PartyPete
Enlightened
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- Aug 14, 2015
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- 486
Loaning lights to coworkers?! The phrase alone is almost enough to give me an anxiety attack.
Night Shift
- Thread starter bykfixer
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
Another all nighter is slated for tonight. Paving of a bank parking lot in a well lit metropolis where there will be a lot of action in a small area. Tonights assignment won't involve much excitement but the 5 arm chair quarterback engineers some 500 miles away will be critiquing the final product from their computer screen.
The big challenge will be photographing the during and after.
Now most never consider how much pitch (ie slope) is built in specific areas of a given parking lot until it rains and they are walking in puddles. Yet these 5 engineers have drawn on a flat piece of paper a bunch of numbers that a typical construction worker is supposed to duplicate with less than accurate materials and tools. The story behind this one is a large company has bought a bunch of small banks that did not have ADA compliant entrances. ADA is American Disabilities Act, which is a bearuracracy tasked with ensuring folks in wheels chairs, the blind or other folks with limited abilities can safely and easily enter these banks. The same folks who brought you brail numbers at the drive up ATM designed these changes required to this particular bank.
The design involves some really really really flat areas of a parking lot, yet water is not supposed to pond in these areas. Numerous projects have taken place where the contractor understands standing water means frozen ponds in the winter. They built things to shed the water. Yet the slopes were deemed too steep to meet ADA requirements. Think about it this way. You are driving down the road with your right side front tire going flat. Your steering would naturally pull you towards the right. Well the thinking by the ADA folks is a sidewalk with too much slope would be the same for a person in a wheelchair. Makes sense but… physics requires some slope to make water drain away from the sidewalk. The engineers have used theoretical numbers based on fluid dynamics to imagine water can drain at really flat grades. They have applied those numbers to a piece of paper the contractor is supposed to match.
So after previous jobs were finished the engineers looked at grade numbers provided by inspectors and said "too steep, fix it". Contractors fixed areas to be flatter and bank managers said "my parking lot has ponds". Again the engineers said "fix it". Contractors said "ugh, ok". Later the banking company said "why didn't those inspectors make sure it was right the first time?" Each fix meant banking customers were hampered by construction according to the bank owners so they were rightly upset. My job is such that if it goes well they say "what a great engineer". If it goes bad they say "hang the inspector". My goal is to hear "that engineer is great". Luckily I have some Rainman in me so when the engineers are patting each other on the back I'm off somewhere else imagining in my mind the finished product of another ridiculous design that can in theory work, only if things line up correctly.
Will it be another successful project or another flop? Time will tell. But like Rainman not being near a TV when Judge Wopner comes on, I tend to become frazzled when the armchair quarterbacks start their critiques from a comfy chair in a temperature controlled office behind a computer screen. So my bosses are left to do the politicing if need be. It's a thankless role to be an inspector sometimes, but it sure beats sitting behind a desk all day dressed like everybody else in the building while plotting to over throw the guy above them and pretending to like a certain football team because the boss likes that team. I make my living watching giant Tonka toys. Tonights toys will be eating asphalt and drinking jet fuel while they munch on a paved parking lot, then spread out black goo and spray paint lines over it. My role will be setting a digital level at certainareas and taking pictures. Sure beats the job those engineers have.
The big challenge will be photographing the during and after.
Now most never consider how much pitch (ie slope) is built in specific areas of a given parking lot until it rains and they are walking in puddles. Yet these 5 engineers have drawn on a flat piece of paper a bunch of numbers that a typical construction worker is supposed to duplicate with less than accurate materials and tools. The story behind this one is a large company has bought a bunch of small banks that did not have ADA compliant entrances. ADA is American Disabilities Act, which is a bearuracracy tasked with ensuring folks in wheels chairs, the blind or other folks with limited abilities can safely and easily enter these banks. The same folks who brought you brail numbers at the drive up ATM designed these changes required to this particular bank.
The design involves some really really really flat areas of a parking lot, yet water is not supposed to pond in these areas. Numerous projects have taken place where the contractor understands standing water means frozen ponds in the winter. They built things to shed the water. Yet the slopes were deemed too steep to meet ADA requirements. Think about it this way. You are driving down the road with your right side front tire going flat. Your steering would naturally pull you towards the right. Well the thinking by the ADA folks is a sidewalk with too much slope would be the same for a person in a wheelchair. Makes sense but… physics requires some slope to make water drain away from the sidewalk. The engineers have used theoretical numbers based on fluid dynamics to imagine water can drain at really flat grades. They have applied those numbers to a piece of paper the contractor is supposed to match.
So after previous jobs were finished the engineers looked at grade numbers provided by inspectors and said "too steep, fix it". Contractors fixed areas to be flatter and bank managers said "my parking lot has ponds". Again the engineers said "fix it". Contractors said "ugh, ok". Later the banking company said "why didn't those inspectors make sure it was right the first time?" Each fix meant banking customers were hampered by construction according to the bank owners so they were rightly upset. My job is such that if it goes well they say "what a great engineer". If it goes bad they say "hang the inspector". My goal is to hear "that engineer is great". Luckily I have some Rainman in me so when the engineers are patting each other on the back I'm off somewhere else imagining in my mind the finished product of another ridiculous design that can in theory work, only if things line up correctly.
Will it be another successful project or another flop? Time will tell. But like Rainman not being near a TV when Judge Wopner comes on, I tend to become frazzled when the armchair quarterbacks start their critiques from a comfy chair in a temperature controlled office behind a computer screen. So my bosses are left to do the politicing if need be. It's a thankless role to be an inspector sometimes, but it sure beats sitting behind a desk all day dressed like everybody else in the building while plotting to over throw the guy above them and pretending to like a certain football team because the boss likes that team. I make my living watching giant Tonka toys. Tonights toys will be eating asphalt and drinking jet fuel while they munch on a paved parking lot, then spread out black goo and spray paint lines over it. My role will be setting a digital level at certainareas and taking pictures. Sure beats the job those engineers have.
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ven
Flashaholic
Damn , missed this till now. Awesome stuff mr fixer, love your threads. Great pics and write up, tonka toys and flashlights.............can it get any better
As for headlamps, i have it attached permanently(day time use mainly) and could not live without it now. I wonder just a couple of years back how i managed.......either balancing or working with 1 hand!. Still have a bones, love that light, still got the throw optic in. Not had much use of late, but as darker nights slowly role in, it will have its time again
:kewlpics:
As for headlamps, i have it attached permanently(day time use mainly) and could not live without it now. I wonder just a couple of years back how i managed.......either balancing or working with 1 hand!. Still have a bones, love that light, still got the throw optic in. Not had much use of late, but as darker nights slowly role in, it will have its time again
:kewlpics:
thermal guy
Flashaholic
I been on the fence with getting a Bones.Think I'm going to order one on Friday now. That beam looks perfect for working outside or even in the woods.
The sight was a bank parking lot. The mission was to observe a paving operation where a small contractor took the existing top portion off and reapplied a new one.
To the right of the photo are head engineer and a trainee she has assigned me while I train to be his boss. Quite an odd thought really, but the young lad was hired as an inspector trainee so he is my first assignment to train while I'm a manager in training. They are standing on the critically flat concrete areas I mentioned in my previous post.
So head engineer boss lady is on site "willing to assist" which in plain english means "willing to critique every pebble, every shade of gray, everything in some attempt to make sure the designers ridiculous theories are correctly applied by ordinary construction workers who like me had not slept all day and were about to embark on a 16 hour shift.
The boss lady scheduled a meeting for the trainee and I to meet another theorist prior to starting work. Turns out this aderall using rookie wanna be guy has her convinced he has his act together. My initial impression was he had his head up his @$$, and after spending a few hours with the guy my view did not change, or at least in a positive way. My trainee was impressed with his wiz-bang sales pitch as showed the milenial lots of computer short cuts and my trainee just loves taking short cuts in life. Free free free… yup you can lose 20 pounds while sitting in an easy chair eating ice cream with this short cut. My engineer boss lady was impressed with the boston red sox logo on wiz bang dudes wedding ring. He clearly noticed I was not one to quickly plunk down my rent money for his snake oil salesman charms.
The tone for the evening was set and clearly my fun with flashlights was going to be thwarted by stupidity. I had my SOG dark energy light clipped to my trouser pocket as a primary. Being a DE-05 is crisp white beam'd thrower naturally wiz-bang guy asks "is that an atomic light?" while the trainee asks "does it strobe?" Ugh!! So what happens when a snake oil salesman realizes you aint buying? He becomes your fan as he tries to figure out why you aint falling for his bs. So I had a follower and the trainee was more proud of me being his boss than ever. So while trying to discern what needs to be checked over at work and how to photograph them in a dark-ish scenario where long shutter speeds cause nearby artificial lights and long shutter speeds to create blurry, harsh photos unless I can think of ideas to reduce it.
An example of a photo to delete.
With the distractions by my "fan club", numerous photos were turning out this way as my less than fresh brain was still trying to figure out which flashlight was correct for a given photo. My Streamlight head lamp would not provide enough light on flood but too much on spot. The Bones was too bright, the G2x Pro was either too low or too high. Mag's were in my truck, and the fan club was continuing to pluck my nerves. But at least the nit-picking boss had left.
I was carrying a vaper in my shirt pocket but decided to have a real cigarette to get away from the fan club, jot down a few thoughts and clear my mind of clutter so I could decide which flashlight would be best for those dam pictures.
My PKDL clipped to a ball cap.
While setting in my truck having a cigarette and jotting down notes for writing a synopsis of the project from start to finish my little edc was very handy on low. Viola! It occured to me my PR-1 with a Deer Park brand water bottle cap over the end will be bright enough to compete with other lights and be close enough to quicken shutter speeds.
Heck yeah! PR-1 with difuser did the trick.
Next time I'll carry my Streamlight ProTac HL4. Nice, floody beam up to 2200 lumens.
So by this time it's 2:30am, aderall has worn off in the wiz-bang dude so he's left to find a hotel, my trainee is taking a nap and I'm trying out a new vape device sent to me by Vaporesso. A large cup of McCoffee has my energy level in decent shape and my head aint swimming anymore. At this point I just wanted the folks to finish paving so I could go home. Home is 2 hours away so by 5am I was thinking the 2 hour drive was a bad idea. By 8 I was zonked at a Holiday Inn Express for a couple of hours.
I ended up getting quite a few keeper photos on my point n shoot work cam and at some point when they are downloaded to a computer a few wll be posted in this thread showing which light provided the right beam and intensity for the given situation. If my foggy brain can recall the Streamlight double clutch, the SOG and PR-1 were the most used. But after working 4-16 hour days in a row then a 26 hour day my brain is not really all that dependable today. This assignment cannot be over soon enough to suit me.
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CREEXHP70LED
Enlightened
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2016
- Messages
- 552
Interesting job. I like the Bones flood pattern it's making me think to change out the lens in my Charlie to the flood lens, or buy a Bones with a flood lens. I know what you mean about those Adderall guys, they can be quite obnoxious to say the least. I used to be prescribed it and took 30-45 mg a day, but I was very quite and calm when I was on it. I actually get more work done on Xanax with much more clarity if you can believe that. I am the opposite of most people I guess.
Anyway, thanks for all the great pics and beamshots. I used to work outside in pitch black for about 1.5 to 2 hours before the sun started to rise. Back then I used to have a 300 or 400 lumen Olight S1 Baton clipped to my hat, I used to use RCR123A cells and also SF123A primaries. I was known as the guy with the bright light as everyone else used 40 lumen maglites. We were all spread out by hundreds of yards so the downside was everyone knew where I was until the sun came up.
I ended up buying a few S1 Batons for other workers, but ironically they never used them at work because they were too nice to use at work they said. A complete waste in my mind. To each their own I guess.
Anyway, thanks for all the great pics and beamshots. I used to work outside in pitch black for about 1.5 to 2 hours before the sun started to rise. Back then I used to have a 300 or 400 lumen Olight S1 Baton clipped to my hat, I used to use RCR123A cells and also SF123A primaries. I was known as the guy with the bright light as everyone else used 40 lumen maglites. We were all spread out by hundreds of yards so the downside was everyone knew where I was until the sun came up.
I ended up buying a few S1 Batons for other workers, but ironically they never used them at work because they were too nice to use at work they said. A complete waste in my mind. To each their own I guess.
Thatz the regular lens on the Bones. I just metered the camera to show how wide the spill is in low light.
CREEXHP70LED
Enlightened
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2016
- Messages
- 552
Wow, it really looked like the flood lens. LOL! I do like the flood for up close work it is really nice.
PhotonWrangler
Flashaholic
Props to all of you who toil in the middle of the night for our benefit. :rock:
Thanks for sharing!
Beats the crap out of being around the nit-picker bosses.
Next one is another waterline adventure. I'm thinking the roster will include vintage LED lights by Pentagon (L2), a Pelican (2390) and perhaps my vintage MD2 hi/lo from Gene's Kroll clicky days. It has a sweet M61NL in it.
Next one is another waterline adventure. I'm thinking the roster will include vintage LED lights by Pentagon (L2), a Pelican (2390) and perhaps my vintage MD2 hi/lo from Gene's Kroll clicky days. It has a sweet M61NL in it.
desertrunner
Banned
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2019
- Messages
- 71
When I hear "nigh shift", its the one thing that drives me to love USB rechargeable lights even more. I like that I can run them all night or shift and just plug them back in during my off time.
Tonights lineup: L to R;
- SOG DE 05 550 lumen circa 2016.
- Pentagon L2 circa 2007?
- Pentagon X3 with a 700 lumen LED prototype drop in by FourLeaf Flashlights.
- Streamlight ProTac HL4
- Streamlight Stinger LED
- Bones
- Bravo
- Malkoff MD2 hi/lo Kroll era with M61NL
Of course my edc PKDL lights will ride in my trouser pockets too. I still get my ya ya's whipping out those photon cannons and hearing "holy $**+ those things are bright".
Pix later.
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So this one character was trying to find something with a shovel and asked his helper for some light.
Celphone? Fail
What's a flashaholic to do, just watch?
(minion voice) Uh, no.
PKDL PR-1 on medium.
Celphone? Fail
What's a flashaholic to do, just watch?
(minion voice) Uh, no.
PKDL PR-1 on medium.
ven
Flashaholic
I need to do a night shift with mr fixer, also a security night shift with Monocrom!!! and i hate nights! Cool pics
and i hate nights! Cool pics
peter yetman
Flashlight Enthusiast
Especially when you know you could do it better, but keep your mouth taped.
P
P
ven
Flashaholic
:laughing:
Won't be boring any longer with Ven there.
Yikes, I ended up regretting that after the 25th time that idiot shined it in my eyes. First off he could not figure out how to install the batteries.
Then twisting the tailcap all the way down was a daunting task. :thinking:
Ok, so once that was finally achieved the guy did not seem to realize a flashlight has an off switch. I honestly felt sorry for that flashlight. Unsure if someone he blinded with it would take it ram it up his bah-hashna or if he was going to drop it from his back pocket as he carried it bezel up, switched on blinding anybody who got within 25 feet……it's just a matter of time before that Maglite ML50 is squandered. :shakehead
Anyway, all went well for a while as a waterline made of asbestos was tied to a new one at three locations. Once the monkey with a Maglite had figured out what water shut off valves to close the contractor worked diligently to assemble parts and pieces of pipes to tie a new metal line to the old one. Well all good plans, no good deed goes unpunished and all that, one of the three crews forgot to tighten some crucial bolts of a section of new pipe clamped to the old one. So after working since 6am on Wednesday morning it now was 2:30am on Thursday and the fellows had a 6 foot deep hole full of water to drain and a pipe to fix. Eventually it got done and everybody went home safely so it was a good day (or night in this case).
So I had a chance to compare Bones vs Bravo and on high the beams are so close in actual ability it was a tie in which performed better. So walking around with a Bones pocket clipped on the left, Bravo switched to low clipped to the right it was a mighty fine dynamic duo like Batman and Robin. Need a lot off light whip out the Bones. Just need a little, whip out the Bravo much like having a rifle and pistol both at the ready.
But that ProTac HL4 was used the most. I have it setup to start on 60 lumen low with a 600 medium. Due to a frosted optic I could light up the hole full of water without blinding the poor suckers who had the task of tightening bolts while sinking into mud up to their knees as they hurredly tightened bolts on a clamp trying to stop a major leak. 600 lit up the hole in an impressive fashion and with all that water in a hole it added light to dripping water from a pipe like each drip seemed to glow in the dark. The floody beam (no punintended) caused light to literally bend underneath of the pipe all nice n gentle-like so nobody was saying "dude stop with the flashlight". By 4:30am the crew was whipped and blinded by the others stabbing their eyes with typical throwey beamed lights or celphone lights. When I lit the hole with the Streamlight it was like the sun was shining again in one sense but in another sense it was like providing the crew both sunshine and polarized sunglasses to obliderate the glare.
It really felt good to help out with proper lighting in a bad situation so now, instead of setting on a shelf collecting dust that HL4 will ride in my truck whenever a night shift duty occurs.
I gave a flashlight to the guy on the left of the photo (the guy you see the back of his hard hat). A 3C Maglite actually. He was the guy in charge of shutting off the waterline and did not have a flashlight. Well being a flashaholic I just happened to have an extra nip ML50 and some batteries in my truck.
Yikes, I ended up regretting that after the 25th time that idiot shined it in my eyes. First off he could not figure out how to install the batteries.
Then twisting the tailcap all the way down was a daunting task. :thinking:
Ok, so once that was finally achieved the guy did not seem to realize a flashlight has an off switch. I honestly felt sorry for that flashlight. Unsure if someone he blinded with it would take it ram it up his bah-hashna or if he was going to drop it from his back pocket as he carried it bezel up, switched on blinding anybody who got within 25 feet……it's just a matter of time before that Maglite ML50 is squandered. :shakehead
Anyway, all went well for a while as a waterline made of asbestos was tied to a new one at three locations. Once the monkey with a Maglite had figured out what water shut off valves to close the contractor worked diligently to assemble parts and pieces of pipes to tie a new metal line to the old one. Well all good plans, no good deed goes unpunished and all that, one of the three crews forgot to tighten some crucial bolts of a section of new pipe clamped to the old one. So after working since 6am on Wednesday morning it now was 2:30am on Thursday and the fellows had a 6 foot deep hole full of water to drain and a pipe to fix. Eventually it got done and everybody went home safely so it was a good day (or night in this case).
So I had a chance to compare Bones vs Bravo and on high the beams are so close in actual ability it was a tie in which performed better. So walking around with a Bones pocket clipped on the left, Bravo switched to low clipped to the right it was a mighty fine dynamic duo like Batman and Robin. Need a lot off light whip out the Bones. Just need a little, whip out the Bravo much like having a rifle and pistol both at the ready.
But that ProTac HL4 was used the most. I have it setup to start on 60 lumen low with a 600 medium. Due to a frosted optic I could light up the hole full of water without blinding the poor suckers who had the task of tightening bolts while sinking into mud up to their knees as they hurredly tightened bolts on a clamp trying to stop a major leak. 600 lit up the hole in an impressive fashion and with all that water in a hole it added light to dripping water from a pipe like each drip seemed to glow in the dark. The floody beam (no punintended) caused light to literally bend underneath of the pipe all nice n gentle-like so nobody was saying "dude stop with the flashlight". By 4:30am the crew was whipped and blinded by the others stabbing their eyes with typical throwey beamed lights or celphone lights. When I lit the hole with the Streamlight it was like the sun was shining again in one sense but in another sense it was like providing the crew both sunshine and polarized sunglasses to obliderate the glare.
It really felt good to help out with proper lighting in a bad situation so now, instead of setting on a shelf collecting dust that HL4 will ride in my truck whenever a night shift duty occurs.
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