Took a jog around the old Indiana Harbor job site last week

I was back in East Chicago doing a small repair and decided to walk past the old Amoco refinery spot where I started my apprenticeship 15 years ago. That place was a total mess back then, we were still using those old manual grinders and everything took twice as long. Now kids are walking around with battery powered tools and digital layouts. Anyone else feel like the trade got way easier but also lost some of the grit?

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2 Comments

simon3783mo ago

Ain't that the truth, man. I remember grinding flanges by hand in the rain, and now you got kids with grinders that barely make a sound and still cut through plate like butter. It's good for the work, but I do miss the feeling of earning every inch of pipe you welded.

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willow6723mo ago

That bit about grinding in the rain brought back memories of trying to keep a tarp over my toolbox without it flying away.

1