Old timer told me to hammer test every pipe before cutting into it

I was on a job in Norfolk last month, this retired Navy diver named Jerry kept yelling at me to tap on every pipe with my hammer before I even touched the bandsaw. I thought he was just being old and paranoid. Then I went to cut this 6 inch line that looked fine from the outside, and when I tapped it, the whole section just crumbled apart. Corroded from the inside out. Saved me from getting a face full of seawater and probably a busted saw blade. Anyone else have a boomer diver give you advice that sounded dumb but actually saved your bacon?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_torres3416d ago

Did I miss the part of my apprenticeship where they taught me not to fight rust with my face? Because that sounds like a pretty useful lesson Jerry just gave you for free.

hayden_rodriguez16d ago

Man, that's the kind of lesson you only learn the hard way once, @nathan_torres34. It's funny how we all have this instinct to just muscle through things instead of stepping back and using the right tool or taking a smarter approach. I've noticed that same stubbornness shows up in everything from fixing a squeaky door to trying to hang a shelf level without a level.