The old pipe fitter

plain ol Bill · Fri Jun 05, 2015 7:19 pm

Years ago I was working in New Mexico on a power plant. They had an acid recovery system that was being installed and it was almost complete. During inspection they discovered a weld that had not been made in the pipe rack. The joint had been tacked up and forgotten for some reason. It was stainless 2" schedule 60. The problem was it was buried in the pipe rack and other pipes all around. This was going to be a major problem if they had to take a lot of other piping out to get to the joint. They had a bunch of people look at it to see if they thought they could do it or not and no one was willing to try it. One guy suggested they call a retired welder (Frank ?) in Alburque (sp) and see if he would come up and take a look at it. So they did and the next day this grey haired, stooped over old man crawls up there to take a look and moves around the other pipes to try to see it. He looked and thought about it for over an hour then told the PF foreman what he wanted. They rounded up a TIG outfit and a mirror for him and he got into position like a pretzel, came back up and out and sent one of the kids out to the parking lot to get him a couple more mirrors off someones truck. He got back into position and had the kids place and move the mirrors to suit him. Another guy handed him the TIG torch and looking into a mirror reflection in yet another mirror darned if he did not proceed to put the slickest weld in that joint you could hope for. I don't know if that third mirror was involved or not but likely was. Of course they had everyone come look to see what he did. I'm sure he was very well compensated for a days work, travel time and expenses. Moral of the story: Old age and deceit (a lot of experience too) will outdo youth and ambition every time.

Fri Jun 05, 2015 7:45 pm

"LIKE", damnit!

I have never refused a weld. I will find a way. But a three-mirror weld will take the cake!

Steve S

LtBadd · Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:08 pm

Otto Nobedder wrote:"LIKE", damnit!

I have never refused a weld. I will find a way. But a three-mirror weld will take the cake!

Steve S

Is that anything like a three dog night?!

Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:50 pm

LtBadd wrote:
Otto Nobedder wrote:"LIKE", damnit!

I have never refused a weld. I will find a way. But a three-mirror weld will take the cake!

Steve S
Is that anything like a three dog night?!

No sugar tonight... refers to proper back-purge?

Steve S

dirtmidget33 · Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:04 pm

love it Old guy prolly never went to 4yr college for welding I bet. Prolly everything he learned was hands on being an apprentice just welding everyday at work.

exnailpounder · Sat Jun 06, 2015 7:43 am

There is sure alot to be said for life experience. No matter what school you attend, they can't teach you to think and the common sense is in short supply these days.
I became good friends with guy I built a fast lube center for about 15 years ago. I still repair his pumps and fix and install things for him but one day I walked in and there were 4 or 5 guys standing around a bobcat wheel that the tire had come off the rim. They were trying to re-mount it and no one could figure out how to do it as it would not fit on the shops tire machine. I looked at it and said I could do it but the young bucks would have none of it so they continued to throw themselves at it to no avail. Meanwhile, I got a can of starting fluid and a pack of matches, walked up, sprayed the fluid inside the tire , stepped back, threw a lit match at it and it jumped onto the rim. Itold them to hurry and put air in in before it cooled off and I just walked away. Mind you, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed but I have 52 years of life behind me and the ability to think critically and it has saved my bacon many times. The only school that teaches life is the school of hard knocks!

TRACKRANGER · Sat Jun 06, 2015 8:29 am

@ Plain Ol Bill

I just love this kind of stuff. I've been around a couple of weeks or so too. Learned and taught myself lots of 'tricks of the trade' along the way. Every so often I get someone come along with a challenge that they say is impossible, but somebody said take it over to that guy. We usually succeed. They start of saying "you can't do that with a such and such". But we usually do deliver. Think outside the square is usually the only place to start. Never say never.

I cant admit to 2 or 3 mirror welding though, but I totally respect the guy who did this. Awesome.

My hat is off to him!

Trev

kiwi2wheels · Sun Jun 07, 2015 5:15 pm

The OP reminds me ( once again ) how nice a " Like " option for posts would be on the forum.

Kentweld · Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:32 pm

We have this guy at work, who claims that one of the pipe welders, welded a pipe while there was about 12 bar of water pressure going through it.. It was a installed pipe in the boat, the pipefitters were doing a pressuretest, it leaked (partly welded from before, shitty work from a foreign shipyard).. And volla!! Pressure start building and all good

I assume the leakage was minor, hence the pressure..

What you guys think?

I call bull****

Coldman · Mon Jun 22, 2015 4:49 pm

I've seen it done by a plumber on a high rise job on a condenser water pipe in a riser shaft. Pin hole leak. He used stick and depsited a large tack right beside it. As soon as he broke the arc a second plumber bashed it with a hammer which sealed the hole. Once cooled he built some tacks around it and then over the top. This pipe is still in service today after many years.

plain ol Bill · Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:11 pm

I've fixed leakers before by center punching right next to the hole and smack it hard. Quick pass over it w/ 6010 or 7018. Fix it correctly the first time you can shut the line down.

Kentweld · Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:37 pm

By pin hole leak you mean like 1mm hole?
if so, i can see both ways mentioned would work. Awesome!

Coldman · Tue Jun 23, 2015 5:29 pm

I guess it was about 1mm on the toe of a butt weld.