Adhesive and Sealant Applications & Tools

Winter hit the east coast this week, the upper west and Midwest almost a month ago. Sealants packaged in cartridges, sausages, or in 5 gallon pails stored in a cold warehouse or trailer or even the back of your pickup truck gets really thick. Some people warm the sealant up by putting it next to their car heaters or even on top of their engines. Some build their own heat chests with light bulbs, and some simply bring the material inside.

Energy In = Energy Out

This is a simple Engineering heat transfer equation. The body which is losing the heat (right side of the equal sign) and the body or bodys surrounding it that are gaining the heat (left side of the equal sign). Add to that equation different types of material, depending on their heat transfer coeffecient, absorb or discharge heat at different rates. A great example of how slow or quick heat is transferred take a hotplate after cooking and see how long it takes to cool down.... then put it in the sink and spray water over it. The water absorbs the heat from the hotplate faster then the air surrounding the hotplate.

Now take sealant which is thick and massive. How long do you think it will take to warm up the middle of a cartridge, sausage, and especially a 5 gallon pail of sealant? So, it will take either a long time or a significant amount of heat.

If you have been around the sealant world for maybe 25 years you will remember the "Tremco" heat chests. They were quite popular, and if you still have one you end up guarding it with your life. Over the years Albion has been supplying heat chest kits which allowed contractors to rebuild the insides of these heat chests when the heating elements burned out. And for years we have been looking for a chest like the old Tremco heat chest so we could economically build heat chests.

Before I tell you why this is so important to the sealant contractor, I want to acknowledge the contractor who brought to us the missing link. Philip Porter of the Masonry Preservation Group showed us how he used our heat chest kit to build his own heat chest.....he put it in a drum. Drum's are low cost readily available and perfect for a heat chest.

"Hot Pot" is an Albion heat chest kit in a drum.

Why is this so important? The "Hot Pot" and the old Tremco Heat chest heated the air inside the chest to 150 deg F..... now that is hot....and there is significant heat transferring to the sealant. Both units have lids, you open the lid take out your cartridge and close the lid and what happens? A good portion of the heat is lost. There is a thermostat inside the unit which causes rapid heating of the air inside.

The "Hot Pot" and the old Tremco heat chests are essentially one in the same. Same elements, and nearly the same capacity. They hold at least a case of cartridges, or sausages. The "Hot Pot" can also hold a 5 gallon pail of sealant, but 5 gallons of sealant is really thick and it will take a LONG time to get the heat to the middle of the sealant. You will also have to take the pail out of the "Hot Pot" to apply the sealant.

So, if you use your car heater or light bulbs in a box you and it really isn't as productive as you like then maybe this is a solution worth considering.

The "Hot Pot" is readily available at Albion distributors....

For more information see our website - www.albioneng.com Go directly to the sell sheet --- http://albioneng.com/bulletins/46.pdf

And thank you, Philip Porter of the Masonry Preservation Group, for sharing how you solved a problem.

Labels: Hot Pot, winter caulking

This is a quick video showing the insertion of backer rod, loading a bulk gun, and applying the sealant. Note:
1. The backer rod tool places the backer rod at a fixed depth and inserts the backer rod quickly. (This is a bit of an ideal joint, most joints are not a fixed width with nice edges, but this tool does improve the installation of backer rod.)
2. Putting a slight film of oil will help keep the material from sticking to the outside of the barrel.
3. Cordless provides a smooth continuous flow of material. (This applicator is running the tool a bit on the slow side, he could easily have doubled his speed. I guess that is the difference between an Engineer and someone who seals joints for a living.... the Engineer is too careful and slow.)

Labels: backer rods, bulk guns, joints, videos

It all depends on what you want to achieve with your tool. Consider:
1. How much do you use the tool? Is it something you make a living with or is it something you use only use on occasion?
2. What type of material are you dispensing; Is it sticky, thick, thin… those types of characteristics play a part.
3. The material packaging you are dealing with; Is it packaged in pails or is it in foil skin (sausage) form?
Some of the benefits of each barrel:

Steel Barrel:
• Durable barrel, ideal for construction environments. Heavy loads can be placed on top of the barrel and it won’t deform or dent. (But, if a barrel does dent see below for how to remove a dent.)
• Will hold true round shape over the entire length of the barrel. This improves the piston’s ability to function and consistent dispensing through the entire length of the barrel.
• Easy to clean. With a steel barrel you can use the 800-G01 or 800-G02 Barrel brush to clean the inside surface of the barrel. A clean barrel improves the piston’s ability to function and increases its life.

Steel Barrel w/Teflon Inside Coating:
• Same strength benefits of a steel barrel
• Surface coating reduces friction between the barrel and piston making it easier to dispense.
• Nonstick surface makes it easy and quick to clean. Flush the tool with solvents and run a rag through the barrel. You cannot use an 800-G01 or -G02 barrel brush. The brush will remove the Teflon surface. If the Teflon surface is removed… the barrel can be used as regular a Steel Barrel.

Aluminum Barrel:
• Lighter in weight, generally assembled on lower cost tools.
• Better for sausage or low volume bulk use.
• Won’t rust.
• Be careful for the barrel is easy to dent, you can squeeze the barrel with your hand and possibly change the shape making it more difficult for successful dispensing.
• Most aluminum barrels are extruded and therefore there are slight changes in the shape of the barrel over the length of the barrel, causing the piston to work harder.

Clear Plastic Barrel:
• Great visual of material being dispensed.
• Like the Aluminum Barrel the barrel is extruded. The diameter can be inconsistent over the length of the barrel. This makes it difficult for the piston to function correctly through the entire length of the barrel.
• Brittle, will crack when dropped or crushed.
• Difficult to clean if material is sticky.
• Solvents in the material or for cleaning can soften the barrel surface or make it more brittle. (Simple yellowing of the barrel tells us the barrel structure has been changed.)
So, does this help you select and/or understand the background in steel, aluminum, and plastic barrels.

Engineering Tid-Bit: Fixing a Dented Barrel
When a barrel is dented and you can see the dent on the inside of the barrel it causes premature wear on the piston and ultimately material will tend to blow past the piston. To fix a dent like that get a round steel rod long enough to fit inside the gun barrel, maybe 1” in diameter. Secure the steel bar in a vice and slide the barrel on the steel rod to where the dent is in contact with the steel rod. Then take a hammer an tap the outside of the barrel around the dent. The steel rod will flatten the dent on the inside of the barrel and make the barrel as good as new.
You can fix dents in the threaded area also this way. It works on steel and aluminum barrels.

Labels: aluminum, barrels, steel, Teflon

We have discussed loading a Bulk Gun....now if the inside of the barrel was coated with Teflon® what would happen? Material won't stick to the barrel and it would remain cleaner and be easier to clean.... AND it would be reduce the friction between the piston and the barrel which
A. Makes it easier to load.
B. Makes it easier to dispense and also dispense a smooth long bead of sealant. Think about it, the hand is a pump so every time you go to grab a new grip with the trigger you create a divot and glob in your bead. Well with the smooth rod and barrels with Teflon® industrial coating it is easier to reduce the divot.

At the World of Concrete last year we had an outside booth where Albion and a number of material manufacturers (Sika, Tremco, Pecora, and BASF) did live demonstrations with Teflon® coated Bulk Guns. My Engineering team who assisted and worked that booth had to clean the guns every night. Their response after dispensing ALL day was..... boy, does Teflon® coated ID barrels make a big difference!

Maybe we will see you this year at the World of Concrete. If so, make sure you visit our outside booth and see how easy it is to dispense material using a bulk gun.

Labels: barrels, bulk guns, Teflon, World of Concrete