I’ve had a couple jobs with the lift this summer that did not involve trees! I wanted to share some pictures so you can see the possibilities and range of interesting things I get to do from time to time.
I was contacted by a church which had a large wooden cross on top of the building. The cross-beam had started to deteriorate and needed to be replaced. I was able to set up beside the church and reach up, over the cross. We loosened the cross-beam and slid it onto the rim of the basket, and I tied it. Then I took it down. Several weeks later, when the replacement beam was ready, I came back and took it up. We slid it into place and put in bolts to hold it. Here is a view from the top:
Interesting Perspective!
A while later, I was contacted about helping to change signs at a local restaurant. The old place served pizza and had not used the building for years. A new sign which was made from sheet metal cut out with a plasma cutter and welded together, was done – we just need to switch them. There was a lot of messing around that needed to be done – cutting off the old supports, welding on new metal, hoisting and lifting, etc. The finished job looks nice!
The Old, Dated Pizza Sign.
The Old Sign Was Amazingly Heavy!
The New Sign, Ready to Lift!
Welding on the New Sign.
Fine Fitting with a Hammer!
Starting the Patination Process.
I was interested to see how this metal artist started the patination process. First, muriatic acid (pool acid) is sprayed on the bare metal. Then, hydrogen peroxide is sprayed on top. As soon as the hydrogen peroxide hits the surface it starts to rust. It will continue to develop a richer color and texture, but would probably never rust the metal away. On a side note – use a respirator and gloves if you ever think about doing this at home! I subsequently used this process on a project here at my home, which I am waiting to write about. It is really neat and I think you’ll like it!
The Finished Sign.
There are two hatches that open for access to the inside of the sign to change bulbs. The electricians came next to hook up the electric and tuck in all the wires you can see outside the right side of the sign. The light comes out through the frosted Plexiglas and I think it looks good day or night!
Very interesting. Thank you Paul!