Hello from the Mid-West

Boomer63 · Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:57 pm

Hello to all! I have been a fan of the "Welding Tips and Tricks" web site for a few years now, and finally decided to visit the forum. I think this is wonderful! I really, really appreciate the opportunity to discuss welding/metal fabrication problems. I love it when someone brings a problem to the forum and the other members offer input into how to resolve the issues! As I browse the forum, I am very impressed with the skill set of some of you folks. It is a real pleasure to be out here!

Superiorwelding · Tue Sep 16, 2014 8:54 pm

Boomer63,
Welcome to the forum. We are glad you have finally joined up! You are correct, we are ALL here to help (or get help)
-Jonathan

Tater · Wed Sep 17, 2014 4:27 am

Good morning!
I worked for years in the Whiting, Indiana area, before Amoco was sold to BP, LTV filed for bankruptcy, and Inland Steel was sold to Ispat International and then Tata Steel and whatever they are now...
I still remember the asphalt barges coming up from the South during the summer construction season, the night a blast furnace exploded at Inland, the stockpiles of ore, and the night our captain hit a railroad bridge. What an incredible place

Mike · Wed Sep 17, 2014 6:49 am

Welcome to the forum.

Boomer63 · Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:50 am

Hi Tater!
Back in the mid 90's I was a big mill rat. I worked through the Hammond local. Put in a LOT of time at US Steel and Inland. Spent some time over at BP and the State Line generator. Even though they are filthy, dangerous places, I miss the mills. There is nothing like a major steel mill. At US, I was all over blast furnace #13, in the BOP, on the coke battery, sintering (spelling?) plant, H-Yard ... shoot ... I even worked on the boat house where the executives keep their yacht! Got paid to sit in a row boat and weld on the outside of the boat house on a couple of beautiful summer days. Like I say, there is nothing like a steel mill. Everything is so big, and you are so small!

Tater · Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:23 am

You were probably working in the mills when my 600-ft steamer, the Wilfred Sykes, came in to unload iron ore at Inland Steel. Yes, it was really incredible. I don't know what happened to all the boats I worked on. It was so hard to see the collapse of a great industry, although domestic steel has recovered. I was a very young, small, humble spud shoveling ore pellets and pulling cable down the dock.

Boomer63 · Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:34 am

I DO remember that giant ship. They would unload the those annoying little balls of metal that were a miserable problem to walk on. I don't know how many times I fell on my ass. I did work on the oar bridges that would span the area where the raw materials were held before going on the blast furnace. I always wondered what it was like on the ship and wished I could have gone on a tour.

The mills were/are incredible place!

Tater · Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:45 am

Really, you remember the Sykes? THat was not a giant ship, forgive me. My last ship was one of the thousand footers. That was a tough job. All the deck gear was heavier than on the smaller boats, it was a very hard winter, and I was underfed and underweight. THe lakes froze over completely that winter. We ran aground in the Soo locks. My eyes instantly froze shut when I went on deck. But working the unloading tunnels was one of my favorite jobs ever

Boomer63 · Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:05 am

I used to know the names of the ships that would come into the slip at US Steel, but I forgot that a long time ago. My Dad couldn't serve in WWII because of some medical reason (he never admitted what it was, but I think it had something to do with a diving accident he had when he was a kid), so he joined the Merchant Marine. I have his pictures - somewhere - and he was all over the world.

Back in the day, the Mills were over-time-central. All the trades who participated made piles of money. Somewhere, I am sure one or two guys actually saved it! Fitters, ironworkers, mill wrights, boiler makers, sparkys, laborers ... all raked in the dough. Conditions were sometimes terrible. I have been gassed and suffered from heat stroke; many times! Sigh ... I miss the mills!

Tater · Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:17 am

James R. Barker in Taconite Harbor, Lake Superior.

My last ship

: james.r.barker.jpg (7.04 KiB) Viewed 790 times

Boomer63 · Fri Sep 19, 2014 11:13 am

Wow ... great pic! I love those big ships! I was told that because of the slip at US Steel, that US STEEL was the only steel mill in the world where ocean going vessels could pull right up to the dock and load.