Accomplishing Day and Fear Of Heights.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

As I sat sipping my Coffee in the Truck Paul arrived to open the door. I had already put my Toolbox, Lunch-Bag and Duffle-Bag closer to the door so I wouldn’t be wandering back and forth. Before I even got out of the Truck Ivan was also just pulling up.

Besides being my sidekick Ivan has a few duties that he has to do that help support production throughout the week. The Carriers I maintain and produce go through Three different forms of Paint per cycle. After a week of such they need cleaning and the way that happens is they are put in an Oven that burns the Paint off so they can again be used for what they were intended.

While Ivan was busy with that I took the Leaking Reverse Osmosis Pipes and brought them back to the Compound. Ivan had already finished on batch but explained there were more to do in an Hour. Trying to teach him but get as much accomplished a possible we headed out to the Paint-Line. The Door I had to weld new Latches to this past week needed more work. There was a lot of Calcium and Dirt deposits that had built on the Door and the Frame all because there was a bent Hinge. Using a Hammer, Chisel and Grinder Ivan would spend nearly an Hour wearing a Mask and Safety Glasses getting it clean.

I had the rebuilt the Manifold for the Reverse Osmosis and installed it before heading to the Paint-Line myself but to the Station 4 Pump that had a leaky Gasket. I started taking the Bolts out of the Flanges that held the Pipe Spool in place. It was a real trick because there was very little working space to get the Wrenches in and there wasn’t any clearance to use a Socket. I had just finished with getting the Bolts out when Ivan was ready for me.

Back on the Door as I mentioned a heavy metal Hinge was bent that caused the entire problem. Using the Oxy-Acetylene Torch I was able to heat the Hinge so it was pliable. I handed the lit Torch down to Ivan to hold while using a Pry-Bar to bend the Hinge. A couple of tries later the Door closed perfectly which then meant adjusting the Latches so they will be much easier to work. Ivan breathed a sigh of relief when I let him shut the Torch.

Since the Bolts for the Pump were covered with a lot of the same Calcium and Dirt as the Door had been they needed to be cleaned. As I was showing Ivan how to clean them Kharen the Supervisor who had not been there all morning showed up. He was apologizing that he had not been able to get the Fittings I needed to fix the Reverse Osmosis Leak. When he called Windsor Factory Supply yesterday afternoon they told him they had closed at 11:00 and would not be open until Monday for any orders. Ivan and I looked at one another before I told him the job was finished because I had ordered the pieces and picked them up. He had a blank look on his face.

While Ivan cleaned the rest of the Bolts I finished making the final preparations to lift the Spool. Kharen came over telling me to do exactly what we had done on the other pump but I wasn’t pulling the Spool. Instead I placed a wooden block on a Hydraulic Jack and lifted the bottom of the Spool just enough to use a scraper to clean the Flanges and insert a new Gasket. Ivan arrived with the Bolts just on time to reset the joints. We stopped to have lunch after 1:00.

When I spoke to Kathy she had been busy reorganizing the Linen Closet again. Part of the problem she was having was the way things were folded. Once that was resolved it fit like a glove.

While I attached the Spool to the Upper Brackets Ivan was snugging up the Bolts just short of being tight because Plastic Flanges like that can easily crack. Bit by bit I managed to get the Bolts to just the right amount of pressure.

Kharen showed up with Coffees for all of us probably as a bribe but since they all had Cream and Sugar I passed. While I put on my Safety Harness they watched as Ivan brought the Forklift with the Lifting Basket in position. As soon as I brought the Cutting Torch to the Basket both Kharen and Avry disappeared.

I’ve mentioned before how Ivan is scared of heights. Even though he was on the ground watching me he was terrified that I was up there. With my guidance he positioned the Basket each and every time exactly where it was needed. What really shocked him was the way we brought everything down on the Basket itself never leaving anything just fall from the sky. Thirty-Five Plus Years experience teaches you how to do things right. It was nearly 4:30 when we locked the door and headed for home.

Kathy had cooked a wonderful Pork Roast and Acorn Squash for supper along with fresh cut Pineapple for dessert. She had a few laughs when I told her about my day.

The Weather Network showed our high temperature today only felt like 48 F (9 C).

A reminder to those affected by Daylight Savings Time. Tonight don’t forget to turn your Clocks back an Hour.

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

How do you make antifreeze?

Steal her blanket.