PELCO® Dimpler™ Tool Repadding

The polishing cloth on PELCO® Dimpler™ Tools eventually wears out or becomes contaminated; the replacement padding kit makes it simple to mount new cloth on the PELCO® Dimpler™ Tools.

The Repadding Tool Kit includes (shown on the left in Figure 1): 

• Aluminium Mandrel, a replaceable Glass Slide
• Slide Holder Base 

The Mandrel fits the arbor on the Tool, while the Base and Slide provide a clean, stable surface on which to roll the adhesive cloth of the Repadding Strips onto the Tools. The pre-cut cloth strips are supplied separately. The Repadding Strips are available for all of the padded PELCO® Dimpler™ Tool sizes, including the 2iM 1/8” wide Standard Tool and the 1/8”, 1/4”, and 1/2” wide Large Area Tools. The various Tool sizes and several Repadding Strips are shown below in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Repadding Tool Kit shown with PELCO® Dimpler™ Tools and Available Repadding Strips

APPLICATION

1) Each set of Repadding Strips is adhesive-backed. When preparing to repad a Tool, ensure the Tool core is clean and oil-free, then remove one of the pre-cut cloth strips from the sheet of 10 as shown in Figure 2 below. 

2) Each Repadding Strip has a white backing attached to it as shown in Figure 3. To start, peel the edge of this backing away from the cloth.

3) Then, take the end of the cloth and align it with the tool as shown in Figure 4.

4) Next, firmly press down and begin to rotate the Tool in one hand while peeling the cloth away from the backing with the other (Figure 5). While applying the cloth to the Tool, it is important to maintain the correct tension on the cloth such that when ends meet, the cloth edges almost touch.

Figure 2: Repadding Strips and an Unpadded 1/2” Large Area Tool Core

Figure 3: Separating the Backing from the Repadding Strip

Figure 4: Aligning the Repadding Strip onto the Tool

Figure 5: Wrapping the Cloth around the Tool

5) Then press these ends down/together onto the tool (Figure 6). The cloth will relax slightly over time, and getting the tension correct ensures that gap at the joint is minimal. A small gap has been found to be acceptable and does not impede sample processing.

Figure 6: Joining the Cloth around the Tool

6) Finally, roll the tool under firm pressure against the glass slide as shown in Figure 7. This will ensure that the thickness of the Repadding Strip is even and there are no air bubbles. In the case that a gap opens at the edges of the Repadding Strip as the adhesive relaxes, press the ends together and roll the tool again to close the gap and ensure sticking of the Strip.

Figure 7: Rolling the Tool to Even Out the Padding and Activate the Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive