Showerthought: How did we manage cable runs before glow rods?

I was doing a retrofit job in an old apartment building downtown last week, pulling coax through conduit that was probably installed in the 80s. Got me thinking about how much easier this job is now compared to when I started 15 years ago. Back then, I used fish tape on everything, and if you hit a tight bend or a splice box you didn't know about, you were basically stuck. Now I carry a set of fiberglass glow rods in my van that I got for about 40 bucks, and they make those long dark runs through finished walls way less of a headache. The other change I notice is how much better compression fittings are compared to the old crimp-on connectors we used to swear by. I still remember my first boss yelling at me because a crimp fitting went bad after six months. Has anyone else noticed how much the tools changed, or is it just me getting old and nostalgic?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_derek3d ago

What kind of sorcery did the old timers use before fiberglass rods were even a thing?

flores.tessa3d ago

Man, it takes some MAJOR respect for those guys. They were out there with bamboo rods they cut and shaped themselves, or those heavy solid steel rods that would wear your arm out after a few hours. I've held a few at antique shops and you can FEEL the history in them, the way the bamboo has that natural flex but also requires way more skill to cast accurately. My grandpa showed me his old split bamboo fly rod once and said it was like "dancing with a partner who has two left feet" until you got the rhythm down. That kind of patience and dedication is something I really admire, especially when I can just grab my graphite rod and go.