we did something similar, however iirc we used two zipties on the ends put down a lot to attach it. It didn’t work the best or very fast, but it worked enough to prove the concept. We didn’t put tape on so that might help or not depending on how much the tape wants to pull the note.
Well, you already linked my video. Here is my text description of the process for silicone tubing on polycarb specifically.
did someone worked with the wcp’s silicone tubings and can explain the process? like do you need to buy the same ID size of the silicone roller as the OD size of the tube? and do you need to the same process with the the air compressors like any other silicone tubings?
Should be some tips in this very thread.
1 Like
Just a reminder that TPU can be rather slippery despite being relatively soft.
11 Likes
you buy the OD of the silicone tube to be the same as the OD of the tube it’s mounted to, once slid over (air compressor definitely helps) it keeps a tight fit on the tube.
1 Like
Like others said, match the OD and you can use an air compressor, we also found that lots of dish soap works well to help slide the silicone on. Then use compressed air to remove the soap.
2 Likes
Becareful of what soap you use. We used simple green cleaner since it was what we had on hand. We found out the hard way that simple green will crack polycarb. Windex will do the same thing. Second time around we used Dawn mixed with water and it worked great. That same mixture is what we used to clean the roller with too. We cleaned the rollers after every match, we could’ve probably gone every other match but beyond that the grip was greatly effected for intaking the game pieces.
4 Likes
As a bonus, blowing on the tubing makes epic farting noises 
We used a balloon inflator for the air source. No risk of exploding the tubing.
2 Likes
That sort of tape fuses to itself. You want a little stretch but the material sticks to itself quite fiendishly.
The tape I’m thinking has a release sheet as part of the tape to prevent the roll in the store from becoming a single mass. You cut the length you want, peel the release sheet off, and roll it around trying not to have the tape touch itself except where you want it to (on the roller). It can be a bit of a challenge to get it right but it works pretty well.
Common uses are sealing outside electrical connections like antenna feeds and other sorts of things like that. It fuses to itself to there are no gaps between the layers for water to penetrate.
Cool stuff - deserves to be in your bag of tricks.
Both the EPDM and silicone self-fusing tapes need to be stretched when you wrap so that they fuse properly.
There’s no real difference between the liner and linerless EPDM rubber tape. Other than linerless isbeasier to apply 
. All the silicone stuff uses a liner.
I know this is old but since the thread is revived anyway…
We used the WCP silicone over standard 1.25" OD polycarbonate tube and we cleaned it with acetone wipes, which worked great. When we ran out and needed more in a pinch at an event, I just bought a bottle of fragrance-free nail polish remover from Walmart. Some of that on a Scott shop towel worked just as well. It grabs the dirt and doesn’t leave any residue like a soap might.
We were using dawn dish soap to be safe with the lexan. Lexan does not react well with a lot of chemicals. We moved to Cat Tounge tape in the off season and found that to be excellent without needing to be cleaned all the time. That stuff grips just as good as the silicone sleeves but is a fraction of the hassle.
I did some research during the season on surgical tube rollers because we wanted to replace two of our compliant wheel rollers with more grippy silicon rollers mid-season. We preferred the versa rollers because the silicon had already been meshed onto the plastic tube, so it was ready to go. All we did was cut the tube to our desired length and 3D print a tube plug with a set screw to attach the roller to a 1/2" hex shaft. Compared to compliant wheels and other more complex surgical tubing options, we’ve had positive results with this setup, and it comes with no extra hassle.