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The Tenderfoot Years

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HeatingHelp
HeatingHelp Administrator Posts: 729
edited 3:34PM in THE MAIN WALL
The Tenderfoot Years

In this episode, Dan Holohan shares funny stories from the start of his career that involve a missing skyhook, an overly heavy roof drain, and some tough lessons.

Read the full story here

Comments

  • Jack
    Jack Member Posts: 1,059

    I was working on a nuke back in ‘77. Now, a nuke may have several hundred pipefitters at one time and they are large complex lay-outs. I was just a couple years out of my time and so had a keen appreciation of the Skyhook Quest. On big jobs tools can be a problem as the night crew would come in an strip all our rigging leaving us to first, complain loudly and then go in search of the tools to get the job done, again. I sent, Oscar, our first year apprentice out on the “Skyhook Quest,” with the admonishment of “do not come back without them…” We didn’t see hm for days. He was a good kid

  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 8,687

    On the Racetrack, you'd be sent around to every barn in the The Backstretch for the enigmatic "Saddle Stretcher." Ha Ha. Mad Dog

    Consulting by Mad Dog & Matt Jr.
  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 8,687

    Great story. Great advice. Mad Dog

    Consulting by Mad Dog & Matt Jr.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 18,725

    I've read that some electricians will ask the new guy to get a "Greenfield bender" which obviously doesn't exist since Greenfield is flexible. For those not familiar, it's flexible conduit- basically large BX where you have to pull the wires in.

    In old-school print shops, it might be erasing ink, striped (or dotted) ink, paper stretcher, etc.

    All Steamed Up, Inc.

    Baltimore, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 20,523

    Asking the apprentice to get some 1 3/4" pipe was a common thing.

    A lot of guys used to give the apprentices a hard time, but I never believed in that. If they were good kids and worked, I was good to them……….as long as they didn't mess up my coffee order

    GGross
  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,982
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1899512#Comment_1899512

    I've never been a fan of sending new guys on a wild goose chase either. it just wastes theirs and the company time when I could be actually teaching them something useful instead they are learning "don't trust this guy, he's gonna send you to get something that doesn't exist and waste everyone's time"

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