Showerthought: My apprentice's 'quick fix' in a historic theater basement

We were rewiring a 1920s stage light panel in the old Majestic Theater, and my apprentice decided to use a zip tie to hold a hot conductor against a terminal because he stripped it too short. The zip tie melted in about 30 seconds, filled the whole crawl space with that awful plastic smell, and we had to explain to the theater manager why her show was delayed. What's the most 'creative' fix you've ever had to undo from a green helper?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_piper3h ago

Remember my own "fix" with duct tape?

jessicac282h ago

Yeah, the one holding your side mirror on for six months. What finally gave out, the tape or the plastic?

jake1892h ago

Oh man, the plastic always goes first. The tape just gets tired and lets go. You start with that good thick foam stuff and it becomes a sad, crusty strip holding on for dear life. Makes you wonder why they even make that housing out of such brittle junk.