Spent two days trying to free a stuck valve on a salvage job

We were working on an old tugboat up in the Puget Sound last month, trying to hook up air lines to a ballast tank. The main shutoff valve was totally frozen, probably hadn't been turned in 20 years. I tried everything: heat, penetrating oil, even a cheater bar. Nothing. What I thought would be a 30-minute job turned into a full two-day mess. We ended up having to cut a small access hole in the deck above it just to get a proper swing on a 4-foot wrench. The whole time, I kept thinking about how the old guys would have just known some trick with a hammer and a punch. Felt like I was fighting the sea itself. Anyone have a go-to method for a valve that just won't budge?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.diana3mo ago

Ever try the old torch and water trick?

hannah2403mo ago

My buddy Jake tried that once and ended up with a scorched kitchen ceiling.

wyattmitchell18d ago

Funny you mention the torch and water trick. My old man tried that on a seized exhaust flange once, except he forgot to check if there was any fuel residue nearby. Let's just say the next twenty minutes involved a lot of running and a melted pair of coveralls. We still give him grief about it at Thanksgiving. Never seen a grown man move that fast in steel-toed boots though.