I used to think all old boilers were junk until I saw the ones at the power plant museum in St. Louis

I mean, I was there last month with my kid for a school thing, and they have this whole section on steam power. I walked past this massive Babcock & Wilcox boiler from like 1910, and the weld work on the seams was just perfect. Idk, it made me stop and really look. You could see the care, every bead was so even and clean, no undercut anywhere. It's not like the rushed patch jobs I sometimes see now. Maybe it's just me, but it changed how I see the old stuff we rip out. It wasn't all bad work back then, some of those guys were real artists with a torch. Has anyone else come across an old piece that made you respect the craft more?

4 comments

4 Comments

ray_burns4mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, that old school craft is something else.

grantc804mo ago

My buddy found his grandpa's old toolbox in the attic. The stuff in there is solid, like @grantnelson said. Felt like it could survive another hundred years easy.

cora_west51mo ago

That "built to last" thing really hits home when you actually get your hands on something from that era. I'm curious though, what exactly did your friend find in that toolbox? Like was it old wrenches or screwdrivers, or did he find some specialty tools, maybe for boiler work or plumbing? Because I've seen some old adjustable wrenches that still lock up tighter than anything new from the hardware store. Idk, maybe it's just the way they forged the steel back then, but that stuff holds an edge or a shape way longer than what we get now.

grantnelson4mo ago

It's true, they built things to last back then. Makes you wonder what we're leaving behind for people to find in a hundred years.