Blue Mule resto in Malawi

[M5driver]

Chassis number

 

[M5driver]

Contrasts - the old and the start of the new

 

[M5driver]

First coat. The formula is spray three times, flip, repeat

Then we'll shoot inside the frame rails, cross member, etc. Looks like it is going to work out really well. More as it happens.

 

[lostmarbles]

I know it's likely to be an uphill battle in a remote place like this Dan. But I think you're duty-bound to teach them the importance of using proper breathing apparatus. (Mussa is shortening his life by working like that! And his final years are likely to be most unpleasant too!!!!!)

I spray outside too but I would never spray without using a breathing mask.

Even if you just buy the masks and cartridges and give them to the workers yourself - And they still don't use them - At least you can rest easy. (or perhaps you've already done this?)

 

[M5driver]

I know it's likely to be an uphill battle in a remote place like this Dan. But I think you're duty-bound to teach them the importance of using proper breathing apparatus. (Mussa is shortening his life by working like that! And his final years are likely to be most unpleasant too!!!!!)

I spray outside too but I would never spray without using a breathing mask.

Even if you just buy the masks and cartridges and give them to the workers yourself - And they still don't use them - At least you can rest easy. (or perhaps you've already done this?)

Sigh! It's not like I haven't tried, Tom One of my "extraordinary expenses" with this project was about $450 to import 3 decent respirators with replacement canisters (similar to yours), plus disposable and non-disposable gloves, and painter's togs with hoods. I donated these. No one will use them. They are "too hot, too restrictive" or they are just reluctant to try anything new. Not even disposable gloves appeal to them, so Mussa will be wearing that RB on his hands for a long time (it had already cured sufficiently to be immovable when I caught him washing his hands and arms off with the xylene! - he didn't understand why I was making a fuss).

Even in the paint booth, they tend not to use any more protective equipment than a mask like a nurse might use in a clinic. I guess some cultural divides are too wide to bridge in a few months time. The proprietor just laughed when I tried to get the guys to suit up...



anyway.

 

[M5driver]

I forgot to add that average male lifespan here is 35 years, so if he does not defy the odds, he'll be gone before the xylene, etc. have a chance to do all their harm

 

[tmarx]

Nice going Dan !

 

[Teebag]

Well put, was going to reply with an "Africa" perspective, along the lines of your reply - basically boils down to - just wont use the stuff, they don't see the need, or don't want to look stupid, the heat is another factor with safety equipment, sometimes it is just too hot to wear it full time.

 

[M5driver]

Thought it was going well, BUT (there's always a "but") it turns out the foreman did not follow directions. The first coat on the top went on well, but there are problems with it (below). A couple hours after I left, the formean had the frame flipped, and the first coat applied to the bottom as it was starting to rain. The instructions are clear: DO NOT APPLY WHILE IT IS RAINING OR THREATENING TO RAIN. The result is the RB - moisture cured - cured from the top down, so it did not adhere.

The problem with the coat that was sprayed while I was there is that the frame had not been properly cleaned up. The owner had instructed the foreman on Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and yesterday to wash the frame with detergent (Surf), then power wash it, then dry it, and only then to spray RB. The foreman decided that since everything had been scraped and sanded, there was no need to degrease.

The owner was not amused when I showed him the results - I scraped RB off the frame in many places with my car key - not exactly a sharp instrument. Additionally, it came out in the course of the "conversation" that the foreman decided after I left, that the RB was still thick in comparison to the primer he usually uses, so he instructed the shooter to thin it out even more. This did not help.

Now, there are 6 pairs of hands scraping and sanding off yesterday's work. The owner tells me it will be ready for inspection by 9 a.m. Then it will go in the booth for re-spraying.

Now, I am down 2 pints of the 10 I managed to acquire (One I am using at home, the other was completely wasted on this unnecessary experiment with application over grease/oil/rain, etc.)

OK. I'm calming down a little now.

No, I'm not

I'll be back to the panel beater's at 9 tomorrow. Wish us luck!

anyway.

 

[island45]

I feel your pain..... and Good Luck!

 

[lostmarbles]

Sigh! It's not like I haven't tried, Tom One of my "extraordinary expenses" with this project was about $450 to import 3 decent respirators with replacement canisters (similar to yours), plus disposable and non-disposable gloves, and painter's togs with hoods. I donated these. No one will use them. They are "too hot, too restrictive" or they are just reluctant to try anything new. Not even disposable gloves appeal to them, so Mussa will be wearing that RB on his hands for a long time (it had already cured sufficiently to be immovable when I caught him washing his hands and arms off with the xylene! - he didn't understand why I was making a fuss).

Even in the paint booth, they tend not to use any more protective equipment than a mask like a nurse might use in a clinic. I guess some cultural divides are too wide to bridge in a few months time. The proprietor just laughed when I tried to get the guys to suit up...



anyway.

I thought as much Dan. All you can do is keep applying the pressure (as you are).

I assume such behaviour is widespread over there (and I can see that it doesn't connect so clearly with "worker-exploitation" as it would if it occurred here or in the USA).

I don't understand how they can use the climate as an excuse for not wearing a mask. The temperature or humidity doesn't affect my comfort levels in connection with "wearing" or "not wearing" a mask. In fact, the mask makes me breathe much easier because I don't get fumes in my lungs.



PS. Awww. Heck. This reply was typed immediately after reading your first post Dan. Only subsequently did I read the following posts. Very sorry to hear about such a disasterous start to your "rust bulleting". On the bright side - There is only one way things can go now ----- and that is BETTER! Good luck. (And thanks for your enlightening comments Teebag.)

 

[tmarx]

Eish ! Sorry to hear Dan...

 

[Colorado Boy-74-FJ40]

Where?

From one Colorado boy to another (native) - Thanks again.

Dan[/QUOTE]
You're welcome and btw;
Where in Colorado are you from?

 

[M5driver]

You're welcome and btw;
Where in Colorado are you from?

Born in Cheyenne Wells, grew up mostly in mining camps and towns on the western slope of the Rockies - Naturita, Nucla, Uravan, Telluride, Craig, Rifle, Palisade, Buena Vista, Leadville, yada yada yada. Durango was the big city growing up, back when it was around 4-5000 population. Also spent time on the Navajo Reservation back in the uranium mining heyday - Teec Nos Pos, Mexican Hat, and other places without names (well, names like Mine No. 3). Lots of other places as well. Went to 16 schools before graduating high school; used to think semester break was the time you changed schools

Nowdays, I claim Texas as place of residence and Arizona as home leave point

 

[M5driver]

I thought as much Dan. All you can do is keep applying the pressure (as you are).

I assume such behaviour is widespread over there (and I can see that it doesn't connect so clearly with "worker-exploitation" as it would if it occurred here or in the USA).

Hi Tom. Like I said, I've tried, and keep trying, but.. it is a cultural thing, and a reluctance to adapt anything new or different. I think a couple of the guys believe the respirators will hurt them. Hard to say, but it's a battle I'm not likely to win The owner laughed about it, because he gave up on this stuff a few years ago - it was just wasted money. As for exploitation - these guys are just happy to have a job, and I can definitely say the owner here is not exploiting anyone. With unemployment around 50-60% (most people are subsistence farmers, BTW) and average yearly income around $35 for a family of 6, these guys are well-off. I still worry that they don't use safety gear, tho.

PS. Awww. Heck. This reply was typed immediately after reading your first post Dan. Only subsequently did I read the following posts. Very sorry to hear about such a disasterous start to your "rust bulleting". On the bright side - There is only one way things can go now ----- and that is BETTER! Good luck. (And thanks for your enlightening comments Teebag.)

Bloody optimist! Like you say - nowhere now but up - I hope. I will inspect again this morning, and will certainly be on the clean up issue like a dog on a bone. I really thought the foreman had done or insured all the prep was done; never occurred to me that he had not, because his job and his boss' reputation are on the line here. I'm not sure he realizes how much credibility he just lost with me. I won't be likely to accept any assurance from him now for any of the work - I will have to inspect in detail, and deal only with the owner if I am going to get this done right. I need to see if I can find an inspection mirror for the boxed sections of the frame - can't find the one that I thought I had in one of my (7) toolboxes I ship to post. Musta left it in the big tool chest that went to storage a few years ago.

Since I have a limited quantity of RB, and no chance to replace anything that is used up, this was a real blow. But, I learned from it More later, after I inspect and decide whether we can try again today.

 

[NTAPHSE]

Wow, just wow. I am amazed that you are restoring your Cruiser under such circumstances, but I really admire you for it. What a great way to pass the time while you are there. Best of luck with the build and keep your chin up. My grandmother ran a medical clinic in Tanzania a few years back, so I have heard the stories of unbelievable frustration. She had her rear axle stolen off of her rover once!

 

[M5driver]

To the African Fanatics group



TMarx, Teebag,

Thanks for your encouragement and your additions to the exchanges. I think we are opening a few eyes to conditions and cultures not usually seen in the 4x4 groups.

This is a great site!

 

[tmarx]

TMarx, Teebag,

Thanks for your encouragement and your additions to the exchanges. I think we are opening a few eyes to conditions and cultures not usually seen in the 4x4 groups.

This is a great site!

You know the old saying: "Africa is not for sissies"

 

[Colorado Boy-74-FJ40]

Since you're familiar with Colorado Western slope..............I grew up in Sargents, at the western foot of Monarch pass. Population 26

 

[M5driver]

You know the old saying: "Africa is not for sissies"

Neither is getting old