Loading…
10
My cheap 3/8 collet let go mid cut and scrapped a $60 sheet of 3/16
Was cutting some brackets Saturday morning when the torch just dove into the plate and dragged a big nasty gouge across about 6 inches before I could hit pause. Turned out the collet in my old torch head was worn and the electrode had slowly walked out, so my arc gap was way off the whole time. I checked the consumables before I started and they looked fine to me, but I guess "looks fine" and "is fine" are two different things. Ordered a new torch head from a place in Cincinnati and a pack of spare collets, how often do you guys swap yours?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
michaela1615d ago
Six inches of gouge is a good reminder that a collet is basically a spring that's been squeezed a few hundred times. Once the fingers lose their grip, the electrode walks out and your arc gap goes to hell without any warning. Swapping collets every 15 to 20 pierces on 3/16 has saved me more sheets than any gauge or checklist ever did.
5