Do chemicals from duct tape hurt equipment?

I have a metal case with Pelican camera foam inside which I have custom made for my Elan 7e, various lenses, flash, and other accesories. I am aware that any tape other than "acid free", or "archival" contain chemicals that can fade pictures or even destroy them over time, but do these same chemicals affect camera EQIPMENT? I would like to tape a ziplock bag to the top of the inside of my case so that I can keep all my manuals and documentation with my camera. The "archival" tape is rather flimsy and I do not think it will hold up but I am unsure if the duct tape is safe even though there will be a layer of foam between it and the equipment. Any answers you might have would be greatly appreciated. Also, is this setup appropriate for long term storage or do I need to put some silica packets or something inside to prevent moisture?

how long are you planning on keeping the stuff together with

Duck/duct tape? Decades? I use it on my gear all the time, esp when

my gaffer tape is used up or elsewhere.

 

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IMO, a whatever chemicals given off by tape are the least of my

gear's concerns. The crazy nut using it is a greater risk to

it. :)

 

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HTH

David

I've seen U.S. Navy-issue duct tape (even Polyken brand from the Kendall Co. of Boston, Mass., which is really good stuff) do ugly things to plastics with time, particularly to soft, resilient materials and elastomerics. Many adhesives, archival and acid-free or not, seem to have a gooiness additive (to put it technically) that keeps the adhesive flexible but weakens the bonds on plastics.

 

Apart from that, duct tape (Polyken excluded) tends to wad up and have its component parts separate with time. Ick! Taped polyethylene bags, too, tend to weaken at the points where they are stressed by the tape.

 

My favourite mounting 'substance' is double-sided hook and loop strapping (like Velcro) used for cable management in computer data centers. Expensive by the strip but cheap by the roll, this stuff can hold anything to anything it can wrap around and can be sewn, riveted, stapled, clamped, epoxied, etc. to most anything else.

 

Long term storage? Careful or you'll create a mould museum! Fungus loves it dark, damp, and stale, like in a Pelican case. Do P.N searches on "silica gel" and "fungus" and read. I store my optics in a large, transparent, airtight tub with a good-size mesh bag of silica gel with indicator crystals. (I'd prefer a shoe-box size dehumidifier as they sell in SE Asia but no luck finding one here. Anyone?)

P.S. "EOS FAQ forum?" For duct tape?