The 'tricks of the trade' column...

[A. Berk]

Seeing as there a quite a few new guys from YD getting into the 'commie' world I though it might be useful to post a few hints/tricks up to make their learning curve less steep. Maybe it will become 'sticky' and act as a handy reference - who know's? Anyway, starting at the following post - here goes...

[A. Berk]

One of the things we have noticed about new guys from 'school' is that they don't seem to be taught the correct way to rig a messenger line. It isn't their fault, they just haven't been taught it - I'm willing to bet there are some commie instructors who can't rig this correctly either - those that can do and those that can't teach eh?

'Messengers' are used to tranfer tools/equip etc to the diver via a 'downline'. Although we work with multi-million dollar hardware the 'downline' is very simple technology - it goes to the jobsite and is made secure so all that the diver requires can be sent along it - every commercial job uses one or a variation of it. The 'messenger' is used to lower and recover whatever the diver needs. Now, simple it may be but if you get the rigging wrong you can seriously foul-up a downline and should this happen at a point too shallow for the sat divers to reach and too deep for the air diver... well, you've created a major f*^K-up and people ask superintendents like me "why the fcuk is this job taking so long?" and I book whoever is responsible on the next crew-boat ashore. The school of hard knocks for sure.

My ruff drawing shows 2 messengers on a downline , the first one has a single shackle rigged to the d/line with tools hanging off it - its a F*^k-up waiting to happen. It may work fine in 5 -7m of water but any deeper and there's more than a chance that as the load slides on the d/line it will begin to spiral with the lay of the rope until there's so many wraps around the d/line it eventually stops. Unfortunately, this also means that when you try to recover the messenger to start again - hey presto - it won't fcuking budge! "Oh wot a silly boy I am," you say to yourself. Also, the tools etc hanging from the running shackle by their lanyards can and will take their own twists around the d/line and then the running shackle lands on top of 'em and jams it all in a bag of snot. When there's a $150,000-a-day vessel waiting on the divers you don't want everyone looking at you 'cos you messed-up with a piece of string!

The second method shown is the only correct way to run a messenger - with a 'tag-line' of 300mm to 700mm between d/line and messenger. Ideally the 'working shackle' which holds whatever you're sending should be a bit larger and heavier than the 'running shackle' - the other way round and you may get the 'spiralling' again (though the running shackle needs to be large enough to do its job - run freely). Look at the drawing and you see that the rigging forms an 'L' shape... a K, Y or jelly shape won't do. This rig also applies when you want to send a ropes-end (ie, a 2nd downline) - always add the 'tag-line' and save yourself a lot of grief. Make-up a permanent messenger rig (with 3-part safety shackles if possible), don't use it for anything else and it'll be ready every time you need it.





I hope it all makes sense

[BigHairyAl]

Handy tip that.

Another embarrassing way to cock up with a messenger line is confidently send down a 50kg sea chest blanking plate, only to watch it mysteriously unrig itself upon hitting the water and float off into the distance. Thank goodness for the FRC!

[A. Berk]

Originally Posted by BigHairyAl

Handy tip that.

Another embarrassing way to cock up with a messenger line is confidently send down a 50kg sea chest blanking plate, only to watch it mysteriously unrig itself upon hitting the water and float off into the distance. Thank goodness for the FRC!

Can't imagine anyone doing that Al Mind you, I do know a berk who stuck such a plate on the bottom of an RN aircraft carrier in Pompey harbour and 'secured' the said with the 'T' bar arrangement installed. Three days later the carrier had to move to another berth and as the powerfull wash from the tugs swirled around the stern a big wooden thingy appeared on surface (whoops!). My boss was stood right next to me and said, "Oh well, the engineers have finished their work and at least we wont need to dive to removed it".

Berko

[bruno007]

That's Great Berko,

I'm sure that us, soon to be new commie divers, will appreciate any info like that. Its good that you are prepared to pass on some of your knowledge to help us guy's out; I hope your as helpful when I contact you for a start!!!!

Who knows?

Cheer's - Bruno007

[A. Berk]

Originally Posted by bruno007

That's Great Berko,

I'm sure that us, soon to be new commie divers, will appreciate any info like that. Its good that you are prepared to pass on some of your knowledge to help us guy's out; I hope your as helpful when I contact you for a start!!!!

You can be sure I'll do what I can Bruno & Co. Getting new guys started was why I started on YD.

Now, anyone ready for another wee tip?

Berko

[A. Berk]

Originally Posted by A. Berk

Now, anyone ready for another wee tip?

"Yes!"

OK... get a tool pouch

"Is that it?"

More or less, yes. Follow the blue 'commie info' link in my signature, it will take you to a Dutch site that sells commie stuff - you can change the language to Englitch if you don't speak Cloggie. They have a good tool-pouch instore. The pouch clips to the front of your harness like a wee emergency chute. You can put all manner of sh1t in it though I'd mostly recommend;

A 2nd knife (sharp - could be of the folding/locking variety but SHARP)
Plastic vernier callipers
1m 'tailors' tape measure (nick the one out of your mums/dads sewing box)
1m plastic folding 'carpenters' rule (nick the one out of dads/mums toolbox)
A pair of 'chicken legs' (long-legged grips)
10" adjustable wrench (good quality)
'Snipe-nosed' pliers
A chinagraph pencil and/or a paint-stick marker
Some para-cord (3-4m)
A roll of elec tape
Various carabiners, hooks, clips etc.

That'll do for starters, more can be added as you feel but with that lot on you you're not likely to get caught out when the supervisor tells you to measure xxx and mark-up. You'll also be ready for the odd jammed shackle/removing a split-pin/etc, etc.

You'll notice that there's a heavy 'measuring/marking' thread to the contents of that bag of tricks. Accurate measuring and marking (we call it, "Metrology" - get used to using that word... 'metrology') is very important. With that in mind if you are not used to using tape measures in your everyday work then start doing some 'metrology' now. Get used to talking in millimetres only, don't use centimetres. When you are given a measurement by the supervisor confirm with him that the "420" he said was mm and not those daft centi-f@ckin-metres. You wouldn't believe the monster c@ck-ups there have been through mis-interpretation, one said one thing and the other took it as being the other... the end result being 10 X too far out - f@ck-up or what? I regard such an event as the supervisors mistake as he has the responsibility to ensure that the diver is on the same page... but even so, you don't want to be part of such a f@ck-up!


Berko

[Kogeko]

Cheers Berko,

Keep it coming mate, it's fantastic that someone spilling the beans and imparting some advice on the real nuts and bolts of the job...

Regards

Phil

[A. Berk]

Most commercial operations use Dr Broco's all-purpose releasing agent these days. Broco, being 'oxy-thermic' will go through just about anything you need to cut, though mostly you're going to be cutting steel. I'm not going into the 'safety' of Broco use here but just give a couple of pointers to help you get the job done.

If you have a fair bit of cutting to do its often worth running a 2nd downline to the job. Its all too easy to wizz the burning gear down with a box of rods and start burning ASAP - then what happens when it turns out you need more rods, another washer or collet for the gun and the d/line has the burning gear on it? Rig a 2nd d/line and then you still have a 'freeway' for rods/tools/new gloves etc. Obviously, if the job is to cut a single 10" pipe you'll only need 2 rods anyway

Making sure your cut is fully 100% as you go is important. The last thing you need is to 'complete' your cut and find that the big, nasty lump of steel won't budge 'cos you've left 'bridges' in the cut - invariably they're gonna be underneath the sucker - just where you don't want to be when the beast breaks loose For years my 'anti-bridge' device was a piece of hacksaw blade (a common one at the time) - I'd burn a couple of rods then run the blade though the cut - if it wouldn't go all the way then I had a bridge and would go back to zapp it. But I still got bridges. Then, I had the good fortune to work with someone with more sense, Al Dodd. 'Doddy' would take a welding rod and bend it into a kind of 'S' shape. This was inserted at the start of his cut and was never removed - he ran it along the cut finding bridges and when burning he'd run it back a few inches and let it hang there, still in the cut. Consiquently when the 'S' hook made it to the end of the cut, the cut had to be 100% - simple schwimple!

My naff drawing of a tubular being cut gives a false impression - in reality, in dark water and with the weight of the material above crunching down on the cut - bridges don't stand out like a bulldogs nuts so you need to physically check the cut... 'Doddys' welding rod everytime!




Berko

[lloydwatkin]

Originally Posted by A. Berk

...You wouldn't believe the monster c@ck-ups there have been through mis-interpretation, one said one thing and the other took it as being the other...

NASA knows about this type of error very well