The Shed – September-October 2019

Dennis selected some black TPO
rod, snipped off the end to have fresh
material exposed, and deftly fed it into
the tacked weld while directing a stream
of hot air at a regulated temperature at
the rod.
The softened rod has to be periodically
pressed into the weld with various tools
— this being the job of the customer. The
softened rod bonds with the softened
tack weld and sticks to it as it cools and
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reinforced which are nearly as strong as
the neighbouring material.

Can-do

I was given instructions on what to do

next. Masking tape was applied to the

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spread over the front of the tape and

sanded smooth after it had set. Etch

undercoat was sprayed on and then

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at home, but only a spray can of black

enamel. The time in which to complete

the repairs and get a retest was running

out so the black was used.

I have since visited Dennis half a dozen

times and on only one of these visits did

one of his large range of friends not

arrive while I was there. They have been

returning borrowed gear or doing car

repairs under Dennis’s supervision, or

they have been getting things repaired.

When I commented on this, Dennis said

t hat it was because he is always t here and

always busy. He says that he gets things

done and usually has the equipment

needed to do so. He is continually

buying new tools and devices. He traces

this can-do attitude to his boyhood on

the South Island’s West Coast, where if

you wanted something done you often

Dennis has been driving sports cars for decades so

has the flexibility to gracefully enter and exit this

low-slung ’98 Corvette

The Corvette’s gearbox is mounted next to the

differential at the rear of the car to give good

weight distribution, resulting in only two seats

but plenty of boot space Dennis with his tools at the ready