The Good Old Days, Part One

By: Tex Enoch, Induron Sales Representative

Living in this increasingly litigious world, we sometimes forget (or are too young to remember) what it was like in the days when everything didn’t have to be notarized or written in triplicate.

Early in my career, which currently spans about 45 years, I was required to visit a job site and certify that the blasted areas of the exterior surface of a water tank were cleared to be primed and that the previously-primed areas had the required film thickness stated in the specifications. 

The painting crew was on-site and on-hold pending my determinations.  The owner and his engineer were also present and waiting for my OK before allowing the painting contractor’s crew to proceed.

Because GPS’s weren’t around back then to eliminate the problem of getting lost, I was late to the site. Once I arrived and opened the trunk to retrieve my dry-film thickness gauge, I discovered that it wasn’t there. To solve this dilemma, I simply placed my hand on the primed surface and slowly ran my hand over it before reporting to the owner and engineer that there was plenty of paint on the surface.  Certifying the degree of blasting was simple because the contractor had done an adequate job and the blast easily met the required degree of cleanliness.

It wasn’t all magic.  The primer was a high-solids product, and it would have been almost impossible to apply it without achieving the minimum required dry film thickness. Everyone was happy, and the contractor immediately resumed work with complete trust in my verdict.

Somehow I doubt that this situation would be tolerated in today’s world of doubt and mistrust.  I miss these “good old days,” but am very grateful for my GPS.