Well, I was finally able to work on the machine a bit today, I took it to work and had at it in the metal shop. I figured the easiest way to do it was to try to 'reverse' the strains they put on it only not so violently. A bit of force applied in a few areas after loosening some stuff up and it pretty much bent back to where it was supposed to be.
Tex, those bolts underneath to let the collar loose to move the group head. Won't work that way, the screw holes in the head will shift and then won't align with the screw holes in the bottom of the machine. No worries, I was able to gently with a kinetic hammer move it back into place without any damage. I finally got the knob thingie to align up most the way with the hole to the point to where I could get the knob on. It's a bit stiff and squeaks when I turn it but I say that's a good thing when you have 280 degree steam behind it to keep it nice and tight. Working with steam pressures up to 2800 PSI running close to 1000 degrees, I have seen first hand what can happen when steam goes wrong!! The top steel has a crease in it and a buckle in the corner but the machine is really no worse for the wear. I heated it up and let it set a few minutes and nothing gave out, let the pressure out and I believe it will do what we need it to.
Im just glad it's good to go and we don't have to do a claim. I do have a non related question though. On my astra grinder, it has a handle thing in front of it. What is that for?
Aaron
