MacGyver

The drums of bituminous glue are too large for me. Once the powdered hardening agent is added to the black liquid it goes off in an hour and a half – (theoretically). Which means it’s a race against time to slap the stuff up before I get left with a drum full of extremely thick unspreadable gunge.
The technical rep had warned me about the problem and suggested that I only tackle a half a drum at a time. However, the practicalities of decanting and measuring out something that looks and smells for all the world like sewage that’s been in a blender does not appeal.
On any normal building site there would be the builder and the builder’s mate (friendly lot, builders). On the Maison Camy site there is The Architect all on his tod. In the theoretical 90 minutes of spreading window allowed there’s no way I’m going to use that much glue. So, Inspired by French cult figure MacGyver* and having read the small print on the product warnings I hastily put together a device to solve the problem.

The drum of glue sits in a tray made from an old container (recycled from famous ‘F bracket’ box) and polythene (recycled from the insulation wrapping) filled with water, the drum is then covered in cardboard (also recycled) bound tightly to the drum with string. The bottom of the cardboard sits in the water. By capillary action, and a little help, the cardboard becomes wet.
An old fan heater (recycled from The Client’s attempt to stay warm in a house without insulation) on blow without heat setting is then placed in front. The air current aids the evaporation of the water from the soaked cardboard. In order to evaporate, the water requires a significant amount of thermal energy – called the latent heat of evaporation – which it takes from the immediate environment, i.e. the drum of glue. The net result is a lowering of the drum’s temperature.
Now that the drum is at 10 degrees below ambient temperature the chemical reaction will be slowed down. The hardener is added and away we go – a full three hours of sticking fun.
Am I boring you? I know this would certainly bore The Client.

Anyway, work has now progressed so rapidly on the insulation that we are now ready to start the timber cladding.

*The MacGyver series was so popular in France that the term Macgyver has become part of the language – meaning the improvisation of pseudo scientific solutions to life threatening situations using everyday household objects.
Beats the hell out of me why the series was so popular in France. It could have been the Canadian connection.
Also makes you wonder what life must be like in France if the average French person gets to use the word regularly in conversation.