Metal Working! Fitting, Machining, Welding, Sheet and General Metal Fab

Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
Just don't snap taps, don't use blunt taps, I haven't snapped one in about 30 years. People just keep on driving them down without reversing, and then they grab on the swarf and jamb. ;)
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I've used an EDM fast hole machine to remove them too, like the oxy, it just blasts them away, just a bit more slowly and controlled.
EDM’s are the best way but nobody’s buying a EDM hole machine for a broken tap. Especially when there’s an oxy lying around.
 

Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
Just don't snap taps, don't use blunt taps, I haven't snapped one in about 30 years. People just keep on driving them down without reversing, and then they grab on the swarf and jamb. ;)
Most of the ones I have removed were from fitters getting a bit strong handed when using a tap to clean out a thread. "Call in the boilermaker!"

I have seen the carbon arc gouger take a broken tap out of a steam turbine casing. It was a 75mm dia tap. Tap had a defect. Bang. Then many many fancy words.
That's a bloody big tap!
 

Mattyp

Cows go boing
I don't do anywhere near as much welding as I used to these days, but have definitely become more conscious of the health hazards that come with it as I've gotten older.
Picked up a 3M G5-01 with an Adflo filtered air unit a little while ago.
It's actually made welding more enjoyable by knowing I'm not sucking down noxious fumes for extended periods...should have bought one of these 10 years ago...
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Also made the switch to non radioactive Lanthonated tungstens a while back. Why the industry insists on still using the "standard" Thoriated tungstens I will never understand.
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Things get way messy when it’s in deep and it snaps.


Ohh I love it when you talk dirty


Reminds me, I saw some head bolt fastener and thread repair kit testing on the toob. Timesert didn’t do so well.

 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
Most of the ones I have removed were from fitters getting a bit strong handed when using a tap to clean out a thread. "Call in the boilermaker!"


That's a bloody big tap!
The studs are hollow. They are screwed into the lower half, top casing goes on after inner casings. Then the nuts are spun down by hand then an inductance heater drops into the hollow stud. Once the stud has stretched enough the nuts are again spun down by hand and voila torque setting achieved! No torque multipliers, no fancy hydraulic spanners. Those are to get the nuts undone next overhaul.
 

fjohn860

Alice in diaperland
6th wedding anniversary coming up, got some ideas online for an "iron" gift.

We don't really do presents for any event, but I always try and make the anniversary gift.

Still need to heat the shit out of it and quench for some corrosion prevention but coming along nicely.

Made from some scrap steel "hooks" work were throwing out a few yrs back. Finally found a use for them.

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Thought I'd put the doggos' names on there for good measure
 

ausdb

Being who he is
I don't do anywhere near as much welding as I used to these days, but have definitely become more conscious of the health hazards that come with it as I've gotten older.
Picked up a 3M G5-01 with an Adflo filtered air unit a little while ago.
It's actually made welding more enjoyable by knowing I'm not sucking down noxious fumes for extended periods...should have bought one of these 10 years ago...
On the subject of welding helmets, I'm in the market for a new one but not really in that price range. It will be for home use Tig and ideally a true colour with the abiliity to hold a magnifying lense as I've got old man eyes. I've seen a few suggestions on these being ok, has anyone else got any suggestions?
 

Mattyp

Cows go boing
On the subject of welding helmets, I'm in the market for a new one but not really in that price range. It will be for home use Tig and ideally a true colour with the abiliity to hold a magnifying lense as I've got old man eyes. I've seen a few suggestions on these being ok, has anyone else got any suggestions?
Something like that will more than likely be fine, especially for home use. The one I bought is actually the first auto-helmet I've ever bought as doing TIG work in factories under various types of lighting I found that cheaper auto helmets would spontaneously turn off and blind you mid weld. Flickering lights, fluro tubes, even a flashing light on a passing forklift is enough to interfere with the sensors, so Ive used a trusty $20 flip-up lid for the last 15 years. When its down its dark and you know you're not going to get flash.
 

andrew9

Likes Dirt
I started using one of these lenses six months ago, in a standard flip-lens helmet (CIG hiderok)
Maybe done 100 welds on 3 inch and 2 inch tube in that time, so it's had a moderate amount of work and been flawless


I really like this setup. Like Mattyp I've been using a flip helmet for a long time, I have never found a modern helmet I really like.

It's kinda expensive for just a lens insert, but for me it's better than some very expensive helmets.
 

SummitFever

Eats Squid
On the subject of welding helmets, I'm in the market for a new one but not really in that price range. It will be for home use Tig and ideally a true colour with the abiliity to hold a magnifying lense as I've got old man eyes. I've seen a few suggestions on these being ok, has anyone else got any suggestions?
I think the cheapest 3M Speedglas is now around the $300 mark. My Speedglas must be close to 20 years old now and has been flawless, although the quality may have changed over time. Even so, like Mattyp I will often use an ancient CIG flip up (albeit with a massive viewing area).

For tig, particularly when seated, its not so critical to see what you're doing before you strike an arc because you can get everything lined up and have your hands/workpiece etc all in place, so a quick flick of your head isn't going to throw everything off. cf. stick welding where auto-darkening is awesome.
 

andrew9

Likes Dirt
The flip helmet I have sort of looks like this one:


I now need to wear multi-focal glasses and the big range of up-down vision through the lens is great for that.
So it doesn't have a flip up welding lens with a clear lens underneath?
 

andrew9

Likes Dirt
No. You flip the whole helmet up and then a quick nod of the head has it back down again. Hands-free darkening:)
I swap one or both the pins on the "letterbox" flip lens out for bits of wire to fine tune how easy it is to shut it with a quick nod. I never flip the whole helmet down just before welding. Just snap the small lens down

To each their own, both methods are equally out of date ;)
 
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