lee847•6d ago

Tried a different way to set a big flange on a steam line and it worked

Had a job in Toledo where the old flange was welded on crooked and we needed a perfect fit. Instead of the usual heat and beat, I used a 20-ton jack between two I-beams to push it into place cold. Took about an hour of careful setup, but it seated flush with zero stress on the pipe. Anyone ever try something like that on a stubborn fit-up?

3 comments

3 Comments

joel_jones6d agoMost Upvoted

That's the kind of clever fix that makes the old timers mad because they didn't think of it first. They'd rather spend three days with a rosebud torch and a sledgehammer just to prove a point. Your way sounds way smarter and probably saved a ton of cuss words. Gotta love it when a simple bit of leverage beats brute force every time. Nice work figuring that out.

susanb346d ago

My buddy Dave fixed a stuck tractor axle with a floor jack and a 2x4.

the_linda6d ago

Read about a crew doing something similar on a big water main valve... they used a porta-power ram instead of a jack but same idea. That cold setting trick is a game changer when you can't risk warping the metal with heat. Makes total sense to use a steady push instead of hammering away and maybe cracking something. Your setup with the I-beams sounds solid for keeping everything lined up right. Honestly more people should try this before grabbing the torch.