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FACE SIDE: The unlimited side of a double-face tape.
FALL OFF: The complete pulling away and dropping off of
tape from the surface to which it had been applied.
FEATHERING: An irregular paint line resulting from seepage
of paint under a masking tape.
FEEL: See "Adhesion".
FIBER: A thread-like material that gives texture or substance,
and can be spun and woven.
FILAMENTS: The threads of rayon, polyester or glass that
are laminated to various backings to produce very strong tapes.
Glass threads impart very high very high tensile strength with
low impact resistance with somewhat lower tensile strength.
FILLER: A relatively inert substance added to an adhesive
to improve its working properties, permanence, strength or appearance.
FINGER-STICK: See "adhesion".
FIRM: Refers to the resistance of an adhesive to flow.
FISHEYES: The appearance of the adhesive surface when observed
on a roll of transparent tape. They are caused by the entrapment
of air between the adhesive side and the backside of the previous
layer on the roll, and is not indicative of poor tape. Generally
found in new or very fresh tap. Diminishes during storage.
FLAGGING: Refers to the condition observed when the end
of a piece of tape comes away from the object to which it was
intended to adhere. The term is usually applied to plastic tapes
if they spring up. See "Curling", "Dead Stretch",
"Elastic Memory", "Lifting". This term is
particularly applied to tape wound on its own backing.
FLAKING: The flaking or breaking off of paint from a masking
tape backing during tape removal.
FLAME-RESISTANCE: A tape's ability to withstand flame exposure.
Burning rate, self-extinguished on removal or the igniting flame,
smoke density, toxicity of fumes, and melt dripping, are important
factors in assessing flame-resistance.
FLAME RETARDANT: A material that resists burning.
FLASH POINT: The minimum temperature of a liquid at which
its vapor will form a mixture which burns.
FLAT BACK PAPER: A rope fiber or kraft paper with a flat,
smooth surface having low elongation. Generally rope paper has
a higher tensile strength than kraft paper.
FLEXIBILITY: The ability of a tape to be freely bent or
flexed during application. Opposite of "Stiffness".
FLEXURAL STRENGTH: The maximum stress or load that a material
can withstand when bent before it breaks.
FLUTING: See "Roll
Deformation".
FOAM: Material formed by creating bubbles in a base material,
such as natural or synthetic rubbers.
FOIL: A very thin flexible metal, such as aluminum or copper
foil.
FREON: A family of fluorinated/chlorinated hydrocarbons
used as aerosol propellants, cleaning agents and refrigerants.
