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Just found out the old trick with a wet rag on a hot pipe actually works
I was helping a friend in Kansas City replace a section of 4-inch steam line last week, and he told me to wrap a wet rag around the pipe before cutting. I thought it was just an old wives' tale to stop the cut from getting too hot. We did it anyway, and it kept the pipe cool enough to handle right after the cut. It saved us a good 20 minutes of waiting for it to cool down. Has anyone else got a simple trick like that they thought was nonsense but turned out to be a real time saver?
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benflores1d ago
Wait, is that the right way to use a wet rag? I always thought you put it on the pipe to keep heat from traveling to a nearby valve or something, not to cool the cut itself. When I do steam work, the rag is usually to stop heat from melting a gasket or seal that's close by while you're welding or cutting nearby. The rag gets hot fast so you gotta keep wetting it. Did your friend say anything about that being for a specific reason, or was it just to keep the cut area cool?
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