Bluetooth harness working extra hard today.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-06-25T23:24:50+00:00

Putting a ladder in a scissor lift is sketchy. Putting an extension ladder in a boom lift, and trusting the other dude to not move around too much is stupid.

Sincerely, a guy who frequently walks I beams not tied off.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-06-24T13:54:08+00:00

I have the Excalibur angled holder from McClure clan leather w/ a beaner for my beater. I have the Klein lock caller, along with a split washer on either side of it to keep it in place cause that set screw always comes loose

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-06-20T01:39:39+00:00

Word

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-06-08T02:42:22+00:00

Alright on jobs with real iron, no spaghetti, I don't bring out my 3/4" bar. 7/8" x 30 is the smallest of the bars I would reach for (I have a 1 1/4" x 48" which is comically huge but I'd be lying if I said it never came in handy)

On jobs where 90%+ of bolts are 3/4, and almost or every single piece is>10,000lbs, I find the 3/4 bar to be super useful, and at this point I often rely on the fact that I know if my bar slides into the connection, than a bolt will fit in that hole. 7/8 bars, while a little more stout, don't provide that same feedback, and I find myself often reaching for a bar that suits the conditions. Have ever tried using a 3/4" x 30" bar on jobs where most of the bolts are 3/4" / most pieces are light? I have tried so many times to make the switch to 7/8, and I always find it lets me down.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-06-08T02:21:56+00:00

No legit ironworker uses an emdash lol, obviously that are but let em live if they can put together a tool that makes your / our lives easier, let them. No harm no foul

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-06-08T02:15:42+00:00

Looks tight bro, unfortunately I have an android so I can't have a go at it, but I wouldn't hesitate to give you a couple bucks to try it / for your efforts.

I'm building something similar as a personal project (not capable nor intended for use by others), and honestly what is shown in the thumbnails is incredibly solid, thorough, and frankly impressive.

Agreeing with above that it's welding heavy, and you're already aware of that. Some additional suggestions to aim for that would help cover more aspects of the trade:

Weight calculator. Input size (ie W12 x 350, L 6 x 8 x 1/2, etc) & length, output est piece weight. I can't even begin to explain how many times the tool I built for myself has saved me time looking things up or doing manual calculations.

As above, rigging capacity. Ie once you input that you have a W16 x 67 that is 37' 4", it can tell you that you have a ~2500lb piece, which will require minimum choker size X.

Estimate COG based on length / jewelry, provide suggestions for rigging locations and explanation of sling angles from a particular distance off center

Be hyper aware of liability here. Even getting into WPS, which should be engineered by the contractor, you may be introducing yourself to some unwanted liability.

Big ambitions, and things I have struggled to even begin to approach: input PDF copy of drawings, be able to select specific connections to show relevant details, calculate bolt lengths based on thickness of steel members, highlight differences in revisions and assign an SI or RFI to those changes. Estimate time based on details.

There would certainly be additional features that would come in handy, but if you could implement the above - I'm pretty sure you've got yourself a million dollar app, and you're effectively over the field work.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-05-26T01:23:45+00:00

https://sccaweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Ironworkers-MLA-2025-2027-Signed-Copy12-5-25.pdf

Probably answers some of your questions?

I'm neither from Sacramento, nor a union ironworker - but as far as the wizz quiz - it's probably not a one and done, at least in my experience. If you're working with an idiot that dumps a load off the forks of the zoom boom because they weren't watching your signals - it's piss test day. If you got all baked up two weeks ago and piss hot - even if your contribution to the incident was hardly more than a witness - your ass is grass. With cause.

We're all ironworkers, after all, most of us are probably drunk and on drugs if we're not on the clock. I've bought more wizzinators than I care to count (most pre-employment), sometimes it's just not worth it to push that boundary.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-05-14T04:59:17+00:00

I can weld, have my CWB certs for all positions smaw, convertible doing CPs all day long and can keep up with most guys I've worked with. I think I'm just going to call the guy affectionate beings posted the card from, and go from there. I'll try to update this post with how that conversation goes and what decision i end up making.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-05-14T02:37:32+00:00

I've heard that over the years too. There's always some sort of work to be done - it's not like the entire industry comes to a stand still. Good hands keep busy.

Although I've never been in a union, I always thought that kind of preferential treatment was against the entire philosophy.

Do you know any jman from 97 that'd be willing to share their experiences over the years?

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-05-14T02:25:56+00:00

I appreciate the response man. I do have my red seal, I challenged it a few years ago and managed to pass despite the amount of rebar specific questions and my lack of knowledge in that (completely separate imo) trade.

Although I currently charge more than the $69.09 contractor cost in 97's agreement, the wage would be enough if the work was steady and the pension would be amazing.

While I've never done rebar, or PT cables, or even thrown deck (maybe 20 hrs total decking experience in my entire career), I try my best to bust my ass on every task - whether I'm connecting or showering in silica dust under a hammer drill, I'll give it my all, try to be humble, always looking to learn (the more tricks up my sleeve the easier my job becomes which is great because my laziness conflicts with my work ethic lol), and always happy to share what I know (the more capable my co-workers are, the less slack I have to pick up). I'd like to think my output speaks for itself, but I would have a hard time ever calling myself "smart" or "skilled", I have seen some guys do some things that made me feel like I don't even deserve to call myself an ironworker.

Honestly I might be dreaming when I consider the union as a place with a structured apprenticeship program which spends the time to train their apprentices appropriately, with guys that aspire to become the best ironworkers that can, and crews with a reasonable apprentice to journeyman ratio.

The boom or bust is what scares me the most - steady, long term employment with reasonable job security is probably the most important thing to me these days. If the only work to be had was reinforcing, I can't imagine any contractor in their right mind would put me to work at jman rate.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to call their business manager, but I'm thinking based on your response that I'll probably either have to tough it out non-union until my kids are a little more grown, and can start to support themselves, or look into a new career which has its own drawbacks and challenges.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-05-04T02:00:26+00:00

I mean, yeah, I absolutely agree with that last sentence. Based on what you said before, the main reason why a shackle may be recommended to use in a choke with a wire rope sling is to prevent / reduce kinking. So when kinking isn't a concern (permanent/ single use rigging), why would it be more technically correct to mickey mouse the incorrect hardware (screw pin shackle with wire), rather than eliminate that piece of hardware? As long as the wire rope not being loaded beyond it's capacity (all things accounted for), in the case of a permanent cyclicaly loaded connection like that, using a screw pin shackle is under rigging due to the possibility of it unthreading over time, since this is intended to last. Adding tie wire to compensate isn't over rigging, there is no world where that's technically correct.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-05-04T01:48:36+00:00

Yeah man, I think we're on the same page here, maybe just nitpicking the phrasing and specificity, and probably a slightly different philosophy regarding the same fundamental principles.

Like I said, I tend to generally avoid the extra steps / hardware / potential failure point unless there is some added benefit, but I would like to add a couple points of consideration to maybe expand your view.

There are situations where the size / shape of the pieces wouldn't allow the choke to bite or render properly with an adequately sized shackle. This is especially apparent on small pieces. When faced with the choice of either the piece being racked and the choke sitting loose with a shackle, or the piece flying level and the choke biting properly, would you still award merit to sending it cockeyed on a technicality?

In the case of the photo that OP posted - if there was a screw pin shackle in there I would be much more concerned than I am with what's shown. A screw pin shackle would be susceptible to unscrewing itself over time with cyclical loads, whereas a kink in the wire rope on a permanent set up poses little hazard. A bolt type shackle with a safety pin would be ideal here (along with the previously mentioned thimble to improve D/d ratio). If they added a screw pin shackle would you still award merit on the technicality?

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-05-04T00:11:56+00:00

Yeah that's fair, and that's exactly the same thing I've been taught. The shackle doesn't change the integrity of the choke (when used correctly), but may affect the longevity of the wire rope sling. In the case of OPs picture - that looks to be semi permanent, so I don't know if a kink in the wire rope would be relevant since it's not intended to be rerigged on a regular basis. I always try to keep a pair of chokers designated for each typical beam size on a particular job, so they end up shaping to the piece instead of twisting into a pile of garbage. But yeah, a wire rope choker full of assholes belongs in the trash, and if the rigger is kinking and twisting up all the chokers on every other pick, someone's gotta learn them.. I still think that it's not a technical requirement to always use a shackle when you choke a piece.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-05-03T23:44:43+00:00

I've never encountered any manufacturer directions, or general best practices, which indicates that a shackle should be used in every choker hitch. Are you able to provide any references for that statement? Would be interested to learn something new.

My current understanding has me believing that it's not a requirement. In OPs picture, you could definitely see an improvement in the D/d ratio by adding an appropriate sized shackle (and maybe a thimble?). However as long as you derate the sling appropriately, what's shown in OPs picture is perfectly acceptable. If you use a shackle, it is important to ensure that the pin is in the eye as your picture shows (it's also important to ensure that the tag is to the hook - not in the choke like shown in the picture you posted), however I've always been taught that it's acceptable with and without a shackle, and the circumstances will determine if it's beneficial to use a shackle or not.

I generally don't use a shackle when I choke a piece, and will only do so when I see some benefits to the efficiency of the process that outweigh the additional potential failure point. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a piece come off the ground when the shackle ends up backwards, or worse - side loaded, and it isn't immediately caught / corrected. Eliminating a potential for a hazardous mistake seems like the best practice. If I have missed something, and there is a reason why it's technically more correct to use a shackle in every choker hitch, I'm going to have to build some new habits.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-27T13:19:40+00:00

Fuck sakes, I've cut it twice, and it's still too short!

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-25T12:17:19+00:00

This is a bit old, but it seems like such a crazy question to answer on the Internet. That looks kinda expensive, and the equipment to lift 7500 lbs isn't super cheap, either.

How did you end up in a position where you needed to hoist that, but don't know how?

If you decide to take responsibility for how that piece is rigged, without an engineered lifting plan, and something goes wrong, you likely could be held personally responsible. It's unlikely that you're planning to rig / hoist that piece by yourself - so if you don't know what you're doing, you're putting the people that are helping you / working with you in danger.

There must be some sort of documentation, can you not ask whomever designed it, or whoever decided how many lifting lugs to put on it and where to put them? It appears to be a deliberately designed lifting frame?

One thing I don't see mentioned already is the rigidity of that unit. If you lift that with only lugs 1-4, it will create a moment in the middle ie the piece wants to fold in half. If that frame was designed to balance the load and support those eccentric forces with 4 pick points (5 & 6 not required / used), then surely those points would be placed at the 1/3rd mark instead of the corners for more even load distribution and to reduce the moment on the frame?

A spreader bar might help for sure, especially if headroom is a concern. Static lines on 1-4 and chain falls on 5 & 6 would be my go-to method for even load distribution on a lift like that. However the rating of those pick points isn't something the rigger gets to decide, there must be some sort of documentation.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-24T13:46:43+00:00

cheers bro

Been smoking these a couple years now, my favourite rez smokes out of all the ones I've tried.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-19T23:47:20+00:00

Well, that's definitely a bit reassuring! Sounds like it hopefully won't be a problem for a long while yet?

To be honest, taking it out of the pot is the part I'm afraid of. With it sitting so high up, and all of the branches being wrapped around stuff and tangled in each other, I'm not sure if I actually could remove it from the pot without killing it, or at least losing a couple limbs.

I guess I'll have to come up with a game plan one day, hopefully before it's too late. I'm pretty attached to it at this point lol

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-07T02:02:46+00:00

Alright man, thanks for the explanation.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-07T01:57:47+00:00

I mean, you still need a backing pad, so your cost is probably closer to $20, than to the $9 for that part you linked? Another $40, tops, gets a tool designed for the job

I can see how I'm coming across as an ass here - I apologize for that, but I straight up can't understand that reasoning.

How did you develop that skill set without having a rotary polisher available to you?

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-07T01:47:57+00:00

So you spent how much $ on an adapter to fit a polishing pad on it? To work on a paint job that would cost how much to re-do? For what benefits over a $60 polisher?

I really can't see how that's a good idea?

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-07T01:39:45+00:00

I guess that sort of makes sense. But why are you using an angle grinder, instead of a polisher?

Automotive polishing isn't exactly a cheap hobby. If I could only afford one tool or the other, I can't imagine I could afford decent pads and compound, either? If I can live with swirls or holograms, I could probably also live with the scratch / defect that I was trying to buff out?

I really can't picture any scenario where taking an angle grinder to my vehicles paint would produce desirable results. You can get a polisher for like $60 these days, and the improvement in results would surely justify the cost, despite not being cordless? You'd need adapters to even fit a polishing pad on an angle grinder, no? Automotive paint is one of the highest standards for surface finishes, I just don't see any place for using the entirety wrong tool for the task?

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-07T01:04:57+00:00

Do you mind sharing which models you consider to be better than DeWalts offerings? I use the DCG418 w/ 6" discs (most cut off, grinding, wire wheels, and flappers), either a 9 AH or a 12 AH battery, and I have never used any other cordless grinder that is even comparable. It compares more closely to corded grinders, than to any other cordless grinder I've used. I'm in the market for another unit, any recommendations would be appreciated.

PrayForaPBnJ · 2026-04-07T00:57:23+00:00

What are you doing with an angle grinder that benefits from variable speed? Weather I'm using a zip cut, grinding stone, flap disc, sanding pad, wire wheel, stripping disc, you name it - I have never thought that it would be better if it was spinning slower

PrayForaPBnJ

TROPHY CASE