How To Caulk

How Do I Know If I Need Caulking?

Check around windows and doors.  You should replace the caulk around these areas if it is split or cracking.  Also check the interior side of doors, windows, baseboards, spigots, vent ducts, skylights, attic fans, fireplaces, or other wall penetrations.  If you feel a draft coming out of any of these areas, you should caulk it.

What Type of Caulk Should I Use?

A number of factors must be considered when choosing caulking. They include durability, flexibility, whether the caulk can be painted, and, of course, price.  The most expensive caulk is not always the best product for every job, so you should carefully consider which product is appropriate for your situation.  Read product labels and manufacturers' literature and ask your salesperson for his or her recommendation. 

Here is a list of common caulks and their characteristics.  Different types of caulking are designed for different applications and quality can vary among different brands of the same type because of different formulations used.  Always read and follow the manufacturer's directions.

1. ​Oil Base Painter's Caulk​ (1-2 year life) - Not very elastic.  Dries out easily.  Paintable after curing.  Lowest cost.

2. Latex​ (3-10 year life) - Use mostly indoors.  Goes on easily.  Low elasticity.  Sticks to porous surfaces only.  Easy water cleanup.  Low in cost.  Paintable. 

3. Butyl Rubber​ (3-10 year life) - High elasticity.  Sticks to most surfaces.  High moisture resistance.  Flexible when cured.  Most difficult to work with as it is very sticky.
4. Acrylic Latex​ (10 year life) - Good elasticity.  Sticks to most surfaces.  Reasonable moisture resistance.  Paintable.  Good for around doors and windows.  May not be used below freezing.

5. ​Silicone-Latex Blend​ (20+ year life) - Good elasticity.  Excellent weathering ability.   Medium shrinkage.  Adheres to most surfaces.  Some cannot be painted.  May not be used below freezing.

6. ​Silicone​ (20-50 year life) - Excellent elasticity.  Sticks very well.  Excellent moisture resistance. Needs solvent to clean.  Strong odor possible while curing.  Low shrinkage. Generally, not paintable, but available in many colors.  May not be used below freezing. May be applied to wood, asphalt or metal, but not vinyl or masonry.

7. Urethane​ (20-50 year life) - Excellent elasticity and adhesion.  Excellent moisture resistance. Easy cleanup.  Strong odor possible while curing.  Low shrinkage.

How Do I Apply Caulk To A Joint?

Surface Preparation: Carefully remove any old caulking material with a razor blade or putty knife.  If repairing concrete or masonry, use a wire brush to remove any loose material .  On smooth surfaces, such as aluminum or glass, wipe the area with isopropyl alcohol or sealant primer and immediately dry with a clean cloth to remove any dirt, grease or residue.  

Tape: Use masking tape to prevent caulk from adhering to unwanted surfaces.  Be sure to remove before caulk dries on the tape.  Place strips of masking tape around the area to be caulked.  This helps to keep the bead neat.  Once the caulk is applied and smoothed, remove the tape and the excess caulk comes off with it. 

Insert Backer Rod: If joint is wide, insert backer rod or bond breaker tape into the joint. Remember to use a backer rod that is 25% larger than the joint.  

Cut caulk spout: Cut tip at a 45 degree angle with a Newborn spout cutter (built in the caulk gun) or knife.  Cut at the desired bead size to match joint size - Remember, a smaller bead can always be made larger, but you are stuck with the larger sized bead. Please start small and adjust as needed.  

Place cartridge into gun.
To apply caulk, squeeze the trigger and push, or pull, the gun along the gap.  Pushing the gun drives caulk down into the gap and gives you better adhesion.  However, in some cases (particularly where the side materials are rough or uneven), a pulling motion may work better so that the cartridge will be less likely to get snagged along the joint.  


To finish the joint, wet your finger with soapy water (if the caulk is formulated for soap and water cleanup) or dab of automotive hand cleaner (if the caulk is formulated for solvent cleanup).  Run your finger along the joint, smoothing it and pressing the caulk into the joint.  Wipe away excess with a rag.  

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Heat Stress - an occupational hazard !!

Heat stress occurs when the body’s means of controlling it's internal temperature starts to fail. As well as air temperature, factors such as work rate, humidity and clothing worn while working may lead to heat stress. Therefore, it may not be obvious to a person passing through the workplace that there is a risk of heat stress. 

You and your employees must be aware of how to work safely in heat, the factors that can lead to heat stress, and how to reduce the risk of it occurring.

How does the body react to heat?

The body reacts to heat by increasing the blood flow to the skin’s surface, and by sweating. This results in cooling as sweat evaporates from the body’s surface and heat is carried to the surface of the body from within by the increased blood flow. Heat can also be lost by radiation and convection from the body’s surface. 

Typical example of a heat stress situation

Someone wearing protective clothing and performing heavy work in hot and humid conditions could be at risk of heat stress because:

• Sweat evaporation is restricted by the type of clothing and the humidity of the environment.
• Heat will be produced within the body due to the work rate and, if insufficient heat is lost, deep body temperature will rise.
• As deep body temperature rises the body reacts by increasing the amount of sweat produced,which may lead to dehydration.
• Heart rate also increases which puts additional strain on the body.
• If the body is gaining more heat than it can lose the deep body temperature will continue to rise.
• Eventually it reaches a point when the body’s control mechanism itself starts to fail.

The symptoms will worsen the longer they remain working in the same conditions.

To read more about Heat Stress, it's symptoms, and some measures to reduce the risk, please visit www.techsolute.com

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The Effects of EP Additives on Gearboxes

Oil additives offer a wide range of benefits, but in some circumstances they can actually be harmful to the machines in which they are added. For example, consider worm gearboxes. These machines have gearing composed of yellow metal (typically bronze). Certain extreme-pressure (EP) additives can chemically react with these softer metals, causing premature wear and even failure. By understanding some simple chemistry and reading the product data sheets of the lubricants you put into your gearboxes, you can increase their reliability.

TECHSOLUTE with it's over 20 years of experience can assist in choosing the correct lubricant, thus saving you some good money !!

Good Health for Kids

Help your Kids put their best foot forward…

ATTENTION Parents !!

Where is the Nutrition ??

The young generation of today, our children, are facing a serious health challenge.

Lavish, indulgent lifestyles, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity and emotional stress are taking its toll of our children’s health. The problem is growing day by day and becoming increasingly visible – highly obese children, obsessively slim children, poor eyesight, tooth decay, depression amongst teenagers, drug and alcohol abuse, emotional disorders, etc. It is no longer an urban phenomenon, this trend is more and more evident even in smaller Indian cities and towns.

What Has Gone Wrong ?

Most of the health challenges that our kids face today are a result of regular and continuous NUTRITION ABUSE. Improper, inadequate nutrition during growing years, poor awareness, too much of high fat, high calorie junk foods – has gradually deprived our children of the right to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Wake Up Call : Our Kids Are Prone To Lifestyle Diseases

According to WHO , World Bank and Harvard School of Public Health by 2020 AD, 3 million Indian children will be affected by non – communicable lifestyle diseases – obesity, eating disorders, hypertension, juvenile diabetes, type II diabetes, heart disease – previously seen only in adults. We are parenting an extremely unhealthy and disease prone younger generation.

The situation is GRAVE. As parents we have to wake up to the facts and act fast to nutritionally secure our children’s future or a bleak unhealthy future awaits them !

Nutrition Gone Wrong : The Fact File

1 out of every six teenagers in India is overweight

In Delhi alone, 3 percent of overweight teenagers are diabetic and as high as 35% teenagers suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension).

53 percent of children between 10 and 14 years and 45 percent between 15 and 19 years snack on fatty, salty and sugary junk foods every day.

25 percent of adolescents from high / middle income households have high blood cholesterol, an important reason why heart disease is striking Indians at younger ages.

11 – 18 year old children are increasingly complaining of cavities, bleeding gums and poor dental health.

Too much TV, Internet and bad reading habits have resulted in 15 – 20 percent of teenagers wearing glasses.

40 percent of schools going children suffer from anxiety disorders , stress and depression.

Get your kids on the road to good health…

Cyanoacrylate adhesive - accidental bond with the skin

Bond between the cyanoacrylate adhesive and the skin is created very quickly, so there is no point in rushing to pull skin apart "before it bonds". Just remain calm and take your time. 

Cyanoacrylate adhesives are rapid curing, strong bonding agents that will bond human tissue and skin in seconds. Experience has shown that accidents due to cyanoacrylates are handled best by passive, non-surgical first aid. Cyanoacrylates work best with tension. Pulling bonded materials apart (fingers included) will strengthen the bond. Cyanoacrylates have the lowest strength in a peel mode. 

Debonders also release the cured adhesive. Contact us for more details on de-bonders.

Treatment of specific types of accidents are given below:

With the Skin: Immerse bonded areas in warm soapy water. Peel or roll skin apart. Peel the skin apart with a spatula, teaspoon handle or a pencil by pushing it between the bonded areas. Remove cured adhesive with warm, soapy water. This may take several applications. Acetone or a Debonder is also effective in removing cured cyanoacrylate off of skin. 

With the eyelid: If the eyelids are stuck together or bonded to the eyeball wash them thoroughly with warm water and apply a gauze patch. The eye will open without further action within 1-4 days. There will be no residual damage. Do not try to force eyes open. 

With the Eyeball: Cyanoacrylates adhesives will attach itself to the eye protein and will disassociate from it over time, usually within several hours. This will cause periods of weeping and double vision until cured adhesive is cleared. 

With the mouth: If lips are accidentally stuck together, apply copious amounts of warm water and encourage maximum wetting and pressure from saliva inside the mouth. Peel or roll, (do not pull) lips apart. It is almost impossible to swallow cyanoacrylate. The adhesive solidifies upon contact with saliva (moisture) and could adhere to the inside of the mouth. Saliva will lift the adhesive in 1-2 days, avoid swallowing the adhesive after detachment.

Cyanoacrylates give off heat, exothermic reaction, when curing. In rare cases a large quantity can cause a burn. Burns should be treated normally after the cured adhesive is removed from the skin as described above. It should never be necessary to surgically remove cyanoacrylates or to separate bonded skin.

What is "NDT - Dye Penetrant Examination"?

Dye Penetrant Examination is a non-destructive examination method used to detect surface breaking defects, such as cracks, laps, porosity etc., which are undetectable with the bare eye. A fluid, the penetrant, is applied to the material surface. The fluid penetrates the defects. After some time the penetrant fluid is washed off the surface. With a developer applied to the now clean surface, the defects where the fluid has penetrated are made visible. These spots are called indications. Acceptance criteria define whether or not the indication is non-acceptable (a defect) or not.

Dye Penetrant Examination is mainly used for clad layer, welds and heat affected zones.

TECHSOLUTE offers wide range of crack detection chemicals including "Magnetic Powder & Inks". Also, UV inspection materials & equipment can be made available on demand.

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