Unpopular opinion: That 'impossible' flange on the old boiler in the Trenton plant wasn't impossible, you just needed a bigger cheater bar.

The foreman said it was seized for good, but I grabbed a 10-foot length of pipe, slipped it over the wrench, and it broke free on the first real pull. Anyone else had a boss swear something was junk that just needed a little more leverage?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_ross23d ago

Honestly, it's like some guys forget what leverage even means. Reminds me of a rusted bolt on my buddy's truck frame, he was ready to cut it out. I just soaked it in penetrant overnight and used a breaker bar with my full weight, thing groaned and spun right out. Makes you wonder if they just don't want to put in the extra effort sometimes.

river1903d agoOG Member

Sometimes it's not about the tool, it's about the shame of admitting the fix was that simple all along.

thomas.mark23d ago

Ever had a supervisor call a part "fused by the gods" or something? We had a hydraulic line fitting everyone swore was welded shut. I found an old jack handle, basically made a six foot wrench, and it popped like nothing. Some people just don't believe in physics.

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