can the duct tape hold up
as well as the actual cement

that you use
to put these pipes together?

NARRATOR:
So, with the cannons complete,

the team makes its way
to its detonation destination.

KARI: So, we got us
some potato cannons,

and we can't fire them
in the shop.

We've come
to the Alameda runway,

where we have a big expanse
of space right here

where we can sh**t off
into the distance

and explore whether
duct tape is as strong

as a traditional glue that
holds together a potato cannon.

TORY:
He's just relaxing on his porch,

sh**ting off his potato g*n.

- Trying to hit San Francisco?
- TORY: Yeah.

GRANT: Ladies and gentlemen,
boys and girls,

let me introduce you
to the latest items

in the Kari Byron line
of home destruction.

This is a spud chucker

made entirely out of PVC tubing
with actual PVC glue.

And this is the duct-tape
tater tosser.

But this has
duct-tape fastening.

This is the setup
for our control test.

- We have Buster in the chair.
- Time to load her up.

GRANT: We've got a scale
to tell us how fast

the potatoes
come out of the barrel.

And just for laughs,
we'll be measuring

exactly how far they go.

- This is gonna be great.
- TORY: Ready?

NARRATOR:
With a couple of squirts

of the classified propellant,

the control cannon
is good to blow.

All right.
Light it up!

KARI: Okay, we got the
spud chucker, a. K.a. Spudzooka.

In 3, 2, 1.

- TORY: Whoo-hoo!
- GRANT: Whoa!

TORY: All right. Should we
go see how far that potato went?

- Absolutely.
- [Potatoes firing]

[Laughter]

KARI:
Splat zone.

TORY:
All right. What did we get?

- GRANT: 267 feet.
- That's pretty good.

NARRATOR:
Pretty good?

Sure, but they want
a pretty good data set.

And for that,
they'll need multiple shots...

- Whoo-hoo!
- KARI: 397.

NARRATOR:
...and more bad puns...

KARI:
And the next Spudnik.

TORY: Yeah!

NARRATOR: Before they get the
all-important distance average.



So the potato cannon
is working great.

We got some good distances.

GRANT: Yeah, we got
an average range of 346 feet

and a speed
of 179 miles per hour.

So, next step...
duct-tape tater tosser.

I think the true test here is,
will the duct tape hold up?

TORY:
This could be expl*sive.

NARRATOR: So, can duct tape
contain an expl*si*n

capable of sending a spud
over 300 feet

at a speed
of 179 miles an hour?

All right.
Let's do it.

NARRATOR:
Surely it's too much to ask

of this humble
yet highly versatile material.

KARI:
Duct-tape tater tosser.

In 3, 2, 1.

- GRANT: Oh!
- TORY: Whoa!

It worked!
The duct tape held together.

Yeah, it didn't explode.

NARRATOR:
Not only did it not explode,

the first shot
from the duct-tape tater tosser

was right in the slot.



That is right in the range.

TORY: That's almost exact,
and it didn't blow up.

KARI:
Which is really what counts.

But just to make sure, I think

we might have to fire
maybe a few more off, right?

NARRATOR: Right, because
although they know it works...

TORY: Whoa!

NARRATOR:
...the question is,

does it match the regular
cannon's reliability?

[Bird calling]

Hey! Get away from our test!
He's eating our sample!

GRANT: Now, to you,
it may look like a sea of cones.

But to me, it's data.

Not only that,
it's consistent data.

Let me lay it on you.

Our spud chucker,
held together by PVC cement,

had an average range
of 346 feet

and an average speed
of 179 miles per hour.

Our duct-tape tater tosser,

which is a potato cannon held
together entirely by duct tape,

had an average range of 336 feet

and an average speed
of 160 miles per hour.

That's a difference
of 3% on the range

and 11% on the speed.

Now, given varying winds,

differences in the masses
of the potatoes,

and difference
in amounts of propellant,

I'd say that's enough to call
their performance identical.

JAMIE: Duct tape was
originally invented by the Army,

and they used it
to seal up a*mo cases,

and they called it duck tape...
you know, "quack"...

Quack, damn you.

...because it would repel water.

Later on, they started to use it

for heating and air-conditioning
vents, things like that,

because they would seal it up.

But basically,
the formulation is the same.

It's a plastic coating on
the outside to seal things up.

It has a fabric structure
that gives it its strength.

And it has a natural
rubber adhesive on the inside

so it sticks to stuff.

NARRATOR:
And it's that combination

of strength and stickiness
that has led to the first myth.

Can it suspend a car?

[Laughs]

NARRATOR: To find out,
Adam and Jamie are weighing in

with some
strip-by-strip numbers.

JAMIE: We need to find out
how much a single length of tape

will support in terms of weight

so that we can determine how
many we need to lift the car.

Now, this is
our tape-testing rig.

And one end of the tape
goes on a bar on the forklift,

the other end of the tape
goes on this flat metal surface,

and we keep adding barbell
weights until the tape breaks.


Here we go.

[Whirring]

Ah, it's...

- There it went.
- [Laughs]

ADAM: Wow.

We figured out pretty much
the exact weight threshold

- on the first try.
- Yep.

I'd say about 70 pounds
for a one-time lift.

NARRATOR: So all they need now
is some wide-open space

and a car they don't mind
dropping.

- [Tires screeching]
- Dead car driving.

ADAM: Ahh!

[Laughs]

[Coughing]

- Let's get started.
- Okay.

NARRATOR:
Lt'll be a simple setup.

A crane, like this one,

and a hook, shackle,
and single crossbar.

This thing right here is what
we're gonna attach the tape to.

NARRATOR:
And hanging from the other end

of the myth-inspiring
sticky stuff will be the car.

JAMIE: The car weighs
about 5,000 pounds.

Now, each strip of tape
will hold about 70 pounds.

That means we'd get away
with lifting the car

with around 80 strips of tape,
I think.

We'll call it 100
just to be safe.

ADAM:
[Deep voice] Jamie!

This is your conscience.
It's time to start working.

JAMIE: There are a lot of things
you can do with duct tape.

You can bind things together.

You can seal things up,
like ducts and so on.

But what we're looking for here
is how sticky it is.

Think I've got it down
to a reasonable pattern.

JAMIE:
If we do our job right

and we actually are able
to lift the car off the ground,

that cloth in the tape
is gonna give way

before the adhesive does.

It's starting to look
like a cathedral of duct tape.

That makes sense.

I mean, duct tape's almost
a religion with some people.

JAMIE:
[Laughs]

"Why?" you ask?

Because secretly
you've always wondered,

and that's why we're here.

We've used 99 separate strands.

All right. Here it is.
Last one.

Used up five and a half rolls
of duct tape.

And by our measurement,

this ought to be just enough
to lift this car.

I think it's gonna.
Let's get it off the ground.

JAMIE:
Let's start up the crane.

NARRATOR: The crane winch
cranks into action.

JAMIE:
This is it.

NARRATOR:
And millimeter by millimeter,

it gently pulls the car
skywards.

JAMIE: Okay, I can see it
starting to come up.

ADAM:
Come on!

[English accent] It's got
a very loose relationship

with the ground right now.

JAMIE: Oh, it's almost painful
to watch.

Aah!

So, it looks like duct tape can
be used to seal a potato cannon.

- And that's got me thinking.
- Ooh, that's got me worried.

It should, because I'm thinking
that you make an entire cannon

- out of duct tape.
- Wait a minute.

You're talking about
a genuine black-powder cannon

firing real cannonballs?

- Out of nothing but duct tape?
- Yes!

Kari, you should start thinking
more often!

I know!

But we're Mythbusters.
We have to ramp it up.

Okay, hang on a second,
you guys.

Inside of a real cannon,

the pressures
are significantly higher

than inside a potato cannon.

Maybe we should find out if
duct tape is even strong enough.

We'll take a steel pipe,

seal off one end
with nothing but duct tape,

load it like a cannon, fire it,

and see if it withstands
the forces.

And we'll start
with 1 -inch thick,

then we'll go
to 2, 3, 4 inches,

until we find out the thickness
that it needs to be to hold up.

NARRATOR: A cannon, a regular
one, works a bit like this.

The black powder explodes
in the combustion chamber,

and the expanding gases throw
the cannonball along the barrel.

So first up, to find out
how much duct tape is required

to withstand those pressures,
the guys are going to replace

the back end
of the combustion chamber

with inch-thick tiles of tape...

...however many it takes.

[Laughs]
I see injuries in my future.

So it's time for me
to whip out my cannon.

Now, let's just say I know a few
things about building cannons.

However, this time,

we're building it
out of nothing but duct tape.

Now, duct tape is strong,
but is it gonna be strong enough

to withstand the kind of forces

that are exerted
by exploding black powder?

So I need to make
a strength gauge.

All right.
Let's go to work.

That way,
we can put the duct tape

under the same conditions
that a cannon would be under

so we can test the limits
of this duct tape.

I mean,
black powder and duct tape?

That doesn't sound like science.

That sounds like
a family reunion.

So this is the strength part
of our strength gauge.

It's a plastic frame I've
cut out for layering duct tape.

I'm gonna make
a 1 -inch-thick sheet

that I'll then cut down into


They're gonna bolt onto the back
of what Tory's making,

and when we ignite
our black powder,

we'll find out
how much duct tape it doth take.

So, that is 1 inch thick.

Yay!

All right.
Let's cut it up into tiles.

So we've used 37 rolls
of duct tape.

At 60 yards a roll,
that's 2,220 yards of duct tape.

TORY: Hey, dude,
you got something on your face.

GRANT:
That's one and a quarter miles

to make all the tiles we need
for our strength test.

NARRATOR:
So, with the duct-tape tiles

and strength gauge complete,

it's off to a familiar
and favorite location.

TORY: So we've come here to the
b*mb range, our favorite place,

to test this safely
so that nobody gets hurt.

It's a strength gauge.
It's not a cannon.

NARRATOR:
And if you're wondering

exactly why it's not a cannon,

here's the man with the can...
uh, strength gauge.

First, we're not using
a cannonball.

We're using a piston.

It's the same diameter
and weight as a cannonball,

but it's not a cannonball.

Anybody got any duct tape?

Second, we are not using a fuse.

We're using
an electric remote system

to light up the gunpowder.

And most importantly,

there is no steel back
at the end of this steel tube.

It's gonna be a duct-tape panel.

Once we load this up and fire
it off, what we're looking for

is the piston to fly
out of the barrel

and have the duct tape intact.

If that happens,

then we know duct tape is strong
enough to build a cannon out of.

After looking at how thick
that 1 -inch duct-tape panel is,

I'm thinking one panel
is gonna be enough.

Really? Just one? I think
it's gonna take at least two.

I would bet on two.

I think it's gonna take
at least three.

All right. Put your money
where your mouth is.

- I got 5 bucks.
- I got 5.

Okay.
So who holds the money?

Cameraman.

[Laughter]

All right.
We're hooked in.

KARI: For this to be
a good, successful test,

what we're looking for
is that the duct-tape tiles,

whatever thickness
we end up with, will be intact

while the piston blows out the
other end of the strength gauge.

Okay, so this is


in the strength gauge.

KARI:
This is your chance at $15.

TORY:
All right. Here we go.

In 3, 2, 1!

ALL: Oh!

- Pay up, suckers!
- Wow!

Wait, wait.
Let's survey the damage first.

I want to make sure it held up.

NARRATOR: Incredibly, it seems
to have worked first time out.

And it's disbelief all 'round.

KARI: There's no way this test
worked on the first go.

There's no way!

Whoa!

TORY:
It worked!

GRANT:
A 1 -inch thick slab of duct tape

was enough to withstand the kind
of force to launch a cannonball.

- KARI: Whoa!
- GRANT: Oh!

That's perfect, man.

It burned the heck out of it,
but it didn't blow out.

No, it's beautiful.

It just burnt off
the wax paper, too.

It didn't even go through
the first layer of duct tape.

- This stuff is incredible!
- GRANT: That's amazing.

We got a great result from
the duct-tape strength test.

It looks like duct tape

is gonna be strong enough
to build a cannon out of.

Now all we need to do
is build the cannon.

But you know what the best part
of this experiment was?

I won the bet.
Give me my money, punk.

Give me that.

Adam:
Oh, come on, baby.

NARRATOR: Adam and Jamie
are attempting to lift a car

with just 99 strips
of duct tape.

And they're close.

Real close.

JAMIE: It's got one wheel...
and it's off!

ADAM: It's off the ground!
[Laughs]

JAMIE:
That's kind of nuts.

Why you need to do this,
I don't know, but it's cool.

It's holding.

NARRATOR:
It's holding.

And with a flight time
of a minute and counting,

the result is clear, leaving
just one remaining question.

It's only a matter of time
before it comes crashing down.

It'll be just like a zipper
opening up.

ADAM: Yeah, as with all flights
off the ground,

taking off is optional,
landing is mandatory.

- [Tape rips]
- There... First one went.

[Tape rips]

JAMIE: That's two strips of tape
that are gone now.

- ADAM: Ooh!
- JAMIE: That's three, four.

There it goes.

ADAM:
Oh! [Laughs]

Nice!

Oh!
[Laughs]

NARRATOR:
Exactly like a zipper.

Plus, just like Jamie suggested,

it wasn't the adhesive that
gave way but the tape itself.

ADAM: Wow!

I love how consistently it broke

all the way along
that sharp point.

JAMIE: Yeah.

I don't see a single piece
of tape that lost its adhesion.

They all ripped right
in the middle of the tape.

ADAM:
That's true.

[Laughs]

Yet again, tools and materials

used in ways for which
they were never intended.

In the case of duct tape,

if you've got enough of it,
you could move the world.

ADAM: Not a bad way
to spend the afternoon.

JAMIE:
[Chuckles]

What's next?

This is a good one for you,
Captain.

Have you ever had to use duct
tape to fix a leak in a boat?

- My boats don't leak.
- Okay.

Well, just imagine that you're
out on the open seas,

your boat's got a leak in it,

and this is the only thing
you've got to repair it.

Will it do the job?

Waterproofing, adhesion.
Sounds like a good test.

I thought so.

NARRATOR: And so our two
Mythbusters, one an optimist...

ADAM: What a gorgeous day
for a boat ride.

NARRATOR:
...and one a pessimist...

- JAMIE: Or for sinking a boat.
- ADAM: [Laughs]

NARRATOR: Arrive
on the shores of Frisco Bay,

ready to set this myth adrift.

Well, if we're going to repair
a hole in a boat with duct tape,

then obviously we're gonna need
a boat with a hole in it.

We've got a boat.
It doesn't yet have a hole.

But I'm about... to remedy that.

NARRATOR: It's a sizeable hole
in the hull,

but confidence in the sticky
cure is still high and dry.

ADAM: This is a no-brainer.
The tape's gonna hold just fine.

Under these conditions,
this size hole,

we could sail all day.

NARRATOR: However,
Jamie "Glass Half-Empty" Hyneman

is prepared for the worst.

JAMIE: If you're gonna
get in a leaky boat,

you need to remember
a couple things.

The first one
is a life preserver.

All right. Let's put this puppy
on the water.

And the second one
is something to bail with...

like a bleach bottle
or something like that.

- There we go.
- ADAM: All right. I'll step in.

- JAMIE: Okay.
- NARRATOR: Well, it floats.

It successfully supports...
one Mythbuster...

Two Mythbuster!

I don't see any water.
That's always a good sign.

NARRATOR: And the dinghy
with its duct-tape patch

is looking good to row.

ADAM:
[Laughs]

NARRATOR: Plus, it's also
standing the test of time.

JAMIE: Should have brought
my fishing pole.

Properly applied,

the duct tape actually
seems to be doing fairly well.

I have to say, though,

I wouldn't take off across the
ocean with that kind of patch.

It works,
but it scares me a little bit.

NARRATOR: And with good reason,
because at the 30-minute mark...

Where's that water
coming in from?

NARRATOR: There's a hint
that the duct tape

isn't a permanent solution.

It's pooling
in the bottom there.

- Yeah.
- That's kind of a bad sign.

It clearly works.

We're still afloat,
but I'm not too happy with it,

'cause we're gonna have to start
bailing before long.

ADAM: I would say
that it's not waterproof,

but it's absolutely
water-resistant.

JAMIE:
I'll buy that.

NARRATOR:
It's a testament to the tape

that after 40 minutes,
they're still afloat.

ADAM:
It's just a little wet.

NARRATOR: But Adam has
a tougher assignment in mind.

I think our duct-tape patch
is holding up pretty well.

But honestly,
when I think "boat repair,"

I don't think of repairing
the boat on the dock

and then putting it in.

If you're on the dock, you're
gonna have materials you need.

Duct tape means you're
in an emergency situation.

I would like to create
that emergency situation.

- You want to get wet, huh?
- I do.

Rip off the patch. Water's
pouring through the hole.

Duct tape's the only thing
we got.

We got to fix that hole.

[Chuckles]
And the water's cold.

Yeah.

Oh, there we go.

Whoa!

That's a bona fide emergency
we got going on there.

- I'll start making a patch.
- You start making the patch.

NARRATOR: Like the little boy
and the dike,

Adam is plugging the hole
digitally...

ADAM:
[Laughs]

NARRATOR:
...while Jamie goes to work

with the mythical material.

JAMIE: If you have to apply
duct tape underwater,

you're gonna have a hard time,
because the water forms a film

that inhibits the adhesive
from really connecting

with the surface
you're trying to put it on.

- All right. I'm going in. Ready?
- Okay.

It's really frustrating.

It's just like
the adhesive is not there.

ADAM: Unsurprisingly,
it's not sticking very well,

but it is sticking
a little bit.

All right.
Take your foot off.

I think we start the clock
to see how that repair does.

- What do you say?
- JAMIE: Starts now.

ADAM: Okay.

TORY: 1!

NARRATOR: Kari, Grant,
and Tory have seen

that 1 -inch-thick duct tape

can withstand the expl*sive
pressures of a cannon.

And the team
is going to play it safe

by making its duct-tape
cannon barrel 2 inches thick.

And to get the perfect shape,

it's going to build it
around a removable steel form.

KARI:
Okay, so here's the plan.

We have
our internal diameter plug.

We're going to grease this up.

You know
what Jamie would say here.

When in doubt, lube.

KARI: We're gonna cover it
in wax paper.

TORY:
All right!

KARI: Then we're gonna start
a cross-hatching system

with all our duct tape
to get to our target thickness

so we have
the perfect duct-tape cannon.

NARRATOR: With almost 20 rolls
of tape used

and the end in sight...

I think it looks like
a giant duct-tape zeppelin.

Or a big silver sausage.

Or that.

NARRATOR: The team
starts thinking through

the next stage of the build.

GRANT:
One of our big concerns

is that the cannon
will simply collapse on itself.

So I'm going to make a smaller
wooden form that we can use

to safely transport this
to our testing site.

Ta-da!
Here it is.

TORY: And another problem
that we're gonna face

is that the cannon itself
may just fold.

So I got to come up
with some kind of support system

that runs the entire length
of the barrel

that will allow us
to attach to our stand.

- Yeah! 2 inches!
- That's it.

All right.
We hit our target point.

Now the hard part...
getting this off the form.

I don't think
it'll be that hard.

- I think we prepped really well.
- Okay.

- All right.
- Famous last words.

Optimism, guys.
Optimism.

NARRATOR: Exuding the confident
glow of the well-prepared,

Kari has no doubts
it's going to work.

- TORY: Ready?
- GRANT: Yeah.

NARRATOR:
The boys... not so much.

Yeah, it's slipping right off.

GRANT: Okay, so we've got
this whole plan, right?

We drill the hole,
we put air pressure in,

and it should just kind of slide
right off the form.

We drilled the hole, put
the air pressure in, nothing.

So we drilled another hole,
we put more air pressure in...

That's good.
It's moving.

GRANT: And it started to move
a little bit

but still not really coming off
that easily.

Oh, move it.
Move it.

GRANT: Finally, we wrapped
the strap around the cannon,

pulled on it with the forklift,
and then it popped right off.

TORY: Oh, there it goes.
It's coming off!

- KARI: Yay!
- Yeah! [Laughs]

- Yeah!
- We did it.

Yes!

[Cuban accent]
Say hello to our little friend!

Nice.

[Normal voice]
Oh, that is a beautiful thing.

The boys had their doubts about
us getting the duct-tape cannon

off of the metal form.

That is sick!

That's a duct-tape cannon.

This might actually work!

Nice!
That is awesome!

I knew it was gonna work.

Now all we need is gunpowder
and cannonballs.

NARRATOR: Adam and Jamie
are kings of the world.

But inevitably, just like Kate
and Leo, they're going under.

ADAM:
Well, it's not looking so good

for duct-tape repair
of a boat in situ.

In damp conditions, as it were.

And it doesn't look like our
boat is long for the world here,

but we're gonna wait it out.

JAMIE:
I'm gonna go out on a limb here

and say we're officially
sinking,

because, like,
we're sitting in water.

ADAM: Yeah.
[Laughs]

Well, it's pretty clear to me
that applied dry,

duct tape actually implements
a not-unreasonable boat repair.

Uh-oh. Oh!
Oh, yeah.

Applied wet... not so much.

Here.

I think we can
still get back to shore.

JAMIE:
Duct tape for boat repair?

Well, like a lot of things,
the devil's in the details.

Have you ever paddled
a sinking boat?

JAMIE:
No, that I haven't done.

With a dry surface,
a super-clean one,

properly applied, it'll work
fairly well for a while.

Anything else, forget about it.

ADAM: Whoop!

Okay, I think we're gonna need
some help from the camera crew.

So, leaky-boat repair...

I'm calling it plausible,
even if it's not ideal.

Hell, out on the open water,

I'd rather have this
than nothing by a long shot.

I agree, but I was thinking,

why mess around with patching
boats and such nonsense?

Let's up the ante and actually
make a boat out of duct tape.

I love it!

I knew you'd find
the open water inspiring.

Be sure to bring your life vest.

NARRATOR: Yep, our salty sea dog
Hyneman and Cap'n Savage

love a nautical-engineering
challenge.

ADAM:
We're escaping!

NARRATOR: They escaped Alcatraz
in a boat made of raincoats.

They raised the Mythtanic
with Ping-Pong ba*ls.

They've even made a speedboat

- out of frozen newspapers.
- I'm king of the world!

Whoa!

NARRATOR: And now a boat
made out of duct tape?

But it won't be
just duct tape, surely?

JAMIE: Now,
because it'd be a little floppy

if it was all duct tape,
we're gonna use steel wire

to make a grid
to hang the duct tape on.

Oh, it's pretty.

[Grunts]

NARRATOR: Which just leaves
the key ingredient...

lots and lots of it.

But is it enough
to float a boat?

JAMIE: If you're gonna build
a boat out of duct tape,

you need to think
about the duct tape as cloth

or like an animal hide.

It's kind of like weaving.

And in fact, that's what
Native Americans used to do,

is build boats
out of animal hide,

and they would make
a lightweight wood structure

that they'd stretch it over.

Well, we're gonna do the same
thing, but instead of wood,

we're gonna use steel because
we can work quicker with it.

Of course, otherwise,

the boat is a pretty normal,
modern sailboat design.

NARRATOR: With the second layer
being applied,

the cornerstone of their design
should be noted.

It'll be sticky side
to sticky side.

That's the last one.
The hull is done.

NARRATOR:
But they're not quite done yet.

They need a sail.

And in a classic
"Mythbusters" moment,

we reduce the next hour
of hard work and problem solving

into a crisp 10-second montage.

[Laughs]

Yeah, baby.

You can keep
your duct-tape prom tux.

We got a boat!

If I was alone on the open sea,

the last thing I'd ask for
is 23 rolls of duct tape.

But apparently,
this is enough to make a boat.



If you laid each of these rolls
end to end,

they would span
the Golden Gate Bridge.

And soon,
we're gonna take them sailing.

TORY: All right. Let's put
this duct tape to the test.

NARRATOR: Kari, Grant, and Tory
are about to find out

if you can make
a fully functioning cannon

from duct tape.

Look at this arsenal
of absurdity.

NARRATOR: The test will be
a simple performance comparison

with a real steel cannon...

...including
muzzle velocity, range,

and whether it, you know,
catastrophically fails.

TORY: Now, you may recognize
this cannon from "Prison Break,"

where we tried to launch
a prisoner over a prison wall.

[Laughter]

This time, we're gonna be
using it for a control test

before we fire off
our duct-tape cannon.

We're gonna be using the same
amount of black powder as we did

on our strength gauge.

KARI:
That's four shotgun shells.

And we've placed cones
at every 50 yards

so we can see just how far
our cannonballs travel.

TORY:
All right. That's 500 yards.

I don't think the cannonball's
gonna go much farther than that.

- Do you?
- GRANT: No way.

And finally, to check the speed
of the cannonballs,

we've set up this scale.

Because, remember,
for this myth to be confirmed,

it should have similar range,
similar speed,

and, most importantly, the
duct-tape cannon cannot blow up.

- See you back there.
- Okay.

Sure, leave me
with the dangerous job.

NARRATOR: With the four shotgun
shells' worth of black powder

in the combustion chamber,

all that's left to do
is light the fuse.

All right.
Here we go!

NARRATOR:
Oh, and run.

[Laughs]

GRANT:
Run, Forrest, run!

- Yeah! You guys ready?!
- I'm ready.

- Are we lit?
- TORY: We're lit.

NARRATOR: The inexorable,
heart-thumping excitement

of the lit fuse.

Whether it's your first
or hundredth,

there's nothing quite like it.

- KARI: Whoo!
- GRANT: Oh!

Yeah!

- GRANT: Nice!
- TORY: Whoo-hoo!

- That went far!
- That's great!

Right in the cone zone.

NARRATOR:
That's some serious real steel

and black-powder hardware.

It threw the cannonball
the full length of the course.

KARI: That looks like a divot
right there.

TORY:
It totally is.

[Laughs]

It went over 500 yards!

GRANT: So, I've reviewed
the high-speed footage,

and Tory's cannon was able to
fire an 181/2-pound cannonball

at 195 miles per hour
and a distance of 500 yards.

So that is our goal
for the duct-tape cannon.

But to be honest,
I will be very happy

if our duct-tape creation
doesn't explode upon ignition.

NARRATOR: Adam and Jamie
have set themselves

the ultimate
duct-tape challenge.

ADAM:
We got a boat!

NARRATOR: And in the shadow
of the Bay Bridge...

ADAM:
And... seated.

NARRATOR:
...the final preparation

for Stuck On You's maiden voyage
is just about complete.

It's now or never.
Let's get it to the water.

JAMIE: Yep.

It's getting close
to the moment of truth,

and all that's separating us
from Davy Jones' locker

is a little bit of tape.

That's good.

I don't know whether
it's gonna work or not.

But if it doesn't,
I'm getting wet and cold,

and I'm motivated
not to do that.

NARRATOR:
As unlikely as it seems,

and surely in a world first,

Adam and Jamie are attempting
to sail...

Let me get out of the way.
There we go.

NARRATOR: In a boat
made out of duct tape.

JAMIE: Ta-da!

ADAM: h* h*!
Hup! Hup! Hup!

NARRATOR:
And despite the chaotic start,

it appears
the boat really does float.

- You got the tiller and rudder?
- JAMIE: Yeah.

ADAM:
You see any water down there?

JAMIE:
Not a drop.

Preliminary reports
are that it's seaworthy.

- Permission to climb aboard?
- JAMIE: Come on in.

All right.
Here I go.

I'm in!

And we're away.

[Laughs]

Oh, this is the life, eh?

JAMIE: So far.

NARRATOR:
Understandable skepticism.

We don't have much wind.

NARRATOR: But even
"Glass Half-Empty" Hyneman...

Try not to put your feet
through the bottom.

NARRATOR: Relaxes as they
catch a draft and get under way.

ADAM:
This thing's holding water.

I don't see a drop of water.

- Yee-haw!
- [Laughs]

JAMIE: This is actually working.
There we go.

ADAM:
Oh, yeah.

Hey, give me some skin there.

- Ow.
- Ow!

- KARI: Whoo!
- GRANT: Oh!

Yeah!

TORY: [Laughs]
It went over 500 yards!

NARRATOR: Tory, Grant, and
Kari's real steel cannon can.

Now it's time to see what
the duct-tape cannon can do.

KARI: Now we have a target
for our duct-tape cannon,

and I'm hoping we get the same
sort of distance out of this,

'cause this would be a really
nice addition to our arsenal.

NARRATOR: But the guys
are getting ahead of themselves.

They seem to have
a sticky problem.

KARI: One of the pros
and the cons of duct tape

is the fact that it is
so flexible and malleable.

So it's great
that we can actually make

a complex shape like a cannon,
but the big question is,

can it hold that shape
long enough

to sh**t off
one of our cannonballs?

Excellent.

In order to fire off this
cannon, it is gonna be tricky,

because loading it,
we got to move quick.

Because as soon
as we pull out this plug,

the duct-tape cannon
is gonna lose its shape.

I mean, as strong as the
duct tape is, it's not rigid.

Oh, sh**t.

Oh, that's a tight fit.

We might have a b*mb here
instead of a cannon.

TORY: So if it loses its shape,
there's the potential

that the ball gets stuck
inside the barrel.

Oh, this has just gotten
a lot scarier.

If that happens, it's gonna trap
all that pressure

from the burning black powder.

Instead of getting
a cannon firing off,

we're gonna get
a giant expl*si*n.

That would be okay with me.

NARRATOR:
When catastrophic failure

equals an expl*si*n...

Lighting it.
In 3, 2, 1.

NARRATOR: It's a win-win
as far as Tory's concerned.

Get out of here.
This one could be dangerous.

Run!

GRANT: All right.
The fuse is lit. It looks good.

NARRATOR:
So this is it.

Can a duct-tape cannon withstand
and brace the force required

to throw an 181/2-pound
cannonball 500 yards?

Or will the soft and malleable
barrel grip the ball

and cause it to b*mb?

GRANT:
Okay. It's gonna be soon.

- KARI: Whoo!
- TORY: Yay!

- It worked!
- GRANT: It works!

TORY:
It didn't blow up!

We made a duct-tape cannon
that works!

I love it.
Let's sh**t another one off.

- NARRATOR: It worked.
- Whoo!

NARRATOR: And a happier bunch
of ballistic Mythbusters

you're unlikely to see.

GRANT: It's gorgeous.
Look at that.

There's no deformation.

Everything is still
pretty much intact.

And we launched the ball
pretty far.

NARRATOR:
But exactly how far?

[Laughter]

That is cool!

It went like 125 yards.

GRANT: So, according
to my calculations,

our duct-tape cannon
fired the cannonball

at 136 miles per hour,

which is only a 30% reduction
over Tory's cannon.

Now, it suffered a little bit
in the distance.

It only went a quarter
of the way,

but that's still 125 yards.

And just bear this in mind.

That cannonball
is 181/2 pounds.

One cannon
is made out of solid steel,

and the other cannon
is made out of cloth-backed

polyethylene-coated
rubberized adhesive tape.

NARRATOR: So, performance-wise,
it didn't quite match up.

But there's no doubt
it's a fully functioning cannon.

And with the fat lady
warming her tonsils

for the confirmation aria, the
guys load up one more time...

you know, just to be sure.

KARI: I always get really
excited when we get to confirm

a myth, 'cause we always
are busting them...

Overwhelmingly, we bust myths.

This one, duct-tape cannon,
is actually confirmed...

- GRANT: Whoo-hoo!
- TORY: Yeah!

KARI: And now we have
a duct-tape cannon!

You know what that looks like
to me?

- Confirmed.
- Yeah, absolutely.

It didn't go as far
as the regular cannon,

- but it did work.
- GRANT: That's right.

No expl*si*n,
and it went the distance.

Confirmed.

- Whoo!
- Now more duct tape.

Love it.

Duct tape and black powder...
two of my favorite things.

And here on "Mythbusters,"
we figure out a way

to bring them together
in the form of a cannon,

and a cannon that worked,
that didn't explode.

We confirmed this.

I just can't tell you
how happy I am.

Good times, everybody.
Good times.

If you're like us
and you can't get enough

of black powder and duct tape...

...go to
discovery.com/mythbusters...

...and check it out.

ADAM:
[Laughs]

NARRATOR: You could say Adam and
Jamie are enjoying themselves.

[As Captain Kirk]
Scotty, I need more power.

[As Scotty] I'm giving it
all we got, Captain,

but I just can't push her
any further!

NARRATOR: They've managed
to make a sailing boat

out of duct tape.

- [Bird caws]
- ADAM: [Laughs]

I got to say, we knew
that duct tape stuck together

was reasonably waterproof,

but it also has a really nice
tensile strength.

It's made just a fabulous skin
on this boat.

JAMIE:
I think the key to it

is making one nice piece
of fabric out of the whole skin.

Adhesive to adhesive

was miles ahead of just putting
tape on any which way.

ADAM:
So with a couple of days

and a couple dozen rolls
of duct tape,

we set ourselves the task

of making a viable,
seaworthy vessel.

And while it's true that
failure is always an option,

I have to say,
success is pretty sweet.

NARRATOR:
And as far as Adam's concerned,

it's a financial success
as well.

ADAM: Dude, I think
we can stay out here all day.

This boat is not gonna fail
any time soon.

I don't think I have to pay


You're absolutely right.

[Laughs]
I love being right.

JAMIE: Well, Adam,
you know what they say.

- ADAM: Yeah?
- Whatever floats your boat.

- [Laughs]
- JAMIE: I somehow didn't think

it was gonna be duct tape,
though.

ADAM:
[Laughs]