Greenlee is making me want to kill

Spec · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 31

I got my 13/16" punch in the mail today from Amazon.

Thanks Amazon

I got all excited, ran downstairs to give it a go on my old test pot and holy crap. I guess they're assuming that you'll be using some sort of hydraulic device (something I don't plan on investing in over the course of this project) to turn it because even with a 1" socket on one end (really, they had to make that 1" now?) and pliers on the other the punch won't go down more than 3-4 rotations without then having to resort to using insane amounts of force to turn it. Even still after 10 minutes I couldn't get the punch down more than half way.

Am I making some sort of stupid rookie mistake here? I can't imagine why this thing would be made intentionally impossible to use by hand. As you can guess I'm not about to go through this same exercise on the side of my actual pots so I'm confused as hell as to what I'm doing wrong.

KES · Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa

Hmm... I got the greenlee punches. I don't have this problem. Did you drill the recommended size pilot hole per the instruction sheet in the box it came in? They should screw together easily. I held the cutting part (the upper part in your pic) with one hand. Turn the bolt with an adjustable wrench from the outside. Once the cutting edge contacted the inside of the kettle, just kept turning the wrench with one hand and cut through with no real struggle. Can you screw them together by hand? If not, the punch must be defective. Check the threads.

blacks4 · Joined: 02 Sep 2011 Posts: 2

Spec · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 31

KES · Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa

Yeah, must be the threads then. Have a brew. Get some rest. Tackle it tomorrow then you cool down. Mug

Spec · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 31

kaikoasurf · Joined: 15 Dec 2010 Posts: 96

It should cut like butter! i'd return it and get a new one to save your sanity.

Castermmt · Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 1:32 pm Post subject:

Using your fingers the cutting die should move freely up and down the bolt, no doubt the threads are messed up. If you know any electricians they use these tools all the time to cut holes in panels, I would ask them is they have the ratchet tool and stud that you can barrow and return the bad set after your done cutting your holes.

Where do you live? If any where near Northwest Indiana or Chicago I have the tools needed to make life a little better for ya. Shipping it would cost way too much, but I'm willing to help anyone local if I can. Castermmt

http://www.all-spec.com/products/1904.html?ctype=2&gclid=CN7phPDV_qoCFcPBKgodHg-M0A

**kal** · Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 2:10 pm Post subject:

Like the previous posters said, it should cut very easily. Cuts through Blichmann kettles and even standard sanke kegs (keggles) easily.

Just to confirm: What pot are you cutting into? Maybe the wall's much much thicker than most pots?

Also try moving the cutting die up and down the bolt not cutting into anything (as mentioned) with your fingers to make sure the threading isn't all messed up or something.

Kal

Spec · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 31

coffeediver · Joined: 18 Dec 2010 Posts: 174 Location: Kiowa CO.

If you cannot screw the pieces together with no pot in the way then your threads have to be stripped, have you taken a good look at the thread and do you see any galling on them.

I did make a mistake on one of my Punches, had the little cup turned the wrong way and had a beast of a time turning the bolt till the bolt itself snapped. Felt like and idiot. Luckily one of the other punches used the same size bolt so I was ok.

Barry

Spec · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 31

More close up pictures!

The threads look fine however what I'm noticing is that as I get more of the black coating off (by virtue of screwing and un-screwing it) the easier the pieces go together. If you can see in that picture the point where it stops right now is where the threads are all black vs towards the top where the black has worn off. I can't believe that this black coating is the issue but while I'm idling doing things at work I'm going to keep wearing it down. Productive Friday is productive.

KES · Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa

Must have been a Monday morning or Friday afternoon production run.

silverspoons · Joined: 21 Dec 2010 Posts: 555 Location: Webster NY

it looks like to me that the nut has a different qauge thread.. from the closeup pic, it looks like the threads are being rounded off or recut

like everyone else has said, you should be able to screw pieces together easily with just your hands and cutting thru the kettle should require little or no effort

silverspoons

KES · Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa

Spec, if I were you? I'd box it back up and send it back for an exchange.

Killion · Joined: 16 Dec 2010 Posts: 25

Ha! This exact thing happened to me. I ordered the same punch from Amazon and the threads were bad. It would stop in the same position as yours.

I just clamped it and screwed it down with crazy force and it's OK now. But if you aren't impatient like me you should exchange it.

Spec · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 31

kellzey · Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 580 Location: Orlando, FL

I just got one and have the same issue. Couldn't get it past the end of the bolt.

I guess I have to send it back..

Karl

Killion · Joined: 16 Dec 2010 Posts: 25

I was able to get it to work while cutting the hole on my Blichmann. I held one side with a big channel lock while my wife spun the other with a crescent wrench. Once it was threaded on all the way things were smooth and I could finger tighten the rest of the way. It operates normally now.

**kal** · Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:47 pm Post subject:

If the threads are bad I'd work those out with lots of force (two big wrenches) *BEFORE* you use them to make a hole in a kettle. You don't need all that extra weight and stuff on it when you're trying to get the tool to work correctly. Not to mention you don't want something to slip and hit the kettle if you have to use a lot of force.

Kal