Extension Ladders

    Greetings all, once again, here comes another entry from myself, the 'professional' amateur painter. Business has been real great and I'm really enjoying myself. I don't know how much time you other writers spend on deciding on the subjects to write about, but I must say that my time dedicated to it is sometimes a lot, but unfortunately, most of the time it is nil. This web site is very important to me, but in regard to my green-status in running a small painting business, I am so busy that it's tough for me to even find the time to clean my brushes. BUT, if I can seek to accomplish anything, I would hope to at least bring a smile to your faces and that's why the subject I am choosing to write about this month, is that of painters' uses of extension ladders.

    Extension ladders. What a beautiful creation! I have so many different uses for my extension ladders that I sometimes find myself using them more than I use duct-tape. There are so many angles to attack this subject from: the good uses, the better ones, the safety hazards that they/we create with them or even the common practices associated with the use of them. Since I am no longer an English major, in college, I think I will blast this subject with no apparent regard to any proper grammatical practice and just hit this blow by blow or thought by thought.

    Any of you ever see "Animal House"? If you haven't, you really need to put your brush down and get with the program for crying out loud! Do you remember the scene with John Belushi, up on the extension ladder, against the house, peeking in on the ladies? Then when a shade is drawn, he decides to move his ladder without going down, to move it? That scene is a total riot, and always amuses me whenever I see the movie. What's ironic here, is that many times I find myself up on the ladder, (NOT PEEPING), wishing that I could do just as he did. What is scary here, is that many times I do move my ladder, (NOT AS HE DID) to adjust to 'snag' those spots that I cannot access. At the time I do it, it seems like a neat trick, but as I'm typing this, it seems pretty foolish and flat-out stupid. Have any of you ever did this?

    Being new in the business, I'm sure this next little point may not be something you can identify with since most of you probably experienced this many years ago. Anyway, I was telling a friend that if you're having a hard time getting used to a new/larger extension ladder, the best cure for that is to go purchase one that is a little bit longer. I always find that to be the best cure. Oh, and another route a person can take is behavior modification. Practice with your new ladder in a wide, open field ONLY. Get a little too confident and make believe that you can swing it around, put it here & put it there, swing it here, twist it there... And then lose control of it, let go, and watch it fall (plug your ears too, the aluminum ones make a hell of a noise when they crash!). After crashing a few, your behavior & attitude will change when "operating" your new ladder.

    But on a more serious note, they sure get a person where they need to be and with a couple of them, accompanied by a good plank, a person can really take advantage of a good, elevated work-surface. I've even used extension ladders themselves, along with good wood, to create a plank or work-surface out of the ladder. I also like the fact that you can hang things such as paint cans from them. Or, when they're stored in your garage or shop, you can hang brooms on them or even: wrench sets, coats, spray shields, clothing, electrical cords, wet brushes or even trash-bags (my favorite). I like to hang the trash bags, but you need to make sure the bags have the little yellow bands, they fit neatly over the ends of the ladder and be sure to hang the ladder about chest-high, because then it's ergonomically correct & better for your back when you go to retrieve your trash on your trash-day.

    What I really enjoy about these ladders though is the ease it is to work with. I like the fiberglass for the sturdiness they provide, but the weight of the larger ones is complete hell in my honest opinion. The aluminum ones are my favorite and I have two reasons to justify me owning them, as opposed to the fiberglass. First, is the weight, but second, is why would I need fiberglass??? Many people tell me that fiberglass is not a conductor of electricity, and to those brain-storming replies, I usually reply in kind with a smart-_ss remark. My reply to that & my second reason are why would a painter be painting during a thunder-storm?

    Sorry I didn't have more, but hopefully this little piece will serve as a little break in the action for you or even a little time-out to laugh at some of the unusual things we often do with some of our own tools.

Take good care.

Dave Larson

Dave Larson
Attention to Detail Painting +
(701)235-1742
cell 799-1082
www.attentiontodetailpainting.com
email: david.larson@worldnet.att.net

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