Mods

One of the curses of having a pickup is everyone wants your help moving something.  

One of the curses of having a lathe and / or mill, is people finding out about it.  Welder bud asked me to fix a HF mig welder last year.  He wanted to put a different gun on it, so I made an adapter.  It worked for quite a while, then it didn't.  He  asked me to mod the welder.  I asked for the old parts, "well it wasn't working so I pitched it."  Way past finding now.

Please Be Kind and Rewind (to before you threw away the prototype)

via GIPHY

more below the fold:

So, remeasure the socket, and figure out how to bore it out to fit the standard sized one he wants.

TOOLS 

I was told the other day that I don't bring anything to the table but time and that wasn't worth much.  I got a bit sharp and said I bring over thirty years experience in industrial electronics, computer aided drafting, manufacturing and general work knowledge that would cost the average person $175 / hr.  Care to try again?  [TBI => Δattitude*Δ𝜏] (for various values of TBI)

Part of it is knowing which tools to get and how / when to use them.  I have spent a lot of time reading and learning and asking questions of those who KNOW.  Thank you Spartan-C.  You have been a most patient mentor.  

 

On the table today is the following:  telescoping hole gauge, calipers, micrometer, micrometer stand, optical visor, pen and paper.  Optional is the caffeine induced shaky hand writing.  It's like a makers mark.

 

gun connector: 

Yesweld gun

Sketch the crime scene, just the facts

So, if it's bored on the current center line, it looks like 25 thou needs to come off each side, and that will leave 24 thou wall thickness at the thinnest part.  Not good.

 

If a "thin section" was a picture

 

OR ....

Bore it off-center, and leave the 49 thou thin wall, move the hole for the welding wire guide and call it good.    That's the plan.  

I'll give a few thou for the fit.  Wish I had the OLD ONE SO I COULD DUPLICATE THAT DIAMETER!!!!!  But that would be too easy.  *edit*  I wanted to duplicate the "fit".  

 

Fit: noun, the amount the pointy bit is smaller than the sockety bit.  

 

Gotta squeeze those o-rings just enough to seal the gas pressure, not enough to deform and leak. 

 

This is all about doing the best possible job, to unnecessary tolerances, for no money, near-maximum frustration, and QUALITY education.  How do you know what you can do, if you don't stretch your skills every so often.  Just be sure you wait long enough that you can't remember how you did it before, so it's always a challenge.  

Gratuitous Tool Pic:

 

Telescopic hole gauge in the Micrometer's maw

 

 PS - formatting question.  Do you mind if I do a page break and make you click for more?  I'm trying to save some room on the front page and not have the full roll of toilet paper rolled out.  If it's a pain, say so, if you don't mind, say so.  If you have no opinion, say so.  Thanks in advance.