A funny thing happened at the dentist last month—you might get a kick out of this. I’ve been blessed with great teeth all my life but the inevitable happened on a recent checkup—a cracked tooth. Crown me! This was my first-ever crown and it was with a dentist I’ve never seen before. While he was inspecting the tooth he asked me if I tinted windows for a living. I just about bit him as this question came completely out of the blue. I wasn’t wearing my company shirt and I had never spoke with him before so how in the heck did he know. So I’m thinking to myself, “Okay, I’ll bite (pun intended).”

“What makes you ask that?” I ask.

“Well,” he said. “I’ve only seen this wear pattern on teeth once before and he was a window tinter. He told me he used his teeth to help peel the film.”

Busted—guilty as charged.

Last month my survey was asking what soap/slip solution you used for installation. So I figured what better survey question for this month than to find out how many other installers have deformed teeth like me. I’ve worked with many installers over the years and have seen numerous ways to peel the liner off the film ranging from teeth to tape. So if you are an installer or a dealer who knows how your installers peel…please take the survey. My dentist wants the results as well.

Speaking of last month’s survey let’s gander at the results. Regardless the clear winner was “Baby Shampoo” with 44.4 percent of the responses. Coming in a fuzzy second was “Other” with 33.3 percent with third place going to “Joy” at 18.5 percent. Bringing up the rear was Ajax at 3.7 percent and that was influenced by me cause that is what I use.

I was a staunch proponent of Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo for years and years, no generics or cheap alternatives. But while I was on a very large install a few years back I noticed that all the other installers were using Joy dishwashing soap. Naturally curious I went to ask the lead installer why they were using Joy. He asked me if while I was installing I was having an issue with fingering. I replied that on occasions the film wouldn’t sit down and it would give me the finger or two. He informed me that there was something in the baby shampoo that caused this and I should try Joy. He was right. My installs went faster because I wasn’t spending extra time carding and bumping fingers down. The only problem was I started to get a rash on my arms from the Joy, so I switched to Ajax.

The next solutions I want to try (just for experiment sake) are the Slip Solutions available from some of the film/tool distributors. I’m always on the lookout for a better mousetrap.  Any suggestions?

This month let me know how you peel the liner. Take the survey, but if your method isn’t listed then please fill in the comment box at the bottom of this blog and tell me how you do it.

[merlic_poll id=”2662″]

Word of the Month

Brisance

brisance \bri-ZAHNS\, noun:
Brisance is the shattering capability of an explosive. It is a measure of the rapidity with which an explosive develops its maximum pressure. The term originates from the French verb “briser,” which means to break or shatter. Brisance is of practical importance for determining the effectiveness of an explosion in fragmenting shells, bomb casings, grenades, structures and the like.
A brisant explosive is one that attains its maximum pressure so rapidly that a shock wave is formed. The net effect is to shatter (by shock resonance) the material surrounding or in contact with the supersonic detonation wave created by the explosion.
“Security film and attachments are made to counter the effect of a brisant explosive.”