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Jim Destefani
Senior Editor
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Wacky Warnings
It’s January, and that means that the annual list of absurd warning labels published by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch (www.mlaw.org) is out. Now in its 11th year, the list is intended to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels.
This year’s grand prize winner was a label that appeared on a small tractor and took into account every conceivable eventuality. “Danger: Avoid Death,” it warned. Good advice.
Second place went to an iron-on T-shirt transfer that warned: “Do not iron while wearing shirt,” while in third was a baby stroller featuring a small storage pouch with the label: “Do not put child in bag.” Honorable mention was taken by a letter opener whose manufacturer felt compelled to recommend use of safety glasses when operating the device.
According to M-LAW president Robert Dorigo Jones, the labels, silly as they are, reflect how broken America's civil justice system is. “Predatory lawyers know they can file ridiculous lawsuits against innocent product makers and blackmail them into a cash settlement, even in cases in which a user has ignored common sense," he says.
With any luck we’ll never see such inane labels in finishing shops. Can you imagine, for example, “Caution: Do not drink” on the side of a plating or cleaning process tank?
ALSO In this issue..
- Finisher’s Perspective
- RE: Finisher’s Perspective
- Painting
- Plating
- Pollution Control
- New Products
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Share your views, win an Amazon gift certificate.
Have you seen any wacky warning labels? How about any you’d like to see around the shop? Share your thoughts on this topic and you’ll have a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Responses may be published in the next issue of the Digital Dispatch. Click here to respond.
Last month we asked whether the current “green” emphasis at many companies is something that can truly have an impact or just a flash in the pan. We liked the response of Robert Pilzac of Kohler Power Systems, so he’s this month’s winner of a $50 Amazon gift card.
Robert wrote: “I do believe the green movement can make a significant impact. Will it be over night? No! I think most companies are jumping on the band wagon as a marketing tool. But the impact can be significant and most of the time profitable. Being green is using fewer resources to achieve the same amount of production resulting in less waste. Since resources and disposing of waste cost money, I don’t see why a company wouldn’t want to strive to reduce both.”
Thanks, Robert, and thanks to all who responded.
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Feature Article—Keeping Spray Masks Clean
Switching from solvent to a waterborne paint system also meant changing mask systems for this company. To read more, click here.
Painting Clinic—Painting Brass
This reader needs to epoxy prime and polyurethane topcoat brass parts. To read the advice of our expert Carl Izzo, click here.
Painting Forum—Paint Filtration?
This reader is seeking advice on how best to filter his primer and topcoat paints. Think you can help? Click here.
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Feature Article—The Basics of Brush Plating
Brush plating is a portable process that can electroplate, anodize and electropolish localized areas of parts. To read more, click here.
Plating Clinic—Tangled Danglers
This reader is having trouble with tangling and breakage of cylindrical parts during barrel plating. Click here to read the response of our plating expert Art Kushner.
Plating Forum—Post-Treatment of Ni-Cr Plating
This reader would like information on the best post-treatment for nickel-chromium coated parts. Any ideas? Click here.
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Feature Article—Fine Tune Cleaning and Rinsing with Ultrasonic Retrofits
The same characteristics of ultrasonics that make them important on a new cleaning or pretreatment line also make them a valuable retrofit on an existing process line. To read more, click here.
Parts Cleaning Clinic—Passivating Bi-metal Parts
This reader wants to know if he can passivate parts consisting of a Type 304 stainless steel piece glued to a Type 303 stainless piece after assembly. Read the response of our cleaning expert David S. Peterson here.
Parts Cleaning Forum—Graphite Surface Preparation
This reader is looking for a surface preparation procedure for graphite plugs prior to electroless nickel plating. Any thoughts? Click here.
From the product repository of PF Online:
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