ESSENTIAL TRAVEL PACK
When it comes to making running repairs on the RV, take a look at the J-B Weld Essential Travel Pack, which contains a range of epoxy putty and silicone sticks.
Most of us generally travel with a toolkit of sorts, which might include a variety of hand tools, duct tape and some RP7. But when today’s vehicles and RVs are made of a range of modern plastics, alloys, and steel sheeting, having the ability to repair things while on the road really comes down to having the right tool or product with you to do the job.
J-B Weld has been making a variety of epoxy glues and putty for more than four decades to repair all sorts of materials and have put together a kit called the Essential Travel Pack. The pack contains a repair solution to cover just about any modern-day material, so we took a closer look.
WHAT’S IN THE PACK
The Essential Travel Pack comprises a combination of five travel-sized products. These include putty, two-part epoxy and some silicone to cover a range of repairs. There are three putty sticks: one for repairing steel (SteelStik), another for water-related problems (WaterWeld), and another for repairing plastics (PlasticWeld).
The two-part epoxy is designed to repair metals, while the silicone comes with its own applicator and has a variety of uses. Each item has a peel-away label that provides important safety warnings.
All items have been assembled and come separately stored in compartments of a clear plastic box. The rear of the box displays pertinent information about the products, including how to use them, a guide for working times through to setting times, plus the overall rating once fully cured.
HOW THEY WORK
When using any of the putty sticks, start by assessing how much you think you might need. Then simply cut a small piece off and remove its outer wrapping. Begin to work the putty together in your hands – it’s ready to be used once it’s fully mixed.
While each of the putty sticks have different applications, their contents can be moulded into any shape to meet your needs. The curing time for the putty varies, with the SteelStik and WaterWeld requiring one hour. The PlasticWeld takes a little longer at three hours.
After waiting the required curing time, the putty can then be drilled, tapped, sanded, filed, or painted, depending on the putty type.
At the completion of the repair, you simply return any unused putty back into the tube so it’s ready for the next repair.
The two tubes in the pack for the two-part epoxy cold weld system require a mix of 50/50, so it’s just a case of squeezing out what you need from both tubes and mixing them together well. This product provides a permanent bond on a range of surfaces and takes between four and six hours to completely cure. And similar to the other products in the pack, the cold weld system can also be tapped, filed, sanded and drilled after curing.
The fifth pack product is a tube of ‘Ultimate Grey Silicone’. Although its label specifies it as “water pump and thermostat housing gasket maker & sealant”, it’s the type of silicone that could be used anywhere a gasket repair was required.
A small wooden paddle has been included to help with the application process. This product sets in one hour and is temperature-resistant to a toasty 260°C.
OUR THOUGHTS
These days, there are many types of putty and glues available on the market and we’ve always been the type to carry a couple of these while travelling. But for an all-round solution that covers multiple situations and having everything assembled in a neat carry case not much bigger than hand-size, the Essential Travel Pack is very convenient.
The pack also quashes any worries as to whether we’re carrying something for a specific repair when it contains a diverse range of products. No longer do we need to wonder whether we have something for nagging repairs like a plastic RV door handle or a leaky water pipe. Yes, we’ll put our hand up for both! And should we ever experience a pierced hole in the RV’s aluminium cladding in the future or, worse, a hole in a fuel or water tank, these can all now be fixed with a product in the pack.
When you never know if, or when, something’s going to break or fail, think of the Essential Travel Pack, which has an RRP of $64.95, as a little like a ‘get out of jail free’ card. Take comfort in knowing the pack will have you covered if a situation ever arises where you need to perform a putty or glue repair on your vehicle or RV.
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