G
15

That old foreman in Baton Rouge who taught me about tube rolling

Met an old guy named Hank at a shutdown in Baton Rouge back in 2018. He showed me how to feel the expansion instead of just reading the gauge. Said most guys rush it and end up with loose tubes. I still think about that advice whenever I'm on a boiler.
2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
2 Comments
andrew693
andrew69311d ago
Man that's the kind of stuff you just don't forget. I had an old pipefitter named Eddie show me how to read a level on a steam line once and he said "the bubble's lyin to you half the time, use your hands instead." Still catch myself doing that years later. Funny how those little tips stick with you longer than anything you learn from a book.
1
cooper.nathan
Wait, steam line? Like live steam? Eddie had you using bare hands on a live steam line to check level? That's wild man, I've been around some sketchy old timers but nobody I know would risk that kind of burn. Half those lines run hot enough to peel skin off in seconds if you're not careful. I guess that's what he meant by "the bubble lies" - you gotta feel the pipe to know if it's really level or just sitting on a sag. Still, that's a real "hold my beer" kind of lesson right there.
6