I’ve made a few hundred parts with this machine since I got it now I’m adding the extension parts and it was time to clean the water table and slats anyway so it’s a good time. I made some parts yesterday and noticed the table was leaking a bit and discovered why. Some time in the last couple of days I managed to burn the table and theres a pin hole. I’ll weld it up but I’m not sure how it happened because the table is always full of water. Has anyone else done this?
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This is the underside if the table. I see now its being burned when I cut thicker stuff at high amps. So how much water should be in the table? Mine filled to a little more than half way up the slats.
I fill it with about 7 or 8 gallons. About a half-inch from the top of the table.
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mines probably a little less than that. Have you looked under your table recently? Wondering if there are any burn marks on yours.
I fill mine till it almost spills over!
Checked tonight when I put the extender on. No holes or cut shadows. But I am getting corrosion from the water/borax mix where it drops down from the edge. Going to look at doing something with that tommorow - probably some kind of paint or coating.
You have the stainless table? Should be no corrosion from the borax. Not sure on aluminum. Good to hear thers no burns
No. I have the original table.
I think borax can react with aluminum. Washing soda might be better? Keep it iff the zinc plating though
I have the original aluminum water table and fill it completely to top with green stuff/water mix. I have multiple pin holes leaking all the water out from corrosion. Guess I need to make a new water table. Lasted a year
Did you have an anode in it?
Yes, have had the anode installed since I put it all together
Did you ever coat it with anything?
I have had mine since Oct (2nd wave) and use water with Borax mix. I drain it after use but that still leaves about a half-inch of water in it (I put in a bulkhead drain valve fitting so the attachment nut keeps it proud of the bottom so it doesn’t drain all the way). I also don’t clean out the bits & pieces of cutouts.
I coated it originally with FlexSeal but that started lifting off the aluminum a couple of months ago. I just cleaned it and removed the FlexSeal and sprayed it with rubberized truck bed coating to see if that works any better.
I’m wondering if the aluminum tray needs to be coated or if my debris let the corrosion attack the bits of steel (or the anode, I have that installed too) rather than the aluminum. It would be good to hear from any other folks who have seen corrosion.
On the water collecting. .one is the stainless one and I heated a large circle around the middle with a 10lb weight on the drain and the metal stretched enough that it almost all drains away except for a small puddle around the middle. I think on aluminum you could actually gently peen a circle and get better results because you could adjust it easier than I could with the heat. Peen with from the top backed with a heavy hammer I underneath.
Thanks for the suggestion. Good idea. I like the ball valve’s ability to drain with a lever vs the stock approach of unscrewing the anode.
Oh yeah I never saw the aluminum table so mine was likely a little different. The brass plub and washer added 3/16 or so to keep.of from draining so I dodnt have to sink it too far to work. I did thread the outside of the original piece for a ball valve.
Also I use piece of scotchbright pad over the drain to filter out the debris and keep the fountain affect to a minimum when I fill the table from a pressure tank. This is full pressure (15#) full table in about 1 minute and empty is about 5 minutes I had it going much faster but there is no need
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Bar sink drain… and some cobbled together standard plumbing fittings from Home Depot. Very little water remains when I drain it, and it evaporates over night… Was a pain to cut that size round hole with a 4" cutoff wheel though! It’s not pretty under there, but it works
Could you use the crossfire to cut the hole?
I guess I could have, but I didn’t have my plasma cutter in at the time… Mailman came after…
I did the same drain but used this for the hole.
Super clean cut.
(https://www.harborfreight.com/hydraulic-punch-driver-kit-96718.html)