A foreman in Gary made me rethink how I prep tube sheets

I was fitting a tube sheet at a power plant outside Gary last Tuesday, and this old foreman watched me wire brush the face for 20 minutes. He said, 'You're cleaning it like it's for a job interview, but it's for a weld,' and then showed me his approach: rough it up once, blow it off, move on. It hit different because I spent years thinking more prep meant better fusion, but he proved the opposite with a root pass that looked flawless. I still take my time on joints that need it, but now I ask myself what the weld actually requires before I burn an hour polishing something. Has anyone else had a veteran shorten their process in a way that stuck with them?

0 comments

0 Comments

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this discussion.