Guy on a barge in Baton Rouge told me to stop being so careful with my torch

I was down in Baton Rouge last summer on a tank job, working slow and steady like I always do. This old timer from another crew walks by, sees me checking my flame for the third time, and just says 'kid, you're gonna wear that torch out before it does any work'. He then showed me how he just eyeballs it and never has issues. Made me wonder how many of us are way too fussy about little things. Anybody else had a vet tell you to just loosen up?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_dylan2d ago

Is GOUGING your eyes out for five seconds really that big of a deal before lighting up? I get being careful but if the guy's been doing it for 30 years I'd probably take his word for it.

schmidt.willow2d ago

Yeah @the_dylan you make a fair point honestly. Thirty years is a long time and the guy probably knows his gear inside and out. But still, even experienced people can mess up when they get too comfortable, you know? I've seen it happen in other hobbies where someone thinks they've got it all figured out then something goes wrong because they skipped one little step. It's not about doubting the guy's skill, it's more about looking out for him and anyone nearby. Better to be overly careful than to have a bad accident that could have been avoided.