It may just be my perception of time but it seems that a lot more key rings are being cut than the number of people we are moving through classes. A class typically would make no more than ten cuts and guys maintaining the tool may well make some cuts. The steel is for classes and other DMS usage but not for individual practice.
We wasted about three cuts in class last night before I installed my personal consumables.
I’m thinking it’s your perception, but then again, it might be mine.
Might be time to discuss some sort of inventory control. Nothing stringent, but more of a check/balance…
Not sure what you are really trying to highlight? Is it that people are using Metal Shop steel and shouldn’t, or the consummables in the gun were bad?
This.
blankspace is for lazies
haiku is for the thoughtful
sometimes luck appears
Bigger signs are needed
The steel looks inviting
I hate Signs!
I would argue “better storage method”, which might include better signs. I don’t know if they need to be bigger. Agree on the rest of your post. Too lazy to verse. 
I agree here. It’s been the problem of space. Each shop should have its own storage for users. The tape on the wall that indicates it’s for Metal is adequate for most, but perhaps not clear enough.
Perhaps a fire proof tarp covering the steel with a larger sign indicating hands off for personal use, Metal Shop use only would help?
Here is my suggestion for a sign: haiku style
Metal Shop Steel use only
Please uncover
Vaporization is your reward.
We seem to average a bit more than one class per week with around six attendees. Several sheets of steel were acquired a few weeks back. It seems that it is being used faster than classes and maintenance would use it. My main point is just a reminder that it is not for personal use. We could verify my observation by checking when the steel was acquired and counting the number of cuts. That’s more work than I care to do.
My comment on consumables is just a footnote. I really don’t care much about the quality of consumables on the tool. We recommend that folks supply their own as I have done. I have used my personal set for a few classes and that is not a concern. The consumables last night would probably work ok for most usage but messed up on the little key rings.
Checking consumables, pointing out that they are marginal, doing a couple of bad cuts, putting a personal set in and doing clean cuts is an excellent illustration of the need to take care of yourself.
So far I’m surprised how long it has lasted. I bought that sheet in March (3-28 to be exact, still have the receipt) and cut it down. It was a donation to the metal shop for specially for the Plasmacam class. I have used it for the demo during the open house.
Thanks! Sounds like we are doing better than I ever imagined.
Thanks to previous abuse of that idea we have a rule that there can’t be personal storage in the committee areas. It allows too much favoritism, chairs that use it for themselves, and a much higher rate of confusion for how each storage system works
Simple tracking solution? Grab a wax pen and draw a square around the ones you cut and date it. Should allow people to see that it was used for various classes or for a demo