back in the 70's we used an asbestos based material wich resembled shredded
newspaper soaked in water as a heat dam for welding. once again a great
product gone toxic. now eastwood company sells a non toxic reusable
product that does almost the same job. it looks like a blue chunky
substance. it can be moulded and withstands being burned(ask my torch).
all you do is remove it after welding is done and stuff it back into the
screw top container. with gas welding it tends to stick a bit in the
surface it is sittingon or stuck to. but the residue left after removing
most by hand comes clean off with a razor blade or a small wire brush with
little effort. the easwood company has a lot of specialty use products for
home or professional use.
one word of caution here! there is nothing wrong with buying special tools
and chemicals for the restoration of your car! but beware of getting
carried away with buying a bunch of stuff you might regret having left after
the "job" is done. neat chemicals and tools can actually be sort of
addicting! i know some guys who have almost evry tool in a specific
company's catalog only because it looked neat or it was the only one in a
set "i didn't have"(wich probably will never ever get used either!). when i
was at a dealership working we called them "toolaholics". there is nothing
wrong with doing it yourself. but if the car is worth 10,000.00 and you
bought 40,000.00 worth of tools to restore it , you now have become the
neighborhood fix it man or in my case you go into business for yourself! i
have been acumulating equiptment since around 1972 or '73. now i want a
hydraulic press! but have nowherre to go with one!
chuck.
larry , you were in the middle of my tool storage chrisis(read that shop)
that regularly gives birth to other people's dreams. a hobby gone awry?
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