Shop horse pad

A pad for a shop horse comprising:

• a cylindrical piece of closed-cell material having a first end and a second end, said cylindrical piece of closed-cell material having an axial opening defined by a sidewall that extends from the first end to the second end and an axial slit arranged along an entire length of the sidewall to form opposing edges that are biased towards one another;
• an adhesive arranged along the axial slit;
• and,
• a strip cover that covers the adhesive such that the pad may be forced onto a working portion of a shop horse and the opposing edges of slit are adhered together.

A method of replacing a shop horse pad comprising:

• providing a shop horse pad comprising a sacrificial, replaceable material that encapsulates a working portion of tubing that comprises a shop horse, said covering comprising a cylindrically-shaped sidewall having two ends and two edges and an axial opening arranged within the sidewall, said two edges and the axial opening extending from one end of the cylindrically-shaped sidewall to the other end thereof and, an adhesive arranged between the two edges to form a seam that adheres the two edges together;
• removing a damaged shop horse pad from the working portion of the tubing that comprises the shop horse;
• deploying the shop horse into a working position;
• grasping the shop horse pad at one end and separating the seam by forcing fingers into the seam near one end of the shop horse pad;
• arranging an installer's finger tips on each hand inside the axial opening at an elevation lower than the installer's thumbs to exert force against an exterior of the cylindrically-shaped sidewall via downward thumb pressure whilst the finger tips on each hand are rotated outward and upwards to separate the seam;
• forcing the open seam of the pad near the fingers onto the working portion of the shop horse by one of either sliding the finger tips along the length of the axial opening while continuing to force the remaining length of the shop horse pad onto the working portion or forcing the seam in an open direction near the center of the shop horse pad and sliding the fingers toward the portion of the pad that is already on the working portion and thereafter repeating as necessary until the entire length of the shop horse pad is installed onto the working portion of the shop horse such that the working portion is substantially covered by the shop horse pad;
• rotating the shop horse pad about the working portion such that the seam is arranged substantially above the working portion;
• removing an overlay of protective material from an underlying strip of adhesive arranged between the two edges by beginning at one end of the shop horse pad and pulling the overlay of protective material from within the seam;
• and,
• forcing the seam together to adhere the edges of the cylindrically-shaped sidewall together.