- Keep the strips all facing “flat,” but still allow for a bit of twist.
- Durable enough to withstand the occasional tug of the curious; won’t snap or tear.
- Doesn’t rely on the wires for load-bearing.
- Nonconductive; doesn’t short the electrical parts.
I bought several tapes, cut off the first inch (with the metal tab) and cut the remainders into 10" lengths.
A 1" piece of heat-shrink tube (1/2" diameter) is slid over the strip, close to the end.
Make sure the distance is the same on every strip, so they all hang at the same height to form a grid. Also, enough contact area for durability. 1.5 inches felt about right.
This is a balancing act. The tape will melt if exposed to too much heat, but the tubing won’t properly shrink with too little. Practice with some scrap pieces first to find the proper heat setting and distance.
Having been stored on reels, the strips tend to have some curl to them. A little extra weight at the tip can help…something like these tiny glass marbles (glass = nonconductive) can go inside the heat-shrink. Totally optional though, maybe not worth the extra effort.