The Irony of Pipe Tally Books

Those in the oil well drilling business use tally books continually every day. They

Oilfield Tally Books 3400CR4
Oilfield Tally Books 3400CR4

keep a close record of when they attach a new section of pipe, and how long it is, and what time it is. The books are just the right size to fit into a pocket, so the books are kept right where they are needed. So tally books are a necessity in the oil drilling business.

To protect the book from weather and abrasion, the cover is made of vinyl. That’s where the irony hits. Vinyl is a man-made fabric made from OIL!

How do they make vinyl?

It was developed only in 1920 as an inexpensive durable fabric that is easy to make. It is made out of oil and salt, and its real name in poly vinyl chloride.

Here are the details for you scientists:

They break down petroleum using high pressure and temperature. This is called cracking. The results are ethylene, butadiene, propylene, and a few other things. They combine salt (a source of chlorine) with the ethylene using “electrolytic disassociation”. They add a few other compounds and end up with poly vinyl chloride (vinyl).

As you know, vinyl is ubiquitous, and very inexpensive. However, it looks expensive, similar to leather.

The Importance of the Diameter Tape Measure

Ask any Arborist. Ask any oilfield worker. They will tell you how vital a diameter tape measure is to their jobs.

Using Diameter Tape Measures On A Tree
Using Diameter Tape Measure On A Tree

An Arborist needs to quickly determine the diameter of a tree, because he probably has to do this to another thousand trees. He uses this measurement to determine the amount of wood contained in the tree, so it can be sold for the wood content. For convenience and speed, he measures the diameter at the height of his chest. Diameter breast high (DBH) is the term used for this height. A tree diameter tape has a hook at the beginning, so the user can attach it to the bark, walk around the tree, and have the tape meet the zero mark. He reads the number on the tape, which is the diameter in inches.

An oilfield worker doesn’t need a hook on the end of his diameter tape measure.

Pi-Cobra Diameter Tape Measure- Metric & Inch
Pi-Cobra Diameter Tape Measure- Metric & Inch

He just cleans off the pipeline and wraps the tape around it. The answer is shown on the tape where it lines up to the zero mark. It’s important to him because he needs to know how much oil or gas the pipe can carry. Also, if a fitting needs replaced or modified, he needs to order the right size. Diameter tapes are a vital part of the oil and gas business.

5 Misunderstood Facts About Tally Books

Pipe Tally Books are normally used by workers in oilfields. They keep track of the

Tally Books in the Field
Using Tally Books in the Field

exact time that a section of pipe is attached to the drilling rig. Also they record the length and diameter of the pipe. These drilling workers need a heavy duty book that can easily fit into their pocket. That’s a short history of tally books. But here are some things you might not have known about these special books:

  1. Anyone who works outdoors and needs to keep records, can use a tally book. Other users are foresters, wind energy inspectors, handymen, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and waterworks people.
  2. The pages are sewn in, for durability. A little ring binder wouldn’t be as durable.
  3. A new option for the pages is the sewn water-resistant Stone Pad. If you try to tear a sheet, it just stretches a little. You can’t tear it.
  4. The cover is made of high grade vinyl, which comes in colors to coordinate with your company logo. This gives the book a high resistance to rain and abrasion.
  5. Got a favorite pen or pencil? Since these books are custom made, they can have a pen loop built into them.

Celebrate Pi Day 2019 With A Diameter Tape Measure

pi symbol
pi symbol

Pi Day is March 14. This year you can help celebrate by answering the question at the bottom.

Pi is the constant ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, no matter what size the circle is. This is useful knowledge when you work with water pipes or oil or gas pipelines, and you need to replace part of it. You can measure the circumference and divide by pi. But there’s an easier way to do that.

Diameter Tape (pi Tape)
Diameter Tape (pi Tape)

Let a Lufkin Diameter tape measure do it for you. You just wrap it around the pipe, and read the diameter. Mathematicians call pi an irrational number, since it goes on for an infinite number of decimal places, but using a diameter tape is a very rational and easy way to find the diameter of a pipe. To see a little video on How to measure the diameter of a pipe, just click here.

 

Trivia: What famous scientist was born on Pi Day?

 

 

 

How Tally Books Are Constructed

Oilfield Tally Books
Oilfield Tally Books

Tally Books are used by workers and inspectors in the oil and gas industries. These books are made rugged for outdoor use. Here is how they are constructed:

  • For stiffness, we start with chipboard. This is the solid gray “cardboard” material that cereal boxes are made out of.
  • The 2 pieces of chipboard (front and back of the tally book) are covered with a colored vinyl for protection from the elements. Vinyl comes in a variety of colors. The inside layer is usually the same color as the outside layer.
  • To hold the paper pad (or stone pad), we add a front and back clear pocket. So the first and last page of the pad are slid into those two pockets. For durability, the first and last page are made of heavier paper. This pad is held in place just like the check register in your vinyl checkbook.
  • Not in this order, the imprinting is done on the outside cover and the inside pockets.
  • Printing is done in 3 different ways: Screen printing, Hotstamping, Full-color imprinting.
  • Sometimes we add a clear vinyl pen loop on the side. We can also add an insert. It has 3 clear vinyl pockets so that you can add papers and cards of your choosing.

Tally Books are made and printed in the USA.

 

Why You Need Custom Tally Books

Why? The top 5 answers to this question are:

Tally Books…

3400.jpg Pipe Tally Books 3400

  1. Are needed by your employees if they need to make notes continually in the field. They are essential to the oil and gas industries. Oilfield and gas field workers and inspectors need to have durable pipe tally books to keep their records current and safe.
  2. Give your employees a sense of pride. Seeing your company logo on the books tells them that they are team members.
  3. advertise your company to everyone who has one of your custom tally books.
  4. Help your employees by keeping valuable tables and conversion formulas at their fingertips. You design the table that best suits your needs, and it will appear on the book.
  5. Support American workers. Pipe tally books are made and printed in the USA.

2 Tally Books That An Oil Company Can’t Operate Without

Oil companies are always busy. The drillers need to keep track of the amount of pipe they are putting down the hole. The well operators need to keep track of yield, and what the gauges say. The supervisors need to keep track of employees, and their work hours.

These 2 Tally Books are vital to the oil industry. They are weather-proof, and can fit into your shirt pocket or pants pocket.

The flexible book 3308 is great for a back pocket. It bends when you do.

3308.jpg Flexible Tally Book 3308

The popular 3400 tally book is stiff, to make it easy to jot your notes. It is better suited to fit in your shirt or jacket pocket.

3400.jpg Pipe Tally Books 3400

Both of these books are vital to the oil industry, and help to make it run smoothly.