Every year the Grand Rapids Generating Station hosts their own golf tournament. I have never participated in a hydro golf tournament before so I figured what better time than now. We played 18 holes at the golf course in Ashern followed by a steak dinner. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, it was a beautiful day. Believe it or not, even though I was on the team, we placed 3^rd J

As previously mentioned, I participated in the 2010 National Youth Leadership Forum that took place in Waterloo, Ontario. Two members of the group were selected by their peers to present our findings to the National Skills Board Members at their annual meeting which took place in Yellowknife, NWT.  Zachary Ball (Nova Scotia) and I were selected to make the presentation.

This was a four day adventure, a strategic planning session and a few “meet and greet” events including a gala dinner and a fish fry. Our presentation took place following the strategic planning session on the third day.

Neither Zach nor I had ever been to Yellowknife before so it was a wonderful experience for both of us, and everyone else that attended the meeting I am sure. We were welcomed with a beautiful snowfall the second day of the trip which made the experience even more wonderful!

This is my view from my hotel room.

This is a museum.

A monument in one of the parks that I discovered on a walk, perfect timing for a nice big plane to be overhead.

This is the tourist information centre… it was beautiful inside just as much as it was outside.

Zach and I outside, shivering in the first snowfall of the season with the city of Yellowknife in the background.

Zach and I after completing the slide show for our presentation.

The National Skills Board Members as well as the executive directors from each province.

The Explorer Hotel where we stayed during out trip.

The city of Yellowknife.

A view of the city from a pilot monument called the rock.

Zach and I at the Gala Dinner.

A fellow journeyman welder who happened to be a part of the National Skills Board group.

The whole Yellowknife experience was one I will never forget. Zach and I had a blast putting together our presentation and everyone seemed to enjoy it as well. It was wonderful to get to meet everyone and learn about the culture in Yellowknife. I look forward to hopefully making another trip there one day.

Every two years I must re-test for my Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) all position test. Done with shielded metal arc welding,if you have to do any kind of structural welding, you have to be ableto pass this test. 

This test consists of two 3/8″  plates, one cut on a 90-degree angle and the other with a bevel. The two plates are then tacked onto a 1/4” backing plate with a 1/2″ gap between them.

The plate is then mounted in the vertical position and you weld approximately 3/4” up the plate on the 90-degree side. The tester then examines the plate and you finish the rest of the bead. You then rotate it so it is in the overhead position, which is where you begin in the opposite direction on the beveled side and make your way across the plate once again. About 3/4 of the way, the examiner comes to check your work and then you can complete that weld.

Following the stop-starts you are now able to fill up the plate completely without the examiner coming to view it.

As the final step, the CWB plate is sent away to be x-rayed for any inclusions or porosity that may be in the weld.

There are some things that you may not see come through your workplace on a regular basis, but which occasionally happen to both old and brand new vehicles.

Engines are built to perform under heavy loads, high speeds or RPMs and take daily abuse that drivers put them through. There are factors that can quickly shorten an engines life span and can be very costly to the customer. For example - lack of maintenance. The easiest one is changing oil. Most shops will check all fluids while changing oil on your vehicle. Oil lubricates all of the engine’s internal parts, helps keep the temperature down and also keeps the engine clean. Without engine oil,  parts will quickly wear and overheat.

This customer said that they were driving normally when the car lost power and started making noises - BANG! Smoke and oil everywhere… I took these pictures from underneath the car on the hoist. There were two holes on the front side and back side of the engine on the same cylinder.

It’s hard to make out, but on one photo you can see the piston jammed almost sideways in the cylinder. You can also see where the connecting rod snapped and made both holes.

The oil had water in it, and when we removed the spark plugs there was coolant in the cylinder. This car didn’t have a large number of kms on it and is a fairly newer car - not one you would expect this to happen to. But it can - and does - happen.

Quading is another one of the outdoor activities to enjoy when visiting or working in Grand Rapids. There are endless numbers of trails and many beautiful places you can go to that cannot be accessed by a vehicle. Quading and sledding are the ideal options for experiencing the true beauty of Grand Rapids.

Here are a few photos from my first quading adventure with a few people from work.

Following the dyke after crossing the spillway.

Got a little wet and had to put my rain gear on… quite stylish I think.

About to cross over the spillway on the way back.

The mechanical crew brought in a cast iron flange that they discovered was cracked during their repairs on the sewage pump lift. Sounds appealing I know… When working with cast iron, you must take your time and do each step properly to be successful. I needed to bevel out the flange due to its thickness to allow for a strong enough weld. I first began to preheat the flange, then began welding. When welding you must do small tack welds in various places and peen them right after you complete the tack. Peening can be done with a chipping hammer and you want to hit the tack several times to create indents in the weld. This is to relieve stress that is created in the weld as it cools.

Welding cast iron can be a long process depending on the size of the material you are working on. Controlled cooling is a key factor as well as peening when welding on cast. In some procedures you are required to use special blankets that you wrap the material in to help insulate it. This is to control the cooling of the piece.

In this case, there was no need for blankets, just the basic technique of welding cast. I do not have the opportunity to weld cast very often, come to think of it this was one of the first times for me. It was definitely a learning experience.