Old timer told me my pipe bending was too clean to be real work

Back when I was a second year apprentice, this grizzled journeyman named Frank watched me bend a 30 inch offset and said it looked like I was piping for a museum not a warehouse. He made me take all 12 sticks down and redo them with a hand bender in the middle of a dusty floor instead of using my fancy table setup. Has anyone else gotten a critique like that that actually made you a better sparky in the long run?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray13613d ago

Is it really that deep though? I mean a 37.5 degree bend is still just a bend, and your eyes and a level have been getting it done since before any of us were born. Seems like people get too hung up on the tool and forget the actual result matters more than how you got there.

the_diana13d ago

Frank had me redoing a whole run of conduit with nothing but a hand bender and a level one time. Taught me to feel the bend instead of just trusting a digital angle finder. Did you end up keeping any of his tricks?

annaw7313d agoTop Commenter

Why's everyone so set on ditching the digital tools though? I get that Frank taught you to "feel the bend" but that's just how old timers gatekeep. @the_diana, you ever tried using one of those new digital angle finders that self-calibrates? I swear they're more accurate than any old school method. I had a job last month where the prints called for precise 37.5 degree offsets and my hand bender would've been swinging at 40 and hoping. Digital tools save time and cuts down on waste too. I get that it's romantic to do it by touch but when you're on a deadline and the material's expensive, I'm reaching for the laser every time. Frank's method works for basic stuff but complex runs need that extra precision you can't get from a level and a prayer.