Just Something To Watch Out For...

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So today I had more rollers to put together..Had 2 that were 12 feet long..10.5" diameter...thick (1") wall...I knew the positioner would not turn these so they were spun by hand as I went along..(I weld everyday...I just dont show youz guyz everything.. )So as I'm blasting away @250 amps I notice "Its just not right"..the ground clamp and cable are all wrapped around the rear journal and smoking!!"Thats not good" I say to myself...I get up and grab the ground clamp and burn my hand..not bad but enough to make me yell.. Seems the ground cable inside the insulation was "coming apart"I had to loose a good foot to get to copper colored cable..not that "off black" colored wire that was semi melting..The ground clamp bolt was loose enough to make some serious resistance in the wire hence the burning.. Check your ground clamp/cable every so often..If it gets loose anywhere...thats just as bad as clamping to rust..So with nice "new" cable and a new bolt to clamp it down with all is well now..Welded for 2 hrs  and the ground never got hot again..In the end..all the little things add up to one big thing... ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:That is a good point. When I was doing a lot of field work on heavy yellow things I had a ground that was a lug soldered onto the cable and then bolted to a piece of plate shaped like a hook. Most time just hangin it over an edge was good but a lot of times I would tack it to the work....worked for me.
Reply:Aaah dang, no pictures of the smoking cable or burned hand? John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:This holds true for those of us who do road work and use quick connects. If you leave your cables outside they will be effected by the weather. Every now and again take a battery treminal brush, the type you would use to clean a top post terminal and clean the inside of the female side of the quick connect. Also remove the end from the cable and check that as well._________________Chris
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZoneAaah dang, no pictures of the smoking cable or burned hand?
Reply:I want to see the blister on the hand along with a dime to show how big it is!"Common sense is not very common"http://www.tahoekeyshome.com
Reply:Originally Posted by brucebI want to see the blister on the hand along with a dime to show how big it is!
Reply:Ok...but next time we want pics with dimes in them!"Common sense is not very common"http://www.tahoekeyshome.com
Reply:I just took a small pair of C clamp vice grips and welded a 5/16 bolt to em.  bolted the cable to that.  Nice ground clamp.  Works on questionable plate.  Opens to 3".  No spring involved.  I learned this one from my dad.  It seems if I couldn't get a good ground, I would put on a pair of vice grips and attach my ground clamp to them.DavidAnd yes every now and then I take connections apart and wire wheel the copper to bright.
Reply:This holds true for those of us who do road work and use quick connects. If you leave your cables outside they will be effected by the weather.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterHey Chris...Do you think Dielectric Grease like used in electric plow connectors would give any protection in that application???Keeps all the pins and such nice nice......zap!
Reply:You know, we use a petroleum based conductive grease at work for carbon brushes (customers dont like the squeaks).  What I have found (copiers are pretty dirty machines inside) is that the grease is like a magnet for any dust that floats around and the maintenence is twice what it was.  Yea its quiet, but it just cakes up over time.  Boot grease is sealed, thus it stays fine for a long time.  I think a good heavy star washer is the ticket.  I noticed my welders came with nice big bolts, but just flat washers.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:Hey Zap,Just out of curiosity, how many turns did your ground cable make around the ferrous core of your roller?  Do you think that you may have wound a homemade "250 amp choke"?  It sounds like your insulated ground cable wrapped around the roller with juice flowin' through it made a nice inductor.  I assume the roller was pretty warm too.  Just a crackpot theory.cricman