Spent 4 hours trying to get a flange to seat on a boiler in an old Pittsburgh mill

The gasket kept binding on one side no matter how we torqued the bolts. Turns out the mounting surface had a tiny, maybe 1/16 inch, burr from a past repair that we couldn't see. Had to file it flat by hand before it would finally seal. Anyone have a faster way to check for that kind of surface flaw?

2 comments

2 Comments

michael_jones12d ago

Solid tip, but a feeler gauge might not fit under a straightedge on a small burr. I'd just drag a razor blade across it, catches on any high spot instantly.

rivera.jake13d ago

Man, that's the worst. Been there. For something like that, I just run a flat edge across the surface, like a metal ruler or a good straightedge. If you see light under it, you know you've got a high spot. A feeler gauge can tell you how bad it is. Sometimes a bright flashlight from behind helps spot the gap. Saves a ton of time over guessing.