TIL you can roll a boiler tube with a torque wrench instead of feeling it by hand, and I wish the old guys had shown me this 15 years ago

Sarah Lopez · 2026-10-02T18:30:03.220789+00:00

I used to be the guy who just went by feel on every tube roll, and I popped a few over the years because of it. Last month a retired hand from Local 85 showed me how to set my torque wrench to the low end of the spec and roll until it clicks, then give it a quarter turn by hand for the final seat. Cut my rework down to almost nothing on a 300 tube job in Beaumont, has anyone else tried this or do you still go by feel?

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TIL you can roll a boiler tube with a torque wrench instead of feeling it by hand, and I wish the old guys had shown me this 15 years ago | Boilermakers - HW Forums