Is there a suitable tape for permanently joining pieces of cardboard or paper together, that can then have paint (or other finish) applied to it just as it could to the paper/card itself?
I’ve been making some polyhedra out of cardboard—nothing fancy, just corrugated stuff cut from boxes, joined together with some painter’s tape that I had handy. This was originally in the nature of a prototype, before I draw up something to be printed on paper or card, complete with tabs for gluing.
The intended context is a school classroom. I’d like to make, or let students make, something reasonably sturdy that will last a few months, sitting around. (If I can make something more durable that will last me a few years, so much the better, but that’s a lesser consideration.)
But the more time I spent on this prototype, assembling the pieces with tape, the more I liked being able to use tape instead of glue. It covers the joins, and it’s easier to apply to the final joint than trying to press down a tab that’s on the inside of the object!
The trouble with painter’s/masking tape is that it’s meant to be peeled off, and so it doesn’t stick very securely. Already some of the edges on the earliest pieces are peeling up. But the more permanent tapes I have (or know of) have a plastic surface. I’d like the finished object to take paint, or pencil, or whatever—so students can decorate their work freely, and I can add some visual appeal (or mathematical info) to mine. And I’d like to avoid having to wrap it in a paper coat first! I want the tape to essentially give the same surface as paper or card.
My own searching hasn’t turned anything up. I did learn that masking tapes come in different adhesive strengths, so maybe just picking a stronger tape would serve?