It Should Have Been Easy.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

I had a fairly restful night, but still had a problem walking out to the Truck this morning. It seems that if my steps are not perfectly aligned, the Pain that shoots through my Hip/Leg nearly knocks me off my feet.

After completely welding the Rebuild Feedscrew yesterday, Mile was still smiling when I pointed a Spot that came out undersized, because I showed it was a quick fix with the TIG.

The next time I saw him was just before starting to weld the Small Unit that had been put aside yesterday. Even for that size Screw it still required Two Burners to make it warm enough to apply the Hard-Surfacing Material. Due to the smaller Diameter it has to turn faster, which means you can’t expect it to warm as you are welding, and it also looses its heat faster. That means the entire thing has to be Hot before you start.

At .32 RPM it should take Ninety-Three Minutes to complete the weld. When I pushed the “Begin to Weld” button, I was actually thinking how clean the weld appeared. Minutes later I thought I might get all the other Touch-Ups done early.

Twelve Minutes later I had to stop everything, because the Torch was suddenly going way off course, and was not responding to the Controls. With the Torch in limbo I tried changing numbers but nothing happen. I removed the Drive Cover and Serpentine Belt to correct the position manually, that worked but the Servo-Motor seemed jammed. When Mile saw me walk into the Office with Dirty Hands and a look of disgust on my face the first word out of his mouth was “Electrician”, I just nodded.

Unfortunately, Richard did not show up, but his son Kevin did. (I chuckled to myself, because we also have a son called Kevin.) We worked together and found that if the Power to the system was shut off, the Servo-Motor rotated freely, but the moment the Power was turned on everything was jammed.

Talking to the Technician at the company in Goshen, Indiana that built the machine they needed to Rehome the Unit using the Internet. Guess what would not work? The Internet Provider that supplies the Connection would take to the end of the day before they could fix the problem.

Word got out that the PTA was down for the day and Touch-Ups and Repairs started gathering at the Inspection Bench.

When the Buzzer went off, I took the time to have my first Lunch Break of the week. Kathy was busy at the Cashier after getting some groceries in Walmart when I called.

I have repeatedly told Mile about finding a replacement welder for the last few Weeks but especially this week when I needed my Cane on the shop floor. I was just about to start the first Touch-Up when Mile showed up with Joe, to see if he could weld. Joe looked at the Torch and wandered where the Trigger was? As I turned on the Machine water was suddenly spraying out. Waving to Mile I opened the panel to see the Leak and simply said “I fix”. Mile tried to see if Joe could use the Stick Welder only to find that he did not know how to put the electrode in the Holder. He then showed him the PTA and Joe stood there shaking his head. (I don’t think we’ll be seeing Joe around.)

I cleared Four Touch-Ups before the end of the shift but the way one reacted, I’ll be double checking in the morning.

After changing to leave, just as I was headed for the Time Clock the Technician for the Internet Provider showed up. I took him to the PTA to brief him what we needed before getting him hooked up with Vinnie the Engineer. They went upstairs to work on the Server while I headed out the door.

I stopped at the Credit Union before stopping at Wendy’s where I used a Coupon to get dinner. The Coupons say one thing, but they can be twisted to your personal taste.

At the Apartment, Kathy appreciated not having to cook. She also appreciated the Salad rather than Fries, while I had Chili.

Hopefully, that Three Hour Job will be completed tomorrow and there will be more Welders applying for the job. The sooner a new welder is hired the more I can teach them to run the Plasma Transfer Arc. Remember there are only Three of these Machines in North America and One is in Canada. Even if my surgery is not for a while, the sooner I get out of there, the better it will be for me.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You know your getting old when the pharmacist has become your new best friend.