Arghhhh. Kicking myself in the butt.

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I have a small job to do for the ambulance service. I am building a rack to hold long spine boards. building it out of 1"x1" square tubing. Real simple job, about $100 in materials and 3-4 hours work. I priced it for $300. Started it today with intentions of getting it done today and painted tomorrow. Well it started out good, got all the peices cut and ends mitered. started welding it together got one side done and was working on the other side. Was having a little trouble with the tip on the MIG gun so I took a break and went to the local WS to get some tips and a new nozzle (been needing to replace it). I also picked up a ground clamp which the old one needed replacing and a new difuser. The old one was looking kinda beat up. $25 worth of stuff from the supply house. Everything good to this point. Got back home and started putting the new stuff on the gun, here is where it goes down hill. I cross threaded the difuser on to the gun. Messing up the difuser and the threads on the gun. Decided I would put the old difuser back on once I got the threads cleaned up. Got out my tap and die set out, got the appropriate die out to chase the threads. I ended up removing the threads from the end of the gun ruining the whole end. Luckily the supply house has a replacement gun set up for my little machine. Now I get to go spend $125 on the gun tomorrow morning to finish up the job. Total so far $100 materials, $25 maintenance parts and consumables, $125 to replace gun. I am $250 into a $300 job not including gas and time back and forth to the supply house. I should have left well enough alone and just replaced a $1 tip.
Reply:Lesson learned, priceless! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:At least your still making money. Some days it costs a lot to work. Post some pictures of the finished product when your done.Are you sure the LWS sold you the correct parts?
Reply:And now you have a new mig gun the job payed for.  Good for making a Lot more money.   It happens to all of us.I once left my Miller elite on the back of my truck.  $300 mistake.It happens....Try not to step in it.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:LOL, I hate expensive lessons though. it was the right difuser, the original one was a little tight coming off, so I am thinking that maybe the original one had been put on wrong and I just made it worse. Then finished it off with the die. I will post some pics when done.
Reply:New gun in place and that little machine is rocking. Welds better now than it has since I bought it.
Reply:All in all, you are ahead then.It usually costs me about as much as having my jobs hired out, but then look at all the tools I have accumulated.  AND you can deduct the cost of the tools, etc. on your taxes.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:I finally got it finished. Here is some pics. I will deliver it in the am. on my way to my station. Will post pics of it in place and loaded with long spine boards.
Reply:Here is the new gun and ground clamp. The little machine rocks now.