How stupid can I actually be?

[gsims]

Last Fruday my Hypertherm plasma cutter showed up. Did a quick test drive on Saturday but had also bought an additional Hypertherm filter ($$$) and wanted to mount it before getting too carried away. Also only used in on 110 volts. But cut darn fine even on 110.

So on the weekend I mount the secondary filter... hook it up to 220 and figure I'll give it a try. So it cuts a couple inches and the arc just stops? Pull the trigger again...cuts a couple inches and stops??? Look over at the front panel and air is good...no lights on that shouldn't be...no flashing lights. So I'm thinking is this additional filter screwing something up? Did I accedently knock a wire off when I had the cover off? Out with the manual (you know its serious if a guy is reading instructions) and looking at the troubleshooting section. Nothing there... a real head scratched.

Then it hit me. Would probably work way better if I actually clamped the ground cable into the metal I was cutting! Back out to the shop...clamped on the ground and way she goes.

The only thing more amazing than it would cut at all minus the clamp is me admitting I forgot to put it on.

Going to make a sign for the cart that reads "Put Ground Clamp On Workpiece".

[elvis]

Been there, done that! I couldn't figure out why my cutmaster kept cutting out one day. I could cut about 5" of 3/16" plate and then it quit. It was a headscratcher for sure. Glad you figured it out and didn't warranty the machine!

[shovelon]

Been there, done that! I couldn't figure out why my cutmaster kept cutting out one day. I could cut about 5" of 3/16" plate and then it quit. It was a headscratcher for sure. Glad you figured it out and didn't warranty the machine!

It is really embarrassing when you call Hypertherm tech and they ask you about the ground.

[Kpack]

That's the story of my life welding or cutting sometimes I think my weld is going to look pretty good but when I pull the helmet up to look at it I'm not even on the crack I was trying to weld

[USMCPOP]

Sound a bit like the time I stomped all around the house grousing about not being able to find my glasses. Lucky for me someone pointed out that I was wearing them.

[rustyanchor]

Ground clamp attached to work makes MIG weld, no clamp, no spark..., Turning shielding gas on helps with weld appearance, Making sure switch is in the MIG gun position rather than the spool gun position gives a much better arc and for longer, also leads to much less cussing and fussing.

Just to make sure people weren't joshing me, I tried all of these....a couple of them multiple times to really make sure...

[gsims]

Well it sounds like not too lonely a club at least. I'm also famous for marking a cut on the wrong side of the inch mark. So 5-1/4 becomes 4-3/4. Hey its 5 + a quarter...just the wrong way from the 5.

But the best is I know a guy that was building a shop. It was going to be 40x60. Doing the foundation he didn't gave a 100 foot tape so borrowed one from the guy up the road. Came time to erect the walls and WTF...nothing is fitting. Ends up couple years before the hook end of the tape broke off so the guys cut off a foot and re-rivited the end on. He forgot to tell him when he borrowed it so the foundation ended up 39x59. Piss off was an understatement.

[big mike]

This makes me remember to day I was welding on my work bench(before I had a welding table) with the part in the vice.It welded but seemed erratic.....hmmm.Got the part done and looked on the bench to see the ground clamp laying on a wrench,wrench touching a screw driver,screw driver laying against the vice......now I see the light DOH!

[USMCPOP]

I'll have to give my kid credit. He was welding along in a community college class and noticed that his pant leg was on fire. Guess there was no setting on those fancy Miller welders that would prevent that.

[Portable Welder]

Yup, Happens to me too, The fact that it does cut some makes you assume that the ground is hooked up.