Did some welding and bend tests today on pipe and plate

[chad22]

Well today I headed off to our "me and my dad's" shop today to do some welding. I wanted to test my welding.

And I just so wanted to do some welding. I love melting metal together.

I had 2 pieces of scrap plate laying around that I cut off for something else. I decided to weld them up and then put them in our press to try and break the weld.

The weld held but the metal bent. Which is what I was hoping for. :drink:

After welding the plate I decided to cut a piece of pipe in half and then weld it back together. "First time I welded a pipe" I then put it in the press too and tried to break the weld into but it held and the jack on the press slid to the side and shot the pipe out backwards. Good thing I was standing clear.

It bent the pipe where the weld is but but didn't break the weld. :thumbsup:

I used 6011 1/8" rod and my Lincoln tombstone set at 115 amps.

After doing these tests I decided to make me a jack crank handle for my fifth wheel trailer jacks. I used the square tube it had with it and cut and welded it.

The plate isn't welded to the pipe it's just leaning against it for the pics.

The first pic shows the bent plate and the last pic shows the weld on the same bent plate in the first pic.


Chad

 

[Shield Arc]

Oh we need to talk. Your testing methods are not standard.
Lets see if I can post enough pictures so you under stand weld testing.

 

[chad22]

Oh we need to talk. Your testing methods are not standard.
Lets see if I can post enough pictures so you under stand weld testing.

Yeah. My test are really not all that great of tests. But it's what I had to work with at the moment. Now that I feel a little more confident in my welding I think I'm gonna look for someone who can do some real tests for me.

I'd love to see if my welds can stand some serious testing.

Thanks for those pics Shield ARC.

Chad

 

[Shield Arc]

You can do the same thing with a compact bender.
Testing your welds, is a real confidence builder. Start with plate, in all positions. Then move onto pipe. 6-G, and 5-G.

If you want to weld for a living, guess what you'll have to do?

 

[grsthegreat]

Shieldarc i agree when one welds for a living, its a way different scenario. I had a friend that did welding for a living show me the basics years ago. I found out right away that i didnt have what it took to do great welding ....without alot of practice. And i dont weld enopugh to ever attain that level of practice.

I will NEVER attempt to weld anything that can cause injury or damage if it breaks..... i have a great welding shop to do that at reasonable costs.

But if its something like a trailer jack or horse panels....no problem.

Ive done all welding on tractor for chain hooks, etc. again no issues.

I practiced alot with scrap metals, to see what different prep angles, etc would do. I can say that in over 20 years of farmer welding, ive NEVER had a weld break (knock on wood). Im sure alot of my welds are ugly by a pros standards, but they work.



The OP just needs to keep practicing his welding. and i agree...it is fun. The best thing i ever did to improve my welding skills was to purchase a self darkening helmet. man, the welds improved instantly.

 

[chad22]

The OP just needs to keep practicing his welding. and i agree...it is fun. The best thing i ever did to improve my welding skills was to purchase a self darkening helmet. man, the welds improved instantly.

I'm gonna keep working at improving my welding. I think if I welded daily and kept at it I'd probably get better at it.

I need to start welding more as I sometimes go a few months without welding on anything. I need to at least weld some scrap steel together more often to get more practice.

I do have a project coming up soon. I'm gonna build me a loader bucket for my garden tractor/loader. I'm gonna use new steel plate to make it with so that'd be a great welding project.

Hopefully I can get onto that project soon. I just need to pick up the steel plate.

And I'll hopefully be able to pickup one of those self darkening helmets. That's been on my wish list for awhile now.

Chad

 

[chad22]

You can do the same thing with a compact bender.
Testing your welds, is a real confidence builder. Start with plate, in all positions. Then move onto pipe. 6-G, and 5-G.

If you want to weld for a living, guess what you'll have to do?

I'm gonna have to get me one of those benders. I'm sure it'll come in real handy for other things around the shop too.

Chad

 

[Arc weld]

You don't have to weld for living in order to improve your welding skills. People that go into welding as a career aren't instant welders. They had to learn from scratch just like anybody else. Saying there's no reason to practice more and improve your welding skills because it's not your career choice is cop out! Welding is something you have to work at and put the effort in whether it's in a fab shop or your garage.

 

[Reyer Farms]

Pushing yourself to do better is great motivation!

 

[muddstopper]

As a part time hobbiest, I dont run my welder all the time either. I have noticed when I first start a new project, my weld usually look pretty chitty. After an hour or two, my welds seem to look much better. Usually when the project is complete, I end up wanting to grind some of my first welds out and redo them just because they look so much different than my last welds.