Work days Shop

Work days Shop Amariz & Juan, millennial parents guiding Gen Alpha’s

The upright on my strongman yoke cracked at the crossbar weld from a competitor who ran the yoke into a wall at the end ...
06/14/2026

The upright on my strongman yoke cracked at the crossbar weld from a competitor who ran the yoke into a wall at the end of the course with 800 pounds on it at full sprint speed. The upright was bending at the crack under load and the yoke was listing to one side. I pulled the yoke apart, ground the cracked weld to a full V, preheated the crossbar junction, and welded it back with 7018 in eight passes. I back-gouged the root from the inside and ran two more passes. I welded a 1/2 inch plate gusset on all four faces of the crossbar junction and welded them with six passes each. The upright is straight and the yoke carries 1,000 pounds now. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

The lead net frame on my river fish weir cracked at three of the anchor stake sleeves from flood surge ice that came dow...
06/14/2026

The lead net frame on my river fish weir cracked at three of the anchor stake sleeves from flood surge ice that came down the river in March and hit the frame broadside. The frame was twisted and the lead net was not guiding fish into the trap correctly. I pulled the frame in spring, ground all three cracked sleeves to bare metal, and welded them back with stainless MIG wire in four passes each. I added 2-inch stainless angle iron gussets at all three repaired sleeves and welded them with a continuous bead on both legs. The frame is straight and the lead net guides fish clean into the trap. The catch rate is back to where it was before the ice. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

The spray boom on my agricultural helicopter cracked at the outboard section hinge from a power line strike during a low...
06/14/2026

The spray boom on my agricultural helicopter cracked at the outboard section hinge from a power line strike during a low-level spray run at dusk. The boom section was drooping and spray pattern was off on the left side. I grounded the aircraft and had a certified airframe welder TIG weld the cracked hinge with 4130 filler in five passes with full argon purge and preheat. The repair was dye-penetrant inspected and found clean. The boom was straightened on a fixture and the spray nozzles were flow-tested before the aircraft returned to service. Pattern is back to spec across the full boom width. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

The main chassis tube on my sidecar racing outfit cracked at the sidecar attachment point after a hard curb strike durin...
06/14/2026

The main chassis tube on my sidecar racing outfit cracked at the sidecar attachment point after a hard curb strike during a wet race at a club event. The outfit was handling loose and the passenger could feel the chassis flex on every corner. I stripped the outfit completely to bare chassis, found three cracks total at the attachment cluster, and had a certified frame welder TIG weld all three with 4130 filler in six passes each with full argon purge through the tubes. The tubes were normalized with a torch after welding. The chassis was checked for alignment on a surface plate before reassembly. The outfit handles precise and stiff. The passenger has stopped holding on quite so hard. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

The platform frame on my livestock scale cracked at two of the load cell mount pads from a bull that refused to stand st...
06/14/2026

The platform frame on my livestock scale cracked at two of the load cell mount pads from a bull that refused to stand still and was rocking the platform against the pit walls. The scale was reading 200 pounds light because two load cells were not making contact. I drained the pit, pulled the platform out, ground both cracked pads to bare metal, preheated the frame, and welded them back with 7018 in five passes each. I added 3/8 plate gusset triangles bridging each pad to the adjacent frame member and welded them on all three sides. I recalibrated the scale after reinstalling. It reads within two pounds of certified test weights now. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

The valve body on my large propane rose bud torch cracked at the stem packing boss from being dropped off a workbench on...
06/14/2026

The valve body on my large propane rose bud torch cracked at the stem packing boss from being dropped off a workbench onto a concrete floor. Gas was seeping from the crack when the valve was open and I could smell it across the shop. I shut the gas off immediately, bled the line, and let the torch sit overnight. I ground the crack to bare brass with a rotary carbide burr, preheated the body with a heat gun to 200 degrees, and TIG welded it back with silicon bronze filler in three passes. I pressure-tested the body with soapy water at 30 PSI before I put gas to it. Not a bubble. The torch has run two years since and the valve works perfect. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible

The door pivot on my combine rock trap cracked through from a baseball-sized rock that hit the door at full rotor speed ...
06/14/2026

The door pivot on my combine rock trap cracked through from a baseball-sized rock that hit the door at full rotor speed and bent the pivot pin boss sideways. The door was hanging open and rocks were getting into the rotor. I shut the machine down immediately. I pulled the trap door off, straightened the boss on the anvil while it was still warm, ground the crack to a full V, preheated it, and welded it back with 7018 in five passes. I added a 1/4 inch plate gusset on each side of the boss and welded them with three passes each. The door snaps shut clean and I have not lost a rock to the rotor since. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

The inner mast channel on my 8,000-pound capacity forklift cracked at the lower roller bearing boss from years of liftin...
06/14/2026

The inner mast channel on my 8,000-pound capacity forklift cracked at the lower roller bearing boss from years of lifting at full capacity with a load that was consistently at the forward edge of the forks. The mast was flexing visibly when I lifted heavy and the crack was growing an eighth of an inch every week. I lowered the forks to the ground, locked the machine out, and pulled the inner mast section out. I ground the crack to a full V all the way through the channel web, preheated the section, and welded it back with 7018 in six passes. I back-gouged the root and ran two more passes from the back side. I welded a 3/8 plate fish plate over the full repair zone and welded it with a continuous bead on all four edges. The mast is rigid and the crack hasn't moved in 800 hours. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

The finger bar on my wheat header cracked at the drive arm socket from a stone that hit it square at full header speed. ...
06/14/2026

The finger bar on my wheat header cracked at the drive arm socket from a stone that hit it square at full header speed. The fingers were missing their stroke on every cycle and wheat was falling in front of the cutterbar. I pulled the header off the combine, ground the cracked socket to bare metal, preheated it, and welded it back with 7018 in four passes. I added a 3/16 plate gusset on each side of the socket and welded them with three passes each. I checked the finger timing against the cutter knife before reinstalling. The fingers stroke clean and on time through the heaviest standing wheat I can find. I've combined 5,000 acres since the repair. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

The arbor taper on my floor drill press chuck cracked lengthwise from someone using a drift punch to knock the chuck out...
06/14/2026

The arbor taper on my floor drill press chuck cracked lengthwise from someone using a drift punch to knock the chuck out from the wrong angle and splitting the taper instead of releasing it. The chuck wobbled a full 10 thousandths at the jaws and every hole I drilled was oversized and out of position. I drove the chuck off, chucked the arbor in the lathe, built the cracked taper up with stainless MIG wire in four passes, and turned it back to Morse taper spec in three cuts. I lapped the taper to the spindle with fine lapping compound until it blued up full contact across the full taper length. The chuck runs under one tenth of runout now. Every hole I drill is where I put it. The final welds were left unpainted and fully visible.

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Work days Shop posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share