New Job

Date 12-04-2010 18:29

Here's some pics of my latest gig. Been running my Sa on this one(insert image of me curling fingers, exhaling on fingernails and polishing on my shirt). First, I have to say thank goodness for this welder! Pullin' up along the pipe, firing up ol' Besse and welding the joint is almost as close as you can get to heaven on earth. The noise.....or lack of is just amazing. 3 years of Rrrrrraaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!!!! from the ranger and I barely realize the welder is running now. We're running a new 4" mainline and going to kill the old one. Seems they are building up the area around the road and doing some changes so the line had to be moved. This one is gonna be pretty cool, we have a creek crossing, a road crossing and all manner of pipe out there. They have concrete pipe for under the creek, they are running a 2" poly under the road and then your basic green pipe. We have to come down about 30-40 feet off a hillside from the existing line, across another street, pass in front of the power station, "T" off to shoot under another road and then under the creek where we'll go for another couple hundred feet back to the existing line. More hot tappin' and now boring, gonna want to see that for sure. They had me weld up over 100 feet of 10" and 4" casing pipe this week and then had to make a pullin' head for the 10". Took out my little blue book and laid out a 10x4 reducer and went to work. Turned out pretty good and will serve it's purpose, I know it would not be good for flowing gas but learned a bunch about what to do next time.

moving pipe around so they can slide across the road. (363k)

By JeremyW83 (***)

Date 12-04-2010 19:37

Looks good to me. You might want to consider looking into making grasshopper, it is for grounding to the pipe without leaving the arc marks.

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 12-04-2010 20:16

This is just the casing pipe so not a big deal unless they x-ray casing pipe! LoL!! I'm curious though, a grasshopper?? Please enlighten me, never heard that before.

By Sberry

Date 12-04-2010 20:37

I don't know about it being heaven but looks like a nice job and good weather.

By ronnie taylor (**)

Date 12-04-2010 20:42

This video shows a grasshopper. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQWqVvRYWRQ

By weldwade (***)

Date 12-04-2010 20:52

Here is a pic of one that is not insulated. There is usually old hose and or duct tape on them to keep them from arcing on the bare pipe.

Attachment: dfgjyui.jpg (0B)

By TRC

Date 12-05-2010 00:42

Shawn, beware of the pipe stands on soil. Remeber the time the pipe fell off the stands. You should have a stack of skids every once in a while to help support the pipe especially to avoid the pipe from falling over due to the stand legs sinking into the soil.

By joe pirie (***)

Date 12-05-2010 01:40

thought a grasshopper was a type of wheeled dolly to move pipe smaller verson called a cricket

By weldwade (***)

Date 12-05-2010 04:12

I have heard them called that by people in the electrical trade before but that is the only place I have ever seen them in use.

By Pickupman (***)

Date 12-06-2010 04:11

Hey Shawn, we're gonna make a gas man out a you yet. :-) I'd be interested in seeing what they use to keep the carrier pipe centered and insulated from the casing. It has to be separated someway for cathodic protection. Any chances of you getting some pics of that? Look's like a fun job to me, Tom

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 12-06-2010 12:33

I'd be interested to know that my self Tom. They have a bunch of black poly pipe laying on the ground over there as well, not sure what they've got going on but I'll keep what you said in my mind and inquire about it. He's got plans for the whole project, but I have yet to see them for myself. Although the other day I became more involved when they stood there scratching heads and said, "what do you think?". It's fun, getting even more fun today. Temp over in that town this morning around 22 degrees with a high of 36 maybe? So, clean the joints, but them up and set gap, preheat with propane blow torch thing I've got, that's alright though, makes the pipe warmer for me while everybody else is standing around freezing!! LoL!!

By Rig Hand (***)

Date 12-07-2010 01:25 Edited 12-07-2010 02:35

There will be insulators that will be screwed together around the 4'' that will insulate and keep it centered, they are just some pieces of plastic. I'll try and look them up, I can't remember the brand we use. They will most likely use FRP's and a "Link seal" on the ends to seal and center the ends. Some companies are starting to pump a gell into there casing pipe for corrosion control. If they all going to use the gell stay the hell away from it. You can't get it off your clothes or your truck, no matter what you do.

middle picture shows a good insulator
http://www.pipelinesupply.com/category.cfm?Category=114

Link seal
http://www.linkseal.com/htmlPages/base_ls.htm

Just a good handy page.
http://www.pipelinesupply.com/pages.cfm?ID=19

By the way, nice job on the con. reducer.

By Pickupman (***)

Date 12-07-2010 02:15

Thanks Rig Hand. Those are some useful links. Tom

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 12-07-2010 04:17

Thanks Rig Hand that's good stuff, have to check them out closer when I get more time.

By Northweldor (***)

Date 12-06-2010 12:05

Lots of others, if you do an "all boards" search with "grasshopper"!

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 12-07-2010 04:24

Actually just to the left of that first jack we have a 45 in there. Had to follow the right of way. Would have been nice if it was straight but we had to 45 at that one in the picture, run about 60ft then 45 the opposite way to set up for the creek crossing, T and road crossing, all of this to be within the 5ft they gave us on the right of way.

By Tommyjoking (****)

Date 12-08-2010 04:28

Hey Shawn!

Looking good brother. Hopefully I will be do more of the same soon. Trying to talk the owner into hitting up the the some of the factories I know around and snagging some ss or carbon pipe work. Been burning a few rods myself lately and threatened to melt down the owners trailblazer with my old hobart LOL. How you digging that sweet machine of yours?

Keep your hood down and your wallet thick!!
Tommy

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 12-08-2010 05:51

Tommy,

That's good to hear man!! I'm working on ss myself, well trying to get more time with it but it's been pretty busy around here...thank goodness! This has been the busiest December on record for my micro business! The Sa, wow, I love that thing!! Desperately want to build a bed now and reduce some of the fat that's for sure. The ol' truck, she's an all out cow now!! Trying to get some extra coins together for an hour meter.....murphy oil and coolant gauges are on my list as well. Starting to get the numbers dialed in as far as where to set for what rod, thought I figured that out the weekend before I started on this pipe but got out there and found a sweeter setting than the sweet setting I thought I found,...hehehe. I dig the "roundy round" as I like to call pipe welding and this machine parked 4-5 feet from ya on the truck makes it so much better, still can't get over how quiet this thing is. I had a thought today at the farm supply, before when I had the ranger I think my hourly rate looked cheaper to a passerby than it does now! It's funny though, have had several folks stop me in the parking lot, one at kroger, one at gas station saying, that's a heck of a welder buddy. Kinda hard to miss that monster back there, unlike the ranger, it could hide well!! Stay warm and be careful out there, down with Miller!! Hahaha!! Maybe one day I'll get down that way and I'll look you up, seems to be my goal, get out on some big stuff with the big boys....one day, until then keep working and learning. Take it easy Tommy!

Shawn