Pro tip: the finisher who trained me said 'watch the water, not the mud' and I finally get it
I was pouring a 12 yard slab out in Fresno last month and the mix started going off way faster than I expected. My old lead, a guy named Ray who ran crews for 22 years, always said quit staring at the color and watch the bleed water instead. I slowed down, waited it out, and that slab finished cleaner than anything I've floated in a while. Anybody else got a rule like that from an old hand that only clicks years later?