A veteran mechanic in Philly called my hoist rope dressing method 'a waste of good product'

He watched me slather dressing on a full 5/8" rope during a modernization job last month and said, 'Kid, you're just making it drip. A thin coat on a clean rope lasts longer.' I switched to wiping it on with a rag instead of spraying, and the ropes on my last three jobs have stayed cleaner. Anyone else get schooled on something basic they thought they had down?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow_king23d ago

Hold up, you're taking advice from one guy? That's how you get a dry rope that snaps. A full soak gets the dressing into the core. A thin coat just sits on top and wears off fast. You want that rope protected, not just looking good. I've seen thin coats fail way sooner. That drip means it's working in.

wood.noah23d ago

Man, I felt that. Got told by an old timer once that I was using way too much thread locker, like I was gluing the whole bolt instead of just the threads. He showed me how a single drop was enough, and I was basically making my own problems for later. It's a little thing, but it sticks with you when someone who's been doing it for decades points out a bad habit.