So I attended Mechanics Institute in N.Y.C 1974 thru 1977 at night and studied plumbing design. Not something I’d necessarily recommend for someone interested in the service and repair segment of the plumbing industry, but I figured I should learn the how and why of the entire plumbing infrastructure. Besides I wanted to prepare to take my Master Plumbers Exam.
Fall of 1977 I registered for preparation classes to take the written part of the licensed master plumber exam. I had the seven years required to be eligible to take the test, so I figured why not. I was 27 at the time and in those days everyone would say “no one passes that test on the first try” so I guess I should get started.
I and two of my friends who also owned their own plumbing business’s decided we would all work together and studied both in the night classes during the week as well as tutored each other on weekends. The class was given at that time by one of the chief plumbing inspectors of the borough of Brooklyn, New York Bill Marion.
He was very knowledgeable of N.Y. City plumbing code and we would essentially concentrate and review in detail test results from past master plumbers exams. So much in detail, I’ll never forget that Bill would point to specific questions and tell us to pay close attention to that one!
We all took the test I believe in December of 1977 and all three of us passed without a hitch. At the time I didn’t think much of the questions that Bill told us to pay attention to because this was a completely new test and he was referring to tests from the past.
To my surprise, some of those very identical questions were on the test we took which made life just a bit sweeter at the time. I wonder did Bill know something or was it just pure coincidence? I don’t think we’ll ever know and I wasn’t about to ask.
Having past the written test we were all eligible to register for the practical test preparation classes which I believe were to begin February 1978. The practical portion of the test at that time required you to wipe lead joints, an art form that had been slowly fazed out over the years as the as hubless cast iron and copper water tubing were becoming the new accepted materials of our plumbing code.
So why make us wipe lead joints for the Master Plumbers Exam/Practical Test? That’s a great question and my only answer at the time was to eliminate as many candidates as possible because lead wiping is an art that takes many many hours to master. Good thing because at the time you were given three cracks at taking the practical test before having to go back and retake the written test all over again!
I struggled for about three months to discover my technique, it was very discouraging, to say the least, and then in May things started to click and I was able to finally go thru the entire test uninterrupted. The test was comprised of many parts and the total time allotted to complete was three hours including the plan reading which you had to pass before you could proceed with the actual practical part of the test.
We had to wipe one 4″ vertical joint, one 1 1/2″ horizontal joint, solder a brass floor flange onto a 4″ lead stub piece with a soldering iron and take that whole assembled piece and caulk it into a horizontal 4″ cast iron eight bends (45 degree) fitting using oakum and molten lead. Not easy, very stressful, but that was the deal if you wanted a shot at your license.
I finished the test in 2 1/2 hours and that included breaking down the first 4″ joint I had put up because I didn’t like the way it looked. I noticed two of the instructors looking puzzled and speaking to one another while simultaneously looking at my piece. When I was leaving the workroom area and saying goodbye to everyone, one of those instructors walk over to me and whispered to me, “you should have left the first joint up”!
What the hell did that mean? Well, I came to find out later that they were puzzled because in their opinion my first attempt was absolutely fine. It was still ahead trip for me wondering did if pass? fail? As things turned out I passed the Master Plumbers Exam practical test and by August 24th of 1978 at the age of 28, I became Licensed Master Plumber #0521
That was 40 years ago and since that time my children were born and raised, I sold the company I started in 1978 to my employees in 2004, the two friends who I took the test with have since unfortunately passed away. I started a handyman business in 2005 which I ran until 2011, and In 2012, I started Robert Sessa Plumbing.
The following video below is a quick overview of that practical test in which I explain the process as best as I can remember. I, unfortunately, am no longer in possession of the actual tools and materials I used at the time. When I sold my company, I sold everything and at the time had no intention of entering back into the plumbing business ( a blog post to come).
If you’re a professional watching this you’ll know what I’m talking about, to everyone else I’ll try my best to explain the process. If you have any questions I can be reached by email at info@bobsplumbingvideo.com or bobsplumbingvideos@gmail.com.
And by the way, BobsPlumbingVideos.Com has once again has been featured in FeedSpots top 20 plumbing youtube channels.
Regards & HAPPY PLUMBING!
BOB
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