The first attempt to build up new teeth on my snowblower's auger gear failed after one half pass down my driveway. When I took it apart again it didn't look as bad as I had feared, and I suspected that I merely hadn't made the new teeth tall enough. So I hit it again with the C2H2-O2 torch, and _really_ made a mess. A couple of hours with a bandsaw, a file, and a grinder with the gear chucked into the drill press resulted in a second attempt. A totally embarassing not-quite- shapeless hunk of metal, yet no worse looking than the chewed gear that was in it for a couple of years before it failed altogether.
It was dark (and cold), but I did make a pass down the driveway and back without it breaking this time. Tomorrow will be the real test. Fabrication: it's not just for excuses anymore. -- Jim
