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That flange fit-up nightmare that ate my whole Saturday
Had a job last month where I was fitting a 24 inch flange to a pressure vessel and the bolt holes were off by a solid 3/16 of an inch. Took me nearly 6 hours of grinding, heating, and re-drilling to get it to line up right. I kept thinking it would be a quick fix but every time I tried one thing it just made another spot worse. Has anyone else dealt with bolt hole patterns that were just plain wrong from the fab shop?
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jake_mason3013d ago
Used to think fab shops always got hole patterns right since it's literally their job. Then had a 16 inch blind flange show up with the bolt circle off by almost a quarter inch. What should have been a two hour job turned into an all day fight with a die grinder and a torch. That Saturday changed how much I check things before I start fitting.
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rayc8313d ago
Man, "all day fight with a die grinder and a torch" really hits home. I had a similar nightmare once with a 12 inch flange set for a steam line. The bolt holes lined up on one side but were almost a half inch off on the other. We had to slot every hole with a carbide burr and it took forever. @jake_mason30 you're right, you just get to a point where you don't trust anything anymore. Now I always check with a template before I even lift the flange out of the truck. Saves you a full Saturday of cussing.
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