Hi all,
Can electrical tape be used in lieu of heat-shrink tubing permanently for soldered connections? I'm trying to connect two wires together to a third wire but my heat-shrink tubing is too small to fit over the connection. I see a voltage rating on the tape (600V) but no amperage. If I have around 36A total (this is my maximum ceiling) can the electrician's tape be used to protect the conenction? Thank you.
No!
What voltage?
Electrical tape by itself is not a good idea. It tends to creep over time, especially at elevated temperatures.
Sorry, I forgot to mention the voltage. It's 11.1V. Now, what about short term applications? I have to present this project Monday- beyond that, I may never use it again or build a better model.Beyond some testing I'll do overt eh weekend and the half hour or so in the classroom, will the tape be able to hold at least that long?
If the connections are not pressed against each other, and the wires are thick enough not to get hot, then temporarily it should be OK.
Thanks a lot.
hfbrooklyn:
... but my heat-shrink tubing is too small to fit over the connection.
If this was for a serious, long-term application, the obvious answer would be to go out and buy the correct heatshrink.
However, for a temporary rig at 12V, it will no doubt be just fine. The only significance of the amperage is the likelihood of the connections heating and melting the tape, in which case it will be very difficult to prevent failure short of constructing it properly. 
JohnLincoln:
If it was not suitable for insulating electrical joints, then it would not be called/sold as electrical tape!
You are kidding, are you not? 
Vinyl tape is not legally supposed to be used by electricians in any installation. Never mind what it is "sold as".
That tape comes unstuck with time in my experience.
If it's a temporary job then use it. For a permanent installation, use correct size heat shrink or something with brass screws.
JohnLincoln:
If it was not suitable for insulating electrical joints, then it would not be called/sold as electrical tape!
I can buy all sorts of junk in the shops that simply doesn't work, eg. Ultrasonic rat/mosquito/cockroach repellants, homeopathic medicine, magnetic wrist-bands, etc.
On the electrical side there's "Cat III multimeters" which nobody should ever put anywhere near a mains socket, electrical cable with so little copper in it that it's unsafe for anything more powerful than a night light, phone chargers with fake FCC/CE markings that will probably burn your house down, etc.
Agreed, Paul__B and fungus.