Well after 66 days I made it back from London and the Olympic projects. It’s good to be home. I really enjoyed my time there and working closely with such a fine film manufacturer (3M) was rewarding. There were some major challenges to be sure but all went well in the end as we finished just four days before the opening ceremonies.

At each venue my crews were installing 7 mil security film, but one venue had hundreds of windows that were stippled glass. As we all know we can’t put film on a non-smooth surface. In come the geniuses at 3M who have a liquid security film called Scotchkote (Urethane Glass Coating 605). Admittedly I have been in the industry a mere 13+ years but I never heard of this product and neither did any of my installers. So I thought maybe some of you haven’t heard of this product either.

Scotchkote is made expressly as a single component liquid applied anti-shatter coating for use on glass (including stippled glass) and it’s rolled on like paint. Being intrigued by this new (to me) “quasi film product” I wanted to get my hands dirty and see how it installs—yes that’s me in the video.

Scotchkote is clear and much thicker than a traditional paint. It rolls on easy and requires two coats. For maximum protection it needs two coats on both sides of the window. Of course the surface must be cleaned before installation and appropriate safety gear must be worn. I don’t see it as a replacement for security film on regular windows because it doesn’t have the optical clarity that a high quality film does. However, it certainly offers a protection for certain types of glass that we haven’t had a solution for before. This, of course, means another product we can make money on.

If you remember, in my last blog I left you hanging and guessing on four pictures from Muscat, Oman of some U.S. retail institutions. How many did you get right in “Name That Place?” Here are the complete pictures of each sign.

The survey last month asked how you trim film. Do you use a trim card, free hand or do you do both? It seems like most of us use both methods depending on the windows and circumstances as 46.2 percent was the highest response. Coming in second was trim card only at 30.8 percent, while only 23 percent of you like to go free hand exclusively (you daredevils).

This month I want to know how many of you knew about Scotchkote. Was I the only one in the dark?

[merlic_poll id=”3059″]

Quote of the Month

When asked what surprised him most about humanity, he said:

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

This quote is often attributed to the Dalai Lama, but this is disputed. I love the quote though.