SWEETER THAN HONEY We can all relate to trying to remove a nut that is well bonded to a stud. You have heated the nut to glowing red hot and it will move, but it is snapping, and you know you’re going to break the stud. What do you use for penetrating oil? Oils just...

CNC FEED & FEED CHART Shops with CNC mills often need to do a "quick" task, such as drilling a few holes, or taking a cut along one axis, etc. this tip discusses 3 methods to do so. Most machines have a pendant or hand wheels the operator can use to move the tool...

REMOVING BOLTS BY CANDLE Removing broken bolts and studs can be surprisingly easy. First clean the area, then you heat up the broken bolt or stud. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Put a candle or paraffin wax on the broken bolt or stud. Let it sit for another 15 minutes...

IN HOUSING SHAFT REPAIR Let's say you need to repair damaged threads on the impeller end of a pump or turbo shaft, which is recessed in the housing, and maybe even mushroomed by a hammer-happy tech. You cannot remove the shaft from the housing because of the...

WELDING ROD STORAGE Regardless of the material, after some time, humidity takes its toll, and many rods end up being trashed. Especially susceptible are aluminum, magnesium, and chrome moly. I keep my rods in hermetically sealed homemade tubes of plastic plumbing...

DOUBLE YOUR STRENGTH Lifting heavy objects is an everyday occurrence in machine shops.  To prevent injury, it’s a good idea to install small, inexpensive wire cable hoists over equipment that can hold castings in place while mounting to machinery.  Small hoists that...