Show us some job carnage

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vr1967

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So what did I just watch?
We were getting set up to land the BOPs (blow out preventers) on the wellhead (the pipe sticking up) when the main piece on the rig that holds the BOPs to the block, broke in half causing us to drop the BOPs.

In 9,000 feet of water, it takes 2.5-3 days to get to the point of landing them out, which includes pressure testing, etc. After that issue, a day to investigate, and swap out what broke, 2 days to pull, a day to clean, a day to repair, a day to surface test, and 2.5-3 days to get back to that point.

Our loss was $589k a day, the client was a little over mil a day
 

Supercharged111

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We were getting set up to land the BOPs (blow out preventers) on the wellhead (the pipe sticking up) when the main piece on the rig that holds the BOPs to the block, broke in half causing us to drop the BOPs.

In 9,000 feet of water, it takes 2.5-3 days to get to the point of landing them out, which includes pressure testing, etc. After that issue, a day to investigate, and swap out what broke, 2 days to pull, a day to clean, a day to repair, a day to surface test, and 2.5-3 days to get back to that point.

Our loss was $589k a day, the client was a little over mil a day

Damn, almost 2 miles deep. And it didn't break until right there at the bottom, huh?
 

kennythewelder

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We were getting set up to land the BOPs (blow out preventers) on the wellhead (the pipe sticking up) when the main piece on the rig that holds the BOPs to the block, broke in half causing us to drop the BOPs.

In 9,000 feet of water, it takes 2.5-3 days to get to the point of landing them out, which includes pressure testing, etc. After that issue, a day to investigate, and swap out what broke, 2 days to pull, a day to clean, a day to repair, a day to surface test, and 2.5-3 days to get back to that point.

Our loss was $589k a day, the client was a little over mil a day
I worked offshore for 32 years. Was a rig welder for 25 of those years. Worked everything from drilling to work over, to, even production for a while. Things can happen very quickly out ther, and wipe out every thing in sight, in a heart beat. People who have never worked out there, really don't have a clue. I haven't been offshore since January of 2015. I miss the money, somewhat, I really miss the time off, but I don't miss all of the BS out there. At 63 years old, I'm just riding out the work time I have left, in the machine shop, mostly doing repairs on a lot of Anadrills down hole tools. I figure I will retire in about 17 months, at 65, and enjoy life. I did see a lot of interesting things out there, and witnessed some massive carnage while I was out there.
 

vr1967

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I worked offshore for 32 years. Was a rig welder for 25 of those years. Worked everything from drilling to work over, to, even production for a while. Things can happen very quickly out ther, and wipe out every thing in sight, in a heart beat. People who have never worked out there, really don't have a clue. I haven't been offshore since January of 2015. I miss the money, somewhat, I really miss the time off, but I don't miss all of the BS out there. At 63 years old, I'm just riding out the work time I have left, in the machine shop, mostly doing repairs on a lot of Anadrills down hole tools. I figure I will retire in about 17 months, at 65, and enjoy life. I did see a lot of interesting things out there, and witnessed some massive carnage while I was out there.
I did 24 years out there. Started out roustabouting, and ended my career as a drilling OIM (have been a rig, and country manager at times). Not bad for someone who has just a high school education and busted ass (and learned quick)

Miss the money, time off, and people, as they are a different breed, lol

Two things you never want to hear on a drilling rig - a loud pop, or dead silence
 

Orpedcrow

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Wow. My dad was one of the seabees who built that runway.
My uncle was a Seabee there too… small world.


I was a garbage truck mechanic for one of the big sanitation companies in the country, I’ve since deleted most of not all the pictures I took at the carnage I had to repair (mostly because there were hundreds of pictures) a lot of the carnage I fixed was from other “mechanics” fixing things. Wiring was the worst. The company supplied heatshrink connectors and zip ties in abundance but most of the guys just ran wires around the frame and if they were to long they yay wrapped them around stuff. Lots of alligator clips instead of actual repairs. I mean I understand getting something going to get it back to the shop or finish a route, but they wouldn’t say anything to anybody and just them as “repaird”


I also worked for a government contractor that supplied small prop planes for training because they were significantly cheaper to run by the hour versus jets… anyway I was in the propeller shop, we torn them down, measured everything, replaced every bolt, seal and gasket. The worst props that came in were “ground contact” I’m sure you can imagine what I spinning propeller that’s approximately 7 feet across looks like after “ground contact”. We weren’t allowed to have our phones but it was a cool job.

Double check your bay/garage doors. All the way open or all the way closed.

That’s a pan hard bar or torque rod just sitting on top of the Punkin. Not attached. And these trucks are supposed to pass a D.O.T. Inspection.

Note: if you see a garbage truck out in the road (especially if it’s blue or green) stay away from it, far away from it.
 

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Orpedcrow

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Ok I was able to sneak a couple pictures at the propeller shop. The vertically mounted one had a serious internal failure.
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Erik the Awful

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a lot of the carnage I fixed was from other “mechanics” fixing things.
On WCJr's build thread several months ago I posted about cutting my Cadillac apart and scrapping it. I got that car twenty years ago for $100 from a fleet mechanic at a local building supply company. He swore up and down the motor was toast and had a wiped cam lobe because it was backfiring terribly. I paid for the car, got under the hood, and realized the spark plug wires were in the wrong order - he thought all V8s were 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2, but Cadillacs are 1-5-6-3-4-2-7-8. I swapped the wires around, fired it up and it ran smooth. He was pretty ticked, and I got out of there ASAP with the car. The motor did turn out to be hot garbage - the front oil pan seal was made from puckey, two block plugs were rusted through, the #8 top piston ring was broken and had carved a groove in the cylinder, and I washed quarter-sized chunks of rust out of the coolant passages.
 

Orpedcrow

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On WCJr's build thread several months ago I posted about cutting my Cadillac apart and scrapping it. I got that car twenty years ago for $100 from a fleet mechanic at a local building supply company. He swore up and down the motor was toast and had a wiped cam lobe because it was backfiring terribly. I paid for the car, got under the hood, and realized the spark plug wires were in the wrong order - he thought all V8s were 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2, but Cadillacs are 1-5-6-3-4-2-7-8. I swapped the wires around, fired it up and it ran smooth. He was pretty ticked, and I got out of there ASAP with the car. The motor did turn out to be hot garbage - the front oil pan seal was made from puckey, two block plugs were rusted through, the #8 top piston ring was broken and had carved a groove in the cylinder, and I washed quarter-sized chunks of rust out of the coolant passages.
Ugh… I won’t claim to be a great mechanic but, dang! I have a similar story with a 460 ford. I went round and round checking fuel pressure, compression spark. Cleaned and o ringed the fuel Injectors, cap and rotor. Turns out, my boss (not a mechanic) changed plugs and wires and wires them like a Chevy. Pulled all the wires, put them back like it says right in the daggum intake manifold and it ran perfect. Daggum ferds lol
 
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