For years I fought with that stupid little gap on a 4-inch pipe weld, until a guy in Omaha told me to just use a bent coat hanger as a chill bar. | Boilermakers - Topic Shares
My old shop teacher would have failed me for even suggesting a coat hanger. I was all about the right tool for the job for a long time. That Omaha trick saved me about two hours of cussing on my last big pipe job. Sometimes the perfect tool is just the one that gets the gap closed.
Remember when they told us to think outside the box? They never said the box was full of old coat hangers and desperation. Guess the real lesson was to not let your shop teacher see your van.