Notes from the workshop.

Why a torch-cut wear plate fails early

Abrasion-resistant plate gets its hardness from a controlled quench. Oxy and plasma put heat back into the edge. That band is a heat-affected zone: the hardness along the cut is no longer what the certificate says.

On a wear part the edge is where the abrasive stream hits first. A softened edge wears first.

That is the practical reason to cut wear plate on a waterjet: no softened band, no torch distortion in thick plate, and no recast layer that makes a later drill or weld harder.

On mild steel brackets and general sheet, a heat-affected zone often does not matter. The process should follow the material.

Remaking a part that has no drawing

A lot of parts arrive with no drawing. The sample in your hand may already be worn, so copying every surface copies the wear.

We measure the sample, note which faces are worn, and redraw it so we can cut a replacement in this workshop. The drawing we create stays with the job. We do not hand the file over, and we do not sign off the design.