My own inattention, that is.

Before I explain it, I'll try to deflect some of it saying simply, "there was a lot going on." (Phone ringing, radio chatter, people in and out of the office wanting other things, ....)

The fact that there was "a lot going on" doesn't put metal back where it's been removed... as a result of my own attention.

I'm putting together a machine for a friend of mine, and this morning I had to put holes in the front of the control panel to accommodate the various switches and lights. Three holes at 7/8", three at 1/4", and one at 3/8". Easy enough, right?

For the three 7/8" I intended to use the Greenlee tool (Slugbuster). No sweat, that just requires a 3/8" hole for the draw stud. Easy! So... I put four holes in the panel at 3/8", and three holes at 1/4". After some judicious burr removal (stupid dull drills), I went about poking out the three holes on the top row with the Slugbuster.

Then, because there was "a lot going on," (read: I wasn't paying proper attention) I proceeded to put the draw stud through that fourth 3/8" hole and poke it on out to 7/8". I didn't even notice it until this evening when I attempted to mount the potentiometer (with a 3/8" mounting stud) in its prescribed location. "Hot dog down a hallway," as they say.

I'll admit, I stepped away from the table and blurted out a few words that wouldn't have made Mom proud.

Crap. This project is due tomorrow evening, and I'm rushing hard to get the wiring done tonight. Guess what's not going to get wired! Yeah, the pot.

I can get a potentiometer with a mounting shaft suitable for this oversize hole, but I'm guaranteed to not have it by 6pm tomorrow. GRR! This will turn out to be about a $50 mistake, plus the cost of the time involved in recovering from it.

Let's just put some stink icing on this crap cake: I got a phone call I didn't want this evening, giving me information opposite what I was looking for, and taking three times as long as I was prepared to spend. Oh, and the dog is scratching at the door... Why, yes, Miss Boogerhead, please spread mud on the glass as I trip and fall hurrying to let you back indoors. Thank you so much, dog.

[Vthoky wanders off into the distance, mumbling quietly as he goes....]

C'mon... Just stick that sumbitch in there with some JB Weld putty and call it good!

Call it custom art and cry if they point out the flaw.

How many wraps of electrical tape does it take to build a 3/8 stud up to 7/8?

Fender washers until you can get the oversize part

sounds like you need a 3D printer, makes those 'oops' just time consuming.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
C'mon... Just stick that sumbitch in there with some JB Weld putty and call it good!

Haha, I was going to say the exact same thing! Fill it with JB quick, redrill, and done! That's what I would do if it was mine for sure, of course you can't do that since it's for a customer and needs to be done the right way.

Well, at least you weren’t flying a plane.
We’ve all BTDT, VT.
Thanks for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by Perception:
of course you can't do that since it's for a customer and needs to be done the right way.

Exactly. If it were for my own bench, I'd just poke another 3/8" hole, tape the "bad" one shut, and call it done.
But it's not.

quote:

Originally posted by motorheadjohn:
Fender washers until you can get the oversize part

Good call! I'm headed to the garage to see if I've got some washers. That'll do the job for the duration of tonight's show-and-tell.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Well, at least you weren’t flying a plane.
We’ve all BTDT, VT.
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the perspective, Dr. T.
I suppose it's far better to blurt out "oops" when preparing a control panel than when running one.