Stopaq: Back to Basics (Part 2)

 

Stopaq: Back to Basics (Part 2)

For more than 30 years, Stopaq visco-elastic material has set the standard in visco-elastic corrosion protection technologies. In an industry where surface preparation, labor, and access can quickly drive costs, Stopaq has earned its reputation by doing something simple—and doing it exceptionally well.

At its core, Stopaq is designed with practicality in mind. Minimal surface preparation, excellent sealing capabilities, and straightforward installation make it an attractive option for a wide range of applications. When you factor in the reduced need for abrasive blasting, significantly lower labor requirements, and minimal scaffolding, the overall economics become even more compelling.

From a materials standpoint, Stopaq is a fully amorphous, non-crosslinkable Polyisobutene (PIB) composition. Once applied, it is totally impermeable, forming a continuous barrier that protects steel from water, oxygen, and other corrosion-driving elements. This visco-elastic behavior allows the material to conform to the substrate, maintain intimate contact with the surface, and continue sealing over time.

Where Stopaq really shines is in repair, rehabilitation, and recoating work—especially for “inside-the-fence” plant and refinery applications. These environments often demand fast turnarounds, limited surface prep, and safe, efficient installation methods. In these scenarios, focusing solely on material price can be misleading.

Instead, the smarter approach is to evaluate the total job cost. When reduced prep, faster installation, and long-term performance are taken into account, Stopaq frequently proves to be one of the most cost-effective solutions available.

If you’re involved in repair, rehab, or recoating projects and aren’t at least considering Stopaq as your primary repair material, you may be doing yourself—and your budget—a disservice.

Directional Drilling Industry Excepted to Double in 10 Years

 

Directional Drilling Growth: Not a Surprise — Still Worth Paying Attention To

This probably won’t surprise anyone working in the pipeline or trenchless construction world — but it’s still worth pausing to think about.

A recent study forecasts that the global horizontal directional drilling (HDD) market will grow at roughly 6.8% per year over the next decade. If that projection holds, the market will nearly double in size over the next 10 years.

That’s a big number. And honestly? It tracks exactly with what many of us have already been seeing in the field.

We’ve Seen This Trend Firsthand

At JSI, we firmly believe this growth isn’t just coming — it’s been happening for years already. Over the last decade, directional drilling and road bore projects have steadily increased, and so has the demand for products designed specifically to survive those harsh installations.

That steady market growth is reflected directly in the continued adoption of several of our core solutions that are routinely used on HDD and road bore projects.

Products Built for Directional Drilling Reality

Here are a few of the systems we see gaining the most traction as drilling activity increases:

Powercrete J
Widely regarded as a premier epoxy coating for directional drilling applications, Powercrete J offers excellent abrasion resistance and fast cure times — exactly what’s needed when pipe is being pulled through long, demanding bores.

DIRAX
When downtime matters (and when doesn’t it?), DIRAX stands out. This is a minimal-downtime coating system designed specifically for drill pipe and tooling — often allowing pull-in in as little as 30 minutes.

WCSM
A proven solution for lead wire protection and cable splice sealing, WCSM continues to be a go-to for HDD crews who need reliable, long-term environmental sealing in the field.

BBS Bumper System
As multi-pipe bundled pull-throughs become more common, the BBS system plays a critical role in protecting pipes during installation. Designed specifically for bundled HDD and road bore applications, it helps prevent coating damage and pipe-to-pipe contact during pullback.

Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond

For many in our industry, this time of year is traditionally a slower period. But it’s also the perfect window to prepare for what’s coming next.

If the directional drilling market truly is on track to nearly double over the next decade — and all signs suggest it is — then now is the time to make sure your coatings, protection systems, and installation practices are ready.

If you’d like to talk through any of these solutions, or discuss how to position your projects for a strong 2026 and beyond, let’s chat.

You can also review the market study referenced here:
Expert Market Research – Horizontal Directional Drilling Market

Raychem GRS Gas Repair Sleeve

 

A Little Pipeline Safety Time Capsule: The Story of Raychem’s GRS Sleeve (1973)

If you’re a safety-minded person—or just someone who enjoys a bit of pipeline history—you’ll appreciate this one. Every industry has moments that make us look back, shake our heads, and say, “Wow… things were really different back then.” And in the world of pipeline coatings, June 1973 in Richmond, Virginia, gave us a perfect example.

At that time, Raychem had developed a product called GRS—Gas Repair Sleeve. Its purpose was straightforward: seal a leaking natural gas line. But the installation method? Well… that’s where the story gets interesting.

GRS was a heat-shrinkable repair sleeve, and like all early shrink technologies of that era, it required an open flame for installation. Yes, you read that correctly:

Open flame.

On a gas line.

That’s already leaking.

Down in a hole.

It’s the kind of detail that makes today’s safety professionals cringe—and also appreciate just how far the industry has come in engineering, risk management, and installation practices.

Technically speaking, GRS was a wraparound product. It used Raychem’s classic rail-and-channel closure system, allowing the sleeve to be wrapped around the pipe, locked into place, and then shrunk to form a seal. For its time, it was clever engineering, and thousands of these sleeves were installed across the country.

But unsurprisingly, as safety standards evolved, GRS didn’t make the cut for the long term. The product was officially discontinued in the 1990s, though many operators still encountered them in the field years later—testament to just how widespread they once were.

Looking back, GRS is a reminder of two things:

1. Innovation often starts with bold ideas, even if those ideas don’t stand the test of time.

2. Safety evolves, and what once seemed acceptable can later become unthinkable as we learn, improve, and push the industry forward.

And that’s what makes these historical snapshots so fascinating. They show us where we’ve been—and how much better we’re doing today.