TIL a trick for fixing stuck hatches on old oil rigs

I was working a job in the Gulf back in 2018 and this hatch on a platform wouldn't budge for like 30 minutes. A older diver told me to spray penetrating oil around the seal, then hit the latch with a rubber mallet three times fast. I thought he was joking but it popped right open. Anyone else got a weird fix they use on stubborn equipment?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_ramirez674d ago

Swung a sledgehammer against a busted pipe joint once and it snapped loose like magic.

ninas704d ago

Oh man that is such a good point lol. It's wild how a little percussive maintenance can fix so much stuff. I've noticed the same thing with my old truck. When the starter sticks I just tap it with a wrench and it roars back to life. It's like the universe responds better to a firm smack than to gentle coaxing sometimes. That trick works on stuck drawers and stubborn jar lids too, just a solid whack changes the vibration or something. You'd think with all our fancy tech we'd have moved past hitting things, but nope, it still works lol.