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Recently I purchased 10 meters of non water proofed 3285 RGB LED strip. Its resistors and LEDs are soldered on flimsy flex which may tear. What can I do to make it strong? I'm planning to stick it on duct tape but I couldn't get the tape of same with as the strip. I'm looking for alternatives.

I'm not intended to stick the strip on surfaces as how others normally do. Yes, the strip has the adhesive backings. I need to temporarily roll it on a vertical pole (in helical form) for decoration, which must be removed after a month. I need to reuse the strip. Sticking it to the pole is not allowed.

I didn't measure the thickness of the flex but its very thin I afraid it might tear. It could be around 0.1mm. Width is 8mm.

soosai steven
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Consider reinforcing the strip with self-adhesive foam weatherstrip. Stick the adhesive side to the flimsy backer strip, leaving a spongy foam surface exposed.

This might be a really simple and inexpensive way to add some thickness/stability to the flimsy backer, plus give you a kind grippy non-marking/non-slip surface against the pole:

enter image description here

Jimmy Fix-it
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Get LED strips which already have the stick on adhesive on the back. (If you already have that then great). Then just stick it to the surface that you intend to mount the strip to.

I see no advantage what so ever of installing a layer of duct tape in between. There is also a good chance that the duct tape surface is not even optimal surface for applying the LED strip anyway.

Michael Karas
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  • Yes, it has adhesive backing, but I'm not allowed to stick the strip on the surface. I have edited the question. I plan to helically roll the strip around the pole and anchor the ends only. That's why I concerned about the strength of the strip. – soosai steven Jun 05 '16 at 00:14
  • If you are looking for a layer that is definitely removable, look for gaffer's tape. It is made for cinematic electricians (gaffers) to temporarily tape lights, mics, and cables in location work where the tape has to hold well, but come off positively with no mess left behind. Like lighting a CEO's office or an interior in a historic home. It comes in 2 grades: cheap (that being a relative term) and expensive. The cheap stuff will leave residue if left up for weeks, the expensive stuff doesn't. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Jun 06 '16 at 20:16