After a bolt sheared, I'm reflecting on lost hands-on skills

Back when I started, the old-timers would have us file and fit by hand until it was perfect. You learned to sense a bad weld just by the sound and look of it. Now, everything is about getting it done fast with new gadgets and automated welders. I saw a bolt snap clean off during a test because the weld underneath passed the scanner but had hidden cracks. We never would have missed that in the past, since we'd tap it with a hammer and listen. The rush to meet deadlines means we skip those simple checks that caught so many flaws. I'm not against progress, but we can't forget the basics that kept us safe. Let's slow down and keep some of that old-school wisdom alive.

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.piper1mo ago

That hammer tap check saved more jobs than any scanner.

hugopark1mo ago

Tbh, that hammer tap check is cool, but scanners find hidden flaws our senses miss. The rush is bad, but new tools aren't always worse.

rileyjones23d ago

Remember feeling the same until I found a mix of both works best, like @hugopark said.