Got called out by a foreman in Gary for my torch technique

I was working a boiler retube job in Gary last month and an old foreman named Ray watched me cut a tube sheet. He told me I was holding the torch at too steep of an angle and wasting gas. I was annoyed at first but he showed me his way, keeping it flatter and letting the preheat do the work. I tried it on the next few cuts and I was getting way cleaner edges with less slag to grind off. Plus I used way less oxygen per cut. It took me about a day to unlearn my old habit but now I kick myself for not learning this years ago. Has anyone else had an old timer give you a simple fix that changed your whole setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella_scott962d ago

Walked into a job site once thinking I was hot stuff with a torch and had a guy twice my age show me I was basically just wasting gas for fun. Felt like a total rookie but hey, at least the slag cleanup got way easier after that.

david_reed223d ago

Honestly that's the kind of lesson that sticks with you forever. A lot of guys think they know how to run a torch until someone who's been doing it since the 70s shows them the real way. Ngl it's humbling but that's how you get better. Respect to Ray for taking the time to show you instead of just yelling about it.

abby_morgan182d ago

The part about "showing instead of yelling" really gets me. That's the kind of patience that's way too rare nowadays in any trade or even just in regular life. People are so quick to snap at someone for not knowing something they think is basic, but they forget they had to learn it too. It's like this bigger pattern where everyone is in a rush and nobody wants to slow down to teach someone the right way anymore. Good on Ray for being one of the good ones who actually cares about passing on the skill instead of just acting superior about it.