Saw a guy using a sledgehammer to clean a weld joint at a refinery in Baton Rouge

Watched this dude spend 15 minutes pounding on a flange face with a 10 pound sledge. Walked over and handed him a die grinder with a flap disc. He just looked at me and said 'this is how my dad taught me.' Any of you guys ever run into old school methods that just make no sense on site?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliotw3716h ago

Got a buddy who works pipeline, said an old timer told him you gotta heat bolt holes with a torch before threading. Cracked three bolts that way before someone showed him a tap and die set. Just shrugged and said "well that's how I was taught" like it wasn't his fault lol.

gonzalez.vera19h ago

Man, that's wild. Ngl, I always wonder if those guys ever stop to think about whether their dad's way was actually any good. Like, did his dad just not have a grinder or was he being stubborn for the sake of it? It feels like half the time it's just pride dressed up as tradition. Honestly, do you think that mindset is more about respecting your old man or is it just being too lazy to learn a new trick?

oscarthompson19h ago

Man, I swear I read somewhere that the whole "this is how my dad taught me" mindset is like 90% of why some of these old school methods stick around. Doesn't matter if there's a faster way, tradition wins every time.