Sometimes it's the little things....

D

deker

Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Messages
3,496
In this case, it's a 1/2"-13 countersunk head screw...I just broke one on my press in a critical spot. Now I'm down until I can get a replacement...I had planned to be forging until 12 or 1AM tonight to make up for time lost to the wicked heat today...Hopefully the local Ace has one and I can get back to forging tomorrow.

-d
 
sunshadow said:
replace it's neighbors that share the load as well while you are down

-Page
Click to expand...

I would, but there are no such animals. If you look at the picture below you'll see a bracket that connects the cylinder ram to the lower slide. That bracket and it's cross-pin only bears load when the cylinder retracts, it's loose enough that the ram just sandwiches the bottom piece of the bracket between itself and the lower slide when it's pressing up. The broken bolt is the one that attaches that bracket to the ram. It apparently started to back out a bit from the press cycling and the head snapped off.

DSC_0542.jpg


So, looks like I get the night off....

-d
 
Of course...it couldn't be that easy...Just replace the broken bolt? Ha! Well, I did that, and it's all back together, but now it's got a bit of a side loading going on that I can't explain or find. Looks like I'm down until I can figure it out....

bah.

-d
 
Page, I should have taken your advice to the next level and replaced every bolt on the machine I could get at. Everything that I took apart got new Grade 8 hardware, but I didn't touch the bolts that hold the cylinder plate to the press frame. Turns out that two of them had taken on a good bit of stress and have stretched. I've snugged things up and it's acting like normal again, but I'll be replacing those bolts, keeping more on hand, and checking them regularly....

-d
 
I have started keeping spares of any piece of hardware that can put me down if it breaks at 9:15 Friday evening, because it's always the 13/64 drill, the 6x1 metric tap, or the carbide cutoff tool bit that breaks when I have a deadline.

Good luck!

-Page
 
sunshadow said:
I have started keeping spares of any piece of hardware that can put me down if it breaks at 9:15 Friday evening, because it's always the 13/64 drill, the 6x1 metric tap, or the carbide cutoff tool bit that breaks when I have a deadline.

Good luck!

-Page
Click to expand...

I'm rapidly getting to the same point. The biggest problem is my general lack of organization. I really have to work on that one. I've got lots of things that "I know I've got", but can't find when I need 'em.

I suppose I could have been out forging tonight, but I was feeling kind of drained by the stress of fooling with the machine all day so I'm taking the night off. Gotta get back at it tomorrow though...

-d
 
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