Safety First and Running It On His Own.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

I had a talk with Mile this morning about Vinnie the Engineer. It wasn’t the first time that he has done something Unsafe, but it wasn’t him that got hurt. Since I had Sorough handling the Twenty-Five Foot Hot Feedscrew for a first time and he was being very cautious as most are. With the load already Three/Quarter ways out, Vinnie was told to go around the Mill to be safe. Instead he simply ducked under the Four Thousand Pound Unit while it was in motion. Instead of simple taking his fingers off the buttons, Sorough hit the reverse button. I barely had a chance to raise my arm, as the Hot Screw swung at us. Mile is very Safety Conscious and was not happy that I had gotten another Burn for my career collection. He also had a talk with Vinnie.

We managed to finish the Twenty-Five Foot Feedscrew just after first break. This time I handled it and when Vinnie saw it being moved walked around the Mill. After it was buried we immediately we placed a New Unit into the PTA, measured and marked it before starting the Burners before lunch.

It was at that point Mile had me doing Touch-Ups on a couple of Units heading to be chromed in Toronto, tomorrow. When Sorough came around thinking he would just watch me work, he had a surprise. I asked him if he could run the PTA. When he answered “Yes”, I asked why he wasn’t welding the Feedscrew in the machine. Told that was what he should be doing, he went off and started doing what he had been trained to do.

It was nearly 3:00 before all the Touch-Ups were completed and I returned to the PTA. Sorough had done an impressive job, but had a Doctor’s Appointment after the shift. Since it was nearly finished I stayed later so I could add the Second Unit into the Sandbox for the night.

I’m so looking forward to that Final Day and so is Kathy. We shared a Store-Bought Thin-Crust Vegetarian Pizza while watching the 6 o’clock Local News. They were forecasting Flurries for tomorrow.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.

Marie Curie, Scientist.

Changes and Big Blue Cloud.

Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

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Before leaving the Plant on Friday, we had already mounted the Rebuild Feedscrew we were supposed to work on today in the PTA. That should have been a sign because as soon as I saw Mile this morning, he had news on the Rebuild, that meant we would be working on the Eight Inch Diameter, Twenty-Five Foot Unit.

Sorough just could not understand why they would do that, but it happens. I had him using the Crane to pull the Twelve Foot Screw from the Plasma Transfer Arc, but since he had never handled a large Unit before I moved it in. I remember being overly cautious before and a little nervous but that all faded away with time.

After making the necessary markings and measurements we soon had the Burners going to warm the Unit. After reviewing all the data of the Feedscrews I have welded, there were no other Eight Inch Units. We used data from Six Inch and Ten Inch Screws and guesstimate the speeds needed, before doing the Test Run using my Pencil Trick. There was only a slight adjustment made before the real welding started.

The first stop was to make a Powder Feed Adjustment, then it ran perfectly for an Hour before the Orifice plugged. It became a pattern that we had to follow, practically every hour. Mile said the weld was too wide, .005 more than needed, but when I showed him what would happen if we changed the setting, he simply left us alone.

Sorough and I took turns monitoring the process, so that gave me a chance to talk with Kathy after lunch.

We also successfully completed the First Zone by 3:00. Since the Second Zone still needed to be heated before welding we buried it in the Sandbox for the night, but there was a twist, I had Sorough handle the Crane. This was his first time handling a Large Hot Screw. He did great but was visibly shaking after doing so.

I managed to leave at 3:30 and drove Vic to catch the bus. I really thought I would surprise Kathy by getting home early. That was until the Truck went into Regen and started leaving everyone behind me in a Big Blue Cloud. I had to go on the Expressway, so the Diesel Particulate Filter could clean itself and stop smoking. On my return I exited onto Jefferson only to be in traffic edging their way around a vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. I made it home for 5:00.

For supper we had the Leftover Lemon Chicken and Fried Rice from last night. We were still feeling stuffed when we left the table.

On the 6 o’clock Local News, they forecasted below normal temperatures this week and some White Stuff heading our way.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

What’s it called when you drop a nacho on mayonnaise?

Sinko de mayo!

Crazy Clocks.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

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Looking at the Clocks in the bedroom this morning, I was getting mixed information. The one that was produced around 2000, automatically changes according to the old Daylight Savings Time protocol, so it had already shifted to EST. This is a process that has to be rectified four times a year. The other cheaper model waits patiently for me to push its buttons twice a year.

That mental distraction was enough to have me fully awake, so at 6:30 I was up and sorting our laundry. Of course I cheated last night, by setting the Hamper with my clean clothes on top to wear this morning.

It was past 7:15 by the time I made it to the First Floor Laundry Room. Dryers were already in use, but being by myself I took advantage of using all the Washers. As they finished their cycles I took a peek to find Three of the Dryers were empty and that was all I needed.

I took a few minutes to go back to the Apartment, only to find Kathy already cleaning, though she was confused about the actual time. Within Two Minutes I had reset the Two Automatic Clocks.

We started enjoying Coffees at the Computers, until I had to return downstairs. As soon as the first Dryer was emptied I started folding. It was nearly 11:30 when I walked into the Apartment to relax. Standing that long, whether at home or work makes my Hip/Leg Pain intolerable. I sat for a bit before getting things put away.

With our temperature only reaching 50 F (10 C) Split Pea with Ham Soup made a comforting meal.

We both have issues with our feet, so we soaked our feet in Epson Salts which also helped us relax. Kathy said it felt so good once I cleaned up for her.

I know I talk a lot about Fast Foods, and it happens more when I am working. It has also been some time since we actually went to a Restaurant to have a meal. We went back close to where we lived before going Fulltime. We ordered Lemon Chicken with Fried Rice, Won Ton Soup, and Egg Rolls. It always tasted great and today was no exception. What we did forget was the size of their portions. We were stuffed walking out and brought home supper for tomorrow night.

The temperatures for the next Four Mornings, would be considered Winter-Like. We’ll see how that works out.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

The Halloween pumpkin on your front porch has more teeth than your spouse.

Scheduling Error.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

It was perfectly Planned, that we would sleep in until 8:00 this morning, then go for our meeting. What we did not Plan on was a broken night’s sleep, that would be recovered after 8:00.

It was not Planned that we had breakfast at McDonald’s, but it was quick, on our way and we did not have to do any dishes.

It was Planned that we would be talking to our Financial Advisor this morning, but when we arrived at the Branch it was closed. The last time we were here was Pre-Covid and the hours of business now showed, they are Closed on Saturdays. Calling the number we had, Mark’s assistant said it was an error in scheduling, because Mark was celebrating his Sabbath. We’ll reschedule.

We did get a chance to admire some of the Fall Colours on our way home. We stopped at Walmart to give us a little walking exercise as well as a chance to pick up some Frozen Fruit Bars, that are not available at the grocery store.

That short walk took its toll on my Hip/Leg, so I sat at the Computer reading through messages for some recovery time.

For lunch we enjoyed some Italian Wedding Soup along with a slice of Chocolate Cake for dessert.

With tomorrow forecasted to be wet I put Coveralls on, to go do a few things on the Truck, which included cleaning the backseat. Because I laid on the asphalt for a few minutes, my Hip/Leg were again screaming at me by the time I got to the Apartment.

Instead of sitting down to recover, I washed up and started chopping up a Fresh Pineapple, while Kathy took the Recycle downstairs to the Bins.

Since it had gotten so late the Planned chore was rescheduled until tomorrow and if that gets done early enough, we’ll maybe go for a visit. For supper we shared a Store-Bought Thin-Crust Chicken Pizza.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Why did Star Wars movies come out 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3?

In charge of scheduling, Yoda was.

Happy But Shocking News.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

With all the problems we’ve had regarding the PTA, over the last couple of months, we managed to sneak the first of the Twin Feedscrews in after Three Days. This morning we set up its Twin using a different approach.

After the usual set-up we tested the Torch for accuracy. We had homed all the moving components but still needed to reboot the system Three Times. It continued to drift where we did not want it to, so we thought of things we had changed recently. When Bob the Technician from Kennametal was here he had suggested using an Electronic Safety Setting. When we shut that off this morning the Torch was suddenly following the path we wanted it to take. The finished weld was one we strive to accomplish each and every time we do a Unit. We enjoyed sitting to have our lunch before burying it in the Sandbox afterwards.

Mile was happy about our progress and suggested doing a couple of Rebuilds. We were about to load the first one when I noticed Multiple Cracks from the top of the Flights to the Base Shaft. We had the second Screw loaded and were busy measuring the Leads and Zones when Mile came along saying the Linear Mixer Flights were Too Narrow to rebuild. We’ll see what the Customer says on Monday for both Units.

As I was giving Vic a ride to Tecumseh Road to catch the Bus, he gave me a bit of a shock. I have mentioned before that he has a Masters Degree in Engineering. Working at Windsor Feedscrew was way below his abilities and his Pay Grade. He gave his Two Week Notice today. He’ll be moving to the Toronto area, as a Project Manager, overseeing the construction of a Manufacturing Plant. He may also stay on for a short time after they begin production. We have become close friends this year and we’ll both miss one another’s talks and Words of Wisdom.

I was surprised the Car was not downstairs when I got home, but by the time I’d retrieved my Lunchbag from the backseat, Kathy was arriving from grocery shopping.

We shared a Store-Bought Thin-Crust Hawaiian Pizza for supper.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

If you don’t learn from your mistakes, then they become regrets.

John Cena, Actor