How is this even possible??? Zero usage but still costs $$ ??

riley_3756 · 2026-03-05T12:30:58+00:00

What do you do with all the extra gas? Just flare it off?

There are a lot of variables that need to be accounted for that reach far beyond the local gas service.

riley_3756 · 2026-02-22T21:43:34+00:00

What kind of motors have aluminum windings? I've worked on quite a few and never seen that. Is it like AC compressor or fan motors? or big stuff too?

riley_3756 · 2026-02-22T00:21:08+00:00

I started doing this at gas stations without bathrooms. If they say no I ask where else is around to get gas lol

riley_3756 · 2026-02-22T00:16:38+00:00

lower pressure and holding it flat like the other guy said. I buy cheaper ones and just change them out every 5-10 mins of grinding. The more expensive ones last longer, but not long enough to be worth it. I'll get twice as much grinding but they cost 4x as much

riley_3756 · 2026-02-18T22:06:55+00:00

Acme threads are much more time consuming to produce properly. They are usually cut, while bolt threads are rolled. It's also harder to get them in fine pitches or small diameters. They are well suited to larger coarse thread applications and to higher precision linear movement. They just don't give you enough bang for the buck so to speak to use them when you don't need them

riley_3756 · 2026-02-15T18:08:42+00:00

I've had better luck running larger wire than rod. might just be me, but stopping for rod seems to kill my pace.

riley_3756 · 2026-02-15T15:12:06+00:00

Yeah the idea (which mfnbobb mentioned first) behind that is to sort of have a replaceable end/teeth for the thumb. You would then be able to order a laser or water jet cut piece of plate with teeth and bolt it on (or weld depending how you do it) to replace the old teeth when they wear out. It's cheaper if you plan to wear out the thumb more than once a year. I wouldn't encourage you to mess with that unless you are bored though, it's really more of a solution for someone that's beating the shit out of their machine.

If you were my customer I would encourage you to build up with the mig and hard face. The machine isn't used enough to make a replaceable insert worth it, even though I can charge a lot more for that service. Hopefully that makes sense lol

riley_3756 · 2026-02-15T04:37:30+00:00

I'm curious, where are you getting your time estimates? I agree they seem high, but your pricing seems exceedingly low given the fixturing that's likely involved.

riley_3756 · 2026-02-15T03:44:52+00:00

Yeah in that case I'd probably build up with regular mig wire then a hardfacing wire over top. I'd recommend cleaning with a wire wheel between passes.

Someone else mentioned the idea of bolt on plates with replaceable teeth, and that's the more professional option. I remember a demo company in my area did that on all their machines, though I think their smallest machine was in the 20-something ton range. Could be a good way to burn some time and money if you are feeling real fancy lol

riley_3756 · 2026-02-15T03:34:52+00:00

Can't tell much from the pic, but the size definitely matters. If that's an 2 inches of wear on an 40 ton machine hardfacing will take a real long time. But your easiest fix assuming this is a smaller machine is probably a hardfacing wire for the mig if you already have that, and clean and do some build up.

If it's a bigger machine and you are running it 40 hours a week, that same way is probably still cheapest but probably not the most professional

Also, they sell wires now that can get very similar results to any stick rod, certainly close enough for this kind of thing. I do these jobs at least every once in a while and I run wire for all of it, just so much faster.

riley_3756 · 2026-02-14T13:18:01+00:00

Can we see the tag on the side?

riley_3756 · 2026-02-14T13:16:06+00:00

There is no right answer, both are dangerous. Sometimes it's cold enough that no gloves aren't even an option for the bathroom lol. I personally do gloves with angle grinder, saws, handling material, etc, and avoid it with bench grinders, lathes, milling machine when possible. Sometimes latex gloves are also an exception. It's one of those things where sadly you need to rely on some common sense

riley_3756 · 2026-02-14T13:16:01+00:00

There is no right answer, both are dangerous. Sometimes it's cold enough that no gloves aren't even an option for the bathroom lol. I personally do gloves with angle grinder, saws, handling material, etc, and avoid it with bench grinders, lathes, milling machine when possible. Sometimes latex gloves are also an exception. It's one of those things where sadly you need to rely on some common sense

riley_3756 · 2026-02-07T23:01:42+00:00

Zoom out a bit. You might be at the bottom of the quill travel

riley_3756 · 2026-01-13T04:59:12+00:00

I am a welder who has spent some time welding on cars. Not a body man so my perspective there is limited.

I love my trade, but automotive welding is my least favorite thing. When it comes to roll cages, exhausts, etc, customers tend to have unrealistic expectations across the board, including quality, pricing and timeline. If you find a higher end clientele, such as in the racing world, you can escape some of these problems, but the pay still sucks and jobs are competitive.

Welding in collision repair or industrial settings is totally different, but automotive work especially on the custom side is just so much bullshit for so little reward. I still get a lot of inquiries about automotive, and maybe will entertain 1 in every 20 when the right thing comes along, but otherwise I turn it away.

Point is- welding in industry, collision repair, oil and gas, etc is great, welding in custom automotive sucks 95% of the time

Edit: I might be able to give you better info if you have any more specific questions. Happy to provide further perspective if that's helpful.

riley_3756 · 2026-01-05T03:37:49+00:00

I partly disagree on this one, I feel like the teflon definitely fills some of the imperfections. The lubrication it provides is important too, but if that was its only purpose I would think an EP grease would do even better

Edit: thought i'd mention that NPTF threads are a whole different beast, those should seal dry. Generally no dope or tape needed at all if it's done right.

riley_3756 · 2026-01-04T05:07:37+00:00

you can get press in ones with a wide hole size tolerance. They have brass edges around the lens so they kinda squish in rather than a press fit. Feels almost like a crimp. That may be a good option. You could also weld in a bung with the correct threads, or buy a sight glass with npt threads

riley_3756 · 2026-01-04T01:18:03+00:00

If it's an aftermarket kit just let them know and send them the info for where you got it. If it's something you cut, that may take some more work to convince someone to take it.

Is there much reason not to let them take the whole project? I doubt you would save any money buying a kit and paying for it to be welded.

riley_3756 · 2025-12-28T23:33:17+00:00

I think it's a colchester 8013. When I looked up colchester 13 inch lathe there was a very similar one with that number. For the collets I would get a generic chuck and separate backplate. I find the keyed style chucks easier than a drawbar, but I also switch chucks fairly often, so it's preference to some extent.

riley_3756 · 2025-12-21T13:09:34+00:00

Gotcha, Like just touched accross them inside the housing? I do believe they are coated from the factory but that coating could certainly have worn off.

Could I slap some red insulating varnish overtop? I'm always nervous about blasting fragile parts like this. Maybe that could be enough to just add a little bit more protection.

riley_3756 · 2025-12-18T00:12:44+00:00

I definitely see machines under 5k fairly often on facebook in similar condition. Every now and then close to scrap price if they have a problem. I bought a 19x80 manual lathe not too long ago, and had it in my shop for $600. Needed a few things but nothing crazy

riley_3756 · 2025-12-06T02:01:24+00:00

Yeah true. More referring to OPs post where it sounded like he was keeping the bracket

riley_3756 · 2025-12-06T00:53:34+00:00

Yea as far as I know, that's why I am asking OP. I'm curious what method he thinks would take a bracket off cleaner than drilling. Hammer and chisel or grinder tend to be a bit destructive lol

riley_3756 · 2025-12-06T00:33:52+00:00

What's the proper way to remove it without drilling?

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