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On a recent sales trip through Montana with his agent Gary Braaten of McKaig Evergreen, Inc., Jeff Ericson found an opportunity to do a good deed ... and learn a lesson. Calling on Northwestern Energy they discovered a transformer pad damaged by a fork truck sitting in the yard awaiting disposal, an unfortunate, expensive, and--as Jeff and Gary demonstrated--unnecessary waste. As Jeff relates it, "Gary and I fixed the pad with PowerPatch Pad N Pole Repair. I had to align the area where the forklift hit the base and sand the burrs off the repair site so it was safe to work with. I applied two layers of Pad N Pole and smoothed it out to make it look good for the brass at NWE." In the top photo you can see the pad damage before the repair. In the middle photo Jeff has tailor-cut a piece of Pad N Pole matrix, sealed it to the damaged area after sanding and cleaning, and is now applying a coat Pad N Pole adhesive, which will cure to a permanent structure as robust as the pad itself. Photo three shows the completed repair on Jeff's left as he now works on the second crack. The successful repairs salvaged an otherwise doomed pad. As for Jeff's lesson, he adds that at one point "... I used my fingers to smooth out the sealant and then touched the ground so that dirt got into it, turning my hand into a sandpaper glove that wouldn't wash off. Even though I'd already been scrubbing like crazy, the waiter at the restaurant we went to that night offered the men's room in the corner to wash my hands before I ate!" Let Jeff's experience be a teachable moment for you. The Pad N Pole cartridge, applicator tool, and foam brushes are designed to apply the adhesive without it contacting fingers. Use of gloves can also minimize incidental contact. If you do happen to get material on your hands, the Type HP cleaner wipes provided in the kit will easily clean the adhesive off--before it cures. Do not use water, as it won't remove Pad N Pole and instead speeds up curing. Cured adhesive on the skin is not toxic and will wear or peel off in a matter of days, but can be a nuisance or, in Jeff's case, embarrassing. |
