Wondering what kind of lingo I should know when working in the field? Are there alternate names for tools, equipment, positions, locations, and stuff like that? Like a monkey wrench is also a pipe wrench, channel locks are water pliers. Just looking for stuff i should know.
Thanks
Levi.
Here is one to get you started... hopefully soon you will be cuttin' a fat hog.
Coolie hats - depressed center grinding wheels
BTW that it "water PUMP pliers" ; )
every factory, company and field are different.
For instance everyone at my company calls -- 0.001 inch -- "mils" where as I used to call them "thousandths" or "thou"
time saver = panel sander
welpers or weld helpers = mig pliers
yo-yo = tape measure
cheater bar = piece of pipe over a wrench
BAH = Big @$# hammer
the list goes on. In interviews I make sure I'm clear on exactly what they were asking. As I found some companies called things "weld procedure specifications" another "weld schedules" etc so when they asked me "can I create welding schedules" I make sure they are refering to WPS instead of say creating budget and work planning estimates for welding.
I'm probably not too much older than you, the big thing is to not be afraid to ask for clarification on exactly what someone means. "finish the weld prep" to some may mean knocking off slag with a chipping hammer, or to others grinding to bright metal and maintaining a certain included angle. Never assume you know what the guys are talking about, especially as some like to pull fast ones on new employees.
We always call it the BFH....no need in explaining that! Can't think of anything off the top of my head...
A couple more:
"Go in the hole" or "Went in the hole" - Refers to falling off a buidling or structure
"HEADACHE!!!" - I just dropped something that is on its way down right now
A crossed arm signal in front of the face or above head - Switch my polarity
Chinese vertical - A vertical weld that is at an angle, such as a web weld when a beam is installed at an angle from horizontal for lateral bracing
Nickel high Nickel wide - Referes to pipe fit up, a desired land size and root opening
Hi Lo - Pipe wall misalignment
Get your money - Your fired
They gave him his money - He was fired
Some more:
"Pipeliner" an SA 200
"Boilermaker" - a blind flange (very old school! unlikely to hear this one any more)
"Punch your ticket" FIRED!
"ROMF" (run off M/F) FIRED (sorry, those are 2 that I know all too well as must Blaster since he had 2 definitions also!)
"Fire in the hole" gittin ready to strike an arc...look away (close your eyes) or sparks coming down on top of you.
"HEADACHE" or "HEADS UP" (elaboration of previous post) It is coming down on top of you...do NOT LOOK UP!!! run like he!!
"Two Blocked" crane hook about to be stripped off at the point sheave...or stuck in a difficult situation.
"Cooning the Iron" Crawling on the lower flange of an I-Beam girder.
"Dog" an "L" shaped bracket welded on that uses wedges or a screw to adjust pieces into alignment.
"Slug" a piece of rod, rebar, bolt etc... stuffed in to a gap to replace filler metal. (I am a QC...so please do NOT slug your gaps on my project!)
"Caulking" Peening the surface of a weld, trying to hide porosity...see the (comment above)
"FNG" "F"ing new guy
"The Patch" The Oil Field
"Green Hand" see FNG or "Newbie" (Oil Field term when new hires have to wear a green hard hat until they have 90 days in the patch) or just aint paid your dues yet.
"Drag Up" or "Drug up" quit or quitting a job.
Can't wait to see more of these.
By Blaster 
Date 11-23-2010 03:58
Edited 11-23-2010 04:02
"Rat" - same as "Slug"
"Two hole" - not what you think, it means to orient a pipe flange with a bubble level across two holes
"Axx-hole" - the kinks you get in a lead or hose when you don't roll it up properly
Here is a couple you missed that are very important! GET MY MONEY! IM DRAGGING UP!=I quit
Jim
For what it is worth, a monkey wrench is not the same as a pipe wrench. Pipe wrenches have a pivoting jaw, and the jaws are serated, monkey wrenches have smooth jaws, and they stay [roughly] parallell.
Pipe wrenches are made to grip on a round pipe, monkey wrenches need to engage on flats, like a nut or bolt head.
I learned that from my high school machine shop teacher . He showed us the difference between a monkey wrench and a pipe wrench, and we were not allowed to say crescent wrench or thumb wrench had to say adjustable thumb wrench. oh yeah standard screwdriver not flat head. funny how those thing stick with you.
The brittish call an ajustable wrench a "shifting spanner". I knew what the guy meant, but it sure sounded odd.
Dave,
In New Zealand it is called a crescent
In Australia it is called a shifter
In Papua New Guinea it is called a walkabout spanner
Cheers,
Shane
crescent wrench = Oklahoma socket set
Forget about the slang.. That will come naturally.
It's far more important to learn to use and understand "standard terms"
Just my two cents.
Lar
Add my vote to Lawrence's comments.
Learn the right terminology and sound like a professional rather than a hack.
Best regards - al
ahhh this could be a fun thread tho
Levi - Learning what you can whenever you have an opportunity is a respectful endeavor.
Wobble - Sympathetic strike or refusal to work. For example a general contractor brings in various subs for different crafts. One may be found to not be honoring job contract conditions... for example not using union labor or paying prevailing wages. If not rectified promptly, other trades on the job may walk off until the general fixes the situation with that particular sub. It is quite a faux pas for a trade to not join in a wobble once it begins.
Water Pump Pliers = Channel Locks
Ironworker's spud wrench = bullprick
do really make them think your not green to this. tell them to get you a metric cresent wrench to swap leads.
I've got a set of those but there all right handed :(
hard to find the left handed ones for those left handed threads
Don't forget to brush up on your slang welding symbols too....LOL
By awspartb
Date 12-04-2010 23:59
Edited 12-05-2010 21:59
1)"Eyeballs!" - Loud verbal warning to others that you are ready to strike an arc so as not to blind them.
2)"Boomer" - A traveler who goes all over the country in search of work.
3)"Boom Out" - Hit the road for work because nothing is available in your home town.
4)"Pimp"- A worker, usually with lower skill level or someone close to retirment, who supports a team of welders by getting them supplies, adjusting machines, etc. (northern slang).
5)"Ding-A-Ling"- Same as Pimp listed above but southern slang (deragatory).
6)"NFG" - Three letters marked on a tool or piece of machinery to indicate it is broken or out of service. No F-ing Good. Often used on 8-pack welding machines to mark broken units.
7)"Grasshopper"- Is a C clamp that has been cut in half with a piece of angle welded on the cut. It is used to push metal plates together for welding by tack welding it to one plate while pushing the other plate into place.
8)"Beater"- 4 pound hammer
9)"Bull Steward" - A union steward who is in charge of all members of a certain trade when there are multiple contractors on site. Example would be large oil refinery outages.
10)"Golden Arm" - A primadonna welder who likes to let everyone know he's the best.
11)"Bucket Ass" - A worthless employee who is used primarily for confined space monitor, fire watch, etc. As in they sit on buckets all day because they are good for little else.
12)"Papers" - Welding certifications.
13)"Pull your papers" - A welder that has numerous rejected welds on the job who has his certifications pulled and can't weld anymore due to poor quailty. They are either let go, reassigned or required to retest.
14)"hole watch" - confined space attendant
15)"slug" - a piece of metal used to fill a large gap for welding OR a worthless employee.
16)"weedout" - a targeted layoff to weed out slugs AKA slug layoff.
17)"set of Kliens" - heavy duty wire cutter/pliers made by Klien company (primarily a southern term)
18)"wafer wheels aka razor wheel" - thin cutting wheels used with grinders to cut metal.
19)"stone" - 1/4" thick grinding wheel.
20)"working like a Chinese Coolie" - working like a slave/serf OR without concern for safety (northern slang)
21)"bust out" - fail a weld test.
22)"hell dog" - jack hammer
23)"Meso" - asbestos cancer, short for mesothelioma
24)"hot rod" - use an 1/8" E6010 rod, turned up to 150 amps to burn old bolts, studs etc. Shortcut for arc gouging.
25)"when in doubt, Inc it out" - when the base metal alloy is unknown or in question, use Inconel welding rod (southern slang).
26)"randoms"- random or unannounced drug tests.
27)"shake the as*holes out"- shake out a welding lead or gas hose to get the knots and twists out of it.
