Gotcha, were you unable to clamp at the top of the cup? I’ll bet there’s a few guys running the same torch and surely don’t to run into the same issues you’ve had sir.
If I can see correctly, the cup in the pic (the black area) is tapered? Do you have a taper inside your mount to match?
Steve.
No I wasn’t able to clamp the top of the retaining cup, you could if you used long screws but like mentioned earlier your not guaranteed a squared true clamp especially with that amount of stick out
Only a portion of the XT40 retaining cup is tapered but it has a flat surface just over .5" wide and the steps you see in my torch clamp serve to control depth and repeatability when clamping and reclamping
I see, I see, that is a large cup.
Errrrr. I have the same problem, the xt 40 just should not be clamped there. It looks like a brittle ceramic insulator that breaks from either the clamping or getting yanked around while cutting.
I dont have the goods to make a new clamp like you did there, I did order the replacement parts today. Not sure what I am going to do.
Thanks for this post though, spot on with todays shop problem.
A solution might be to get a couple of longer screws for the V-block and using a more substantial part of the torch handle. You would also need to raise the v-block’s mounting position on the vertical rail. That’s not hard - just drill a new hole for the retaining screw further up. Make sure you get that in the dead center (side to side) since there’s no play in the V-block when it’s sliding on the vertical piece.
Longer screws will allow the torch to be clamped up where it should be but contact would be minimal with the v block, maybe machining the v block out a little would be a reasonable fix. Chuck has the best idea but it is beyond my abilities with the Bridgeport.
I will look around and see if I have a end mill the right size, what could go wrong?
I wonder if this collar from the Miller circle cutter that is made to grip the collar in the right place could be modified somehow…
Nope, not gonna work,
The diameter of the Miller CIrcle won’t allow it to fit between the stock bolt spread
Here I modified the LS Torch holder and added a lip for a positive stop for repeatable depth placement upon removal and re-attachment
I see what you did there, you did that without the collar, I was trying to get it to hold with the collar. So that was not good enough? You went on to make the new holder anyway?
By the way, thanks for this thread with all the pics and videos.
Yea I just have the Miller Retaining cup I don’t have a Circle Cutter Attachment that you have but under that should be the Miller Retaining cup.
I made my aluminum block before I even messed with doing a modification to the LS Torch holder but this version you see in the video I certify that as good enough miles better then the stock configuration.
I personally like the slit collet design on mines, but on this LS Torch mount the same can moreless be down that way you only have to loosen one screw to remove moreless, I haven’t machined that detail in yet but will do soon. if anything I might offer to do a core exchange on these for the Miller XT40 Torches but this isn’t gonna work without removing that Circle Attachment
Thanks again man, It appears I do have to right size end mill hanging around.
But…of corse I dont have a collet that big here
Ya, that is what I need to do, looks like it would work fine. I just dont have the tooling here, I am going to get some longer cap screws like James suggested to get me running for now then I will buy or borrow a collet to mill that out.
I will get son involved, he will get the v block milled out maybe. He kinda just rolls his eyes every time I play with the Bridgeport.
Well, since I already have the dimensions for my style of mounts, why not send me the OD of your cup and I’ll just bore one of mine to fit yours? I’ll just be selling you one instead of 2.
I don’t mind if I can be of any help.
I think I have another failing retaiing cup, this time isn’t the result of clamping down on the deflector as I changed my clamping device but rather just the part failing so I went and looked up the part today and I noticed that the threads are brass, whereas the last 2 cups I’ve bought were have some type of teflon or plastic coating on them, hopefully this is a revised part, anyone using a retaining cup on the XT40 torch that looks like the picture attached
They changed the way it was made. The shield is now insulated from the brass inner with the black liner. Were before it was by the plastic threads.
You can test it with a VO meter.
I would stop trying to clamp it on the cup and make a torch holder something like this that holds the handle.
My clamp only clamps on the portion highlighted doesn’t make any contact with the deflector cap at all, this is a thick stout part of the cup, I have put in a shit load of work though with this retaining cap, the first failure was because LS clamp crushed the deflector cap and oval it out, that’s no longer a problem, whats gonna suck is the new cap looks to be a tapered profile I hope I don’t have to design a whole new clamp
