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Old timer at the job site taught me how to read a pour in 10 seconds flat
Was working a slab pour in Portland last month and this guy probably 70 years old walks up, barely says a word, just points at the mud and goes "you got about 20 minutes before that sets up funny". I was about to start finishing and he was dead right. I asked how he knew and he said he watches the shine disappear off the top. Something about the water sheen leaving tells him when to start. Now I look for that instead of timing it and my batches come out way smoother. Any of you old heads got little tells like that nobody teaches anymore?
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eric_murphy361mo ago
Old timer told me the same thing years ago. He called it "the sweat" - when it's gone you start.
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ivan821mo ago
Eric_murphy36 beat me to it, but yeah that "sweat" disappearing is the real deal. I tried explaining it to a kid on my crew last week and he just stared at me like I was predicting the weather with my knees.
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