Met History wrote:

> "And the Flatiron Building (1902) represents the greater efficiency in
> construction brought about by such large projects -- for instance in
> the matter of power tools on the job.  For a decade, riveting and
> steel connections were made by steam powered tools, depending on a
> network of small boilers spread over the work site, since steam loses
> its power over long distances.   But the Flatiron steel was connected
> with air-powered tools, which could operate off one or two central
> compressors with little drop in power over distance.  "A pneumatic
> hammer will drive 50% to 75% more rivets a day than can a gang of men,
> and only two men are required to operate it" said the Real Estate
> Record & Guide in 1902."    ---C

C-

This is an excellent example of the elegance between craft, technology,
site logistics & architecture. Thanx pebbleshooter.

Ask Pyrate about the situation w/ the rig for cleaning of the Pan Am,
Met Life bldg.

Forget that... I'll give my rendition and Pyrate can bend my arm next
time we share a dark ale. He owes me some blues, my bro does...

The facade gommage system recycles the micro-blast media... which is
sucked in w/ negative air, meaning the scaffold cabin is enclosed and
under vacuum. This was used on Madonna's house... keep in mind. The
PA/ML bldg. was too tall for a recovery system to go to the ground then
back up to the scaffold -- not enough pressure to move the crap and the
cleaned media --  so the French designed a two-story scaffold rig that
would hold the workers and the equipment, including the recovery tanks.
They built it off site in France and shipped it over to Newark. But then
it was figured out that the rig was extra special heavy (super size
that?) and a Master rigger needed to be called upon to reinforce the top
of the building to hold the rig. The job got done. This was the rig the
guys watched the faces in the window of the plane as it went past going
a bit south.

][<

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