Learning how - WELDING

jyoutz · Mar 24, 2001

I just built a carryall. I was going to build it out of angle iron like most carryalls are made of. Then I saw the pallet mover on the king kutter website. I decided to follow their design and use 2" thickwall square tubing instead. Glad I did, it's a much stronger design. The tubing does cost more, but you're saving so much money by building it yourself that it's worth the extra money.

gordon · Mar 25, 2001

Larry I've taken a couple of welding courses in the past and they were very helpfull. I can stick and mig pretty darn good if I do say so myself. The key is practice sort of like being good with a boxblade. If you end up getting a stick machine just keep burning rod and you'll get the hang of it. A mig is much easier to use than a stick. Both have advantages and disadvantages for given uses.

If you do go looking for a stick machine make sure it's ac/dc. Cost alittle more but you'll find that it's night and day.

For a good mig 100-125 amp should cover anything that you have to take care of. Fluxcore wire is nice but pricey, that way you don't have to worry about a gas bottle. What ever you buy go with a major name. Buy junk you endup with junk./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Where I work now we have a nice tig machine and in the near future I'll be learning how to tig on Saturdays. My new schedule is Tuesday thru Saturday 7am-3pm and on Saturdays is for on call emergencys only so there is some dead time to take care of. I figure might just as well learn something as long as I'm there anyway. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bottom line just burn rod and when it sounds like eggs cookin your up town!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon

Thomas · Mar 25, 2001

gordon,
After I make my grooves on the edge of the 3/8 or 1/2 steel and tack weld in a number of places,what setup do you think would work the best for the first pass than the finally finish pass?

I'm useing a/c welder heat around 135 and 6013 1/8" rod.

Seems like it takes to long and useing to many rods to weld both sides of a 3" run.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

gordon · Mar 25, 2001

Thomas, sounds like your numbers are pretty much there for the rod size versus amp setting. But for that thick of steel I would use a thicker electrode and a higher amp setting to go along with it. A 3/16 rod with about 150-180 amp setting to start off with. That way you won't be changing rods as quick.

Also what pattern are use using on your passes? A nice weave after your root pass.
Gordon

Thomas · Mar 26, 2001

Thanks for the info Gordon,and I'll give it a whirl.
My final pass..I try to end up w/the dime affect..back and forth pattern.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

skent · Mar 28, 2001

Is there anyway to get a pic of your carryall????

Thats next on my list and I need ALL the ideas I can get. Hopefully, I can come up with a design to load my 6KW generator on (flatbed style) and still changeover to a cargo box for firewood.

TWINKLE_TOES · Mar 28, 2001

Gordon,

<font color=blue>I can stick and mig pretty darn good if I do say so myself</font color=blue>

Now thats the opening I was waiting for./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

How do you fill 1/2" to 3/4" dia. holes in 3/16" to 1/4" mild steel to relocate the center and rebore? Right now I do way to much grinding. The bigger the glob the better the job approach.

RJohnson · Mar 30, 2001

I would like to make a few generalizations about welding. You can welded with just about any type of equipment available. Although each type of welding machine will have it advantages and disadvantages.

The main point about welding is the metallurgy of the steel. You can have a great looking weld and still have problems such as cracking and brittle welds. The key is the keeping the cooling rate to as long a time as possible. Welds that solidify and freeze too fast are very brittle and tend to fail under load and even crack before being loaded. Therefore if you have a machine with a small diameter electrode, the weld will freeze faster than a larger electrode because the heat input is greater with the larger electrode.

When you want to welded on large thichnesses of steel the key is to preheat the part (250 F is a good starting temperature) before welding and this tends to give you a slower cooling rate and conversely gives you a finer grain size in the weld. (tougher less brittle welds).
There are many other vairables to consider when welding, such as the higher strenth steel that have alloying elements in them which will give you cracking problems if the cooling rate is too fast or the wrong electrode is selected. The higher strength steels are susceptable to hydrogen induced cracking and therefore you should use a low-hydrogen welding process and/or electrode. Again preheat will remove moisture (hydrogen source) from the part and will help give you a good weld.
I am getting long winded and did not intend to make this a lecture but any type of welding course will be of great benefit in helping you learn good welding technics but also helping you understand the metallurgy behind welding. Good luck welding!

Randy

gordon · Mar 30, 2001

A good approach you have ---the bigger the glob the better the job!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

A couple of different approaches that you can use. It depends on how accessable the metal is . Also if it's vertical or horizontal.

Start to run the electrode to the edge of the hole and get a puddle formed at the bottom of the hole. Then pull the arc long to let the metal cool a bit. If possible keep the bead going to fill the hole using the same method pulling the arc long. That way you only have to knock the slag off once or twice.---still will have to do some grinding

For a larger hole you can put a plug in it and tack it then run a couple of beads around the plug. ---still will have to do some grinding

It's things like this that are hard for me to explain in words.
All in all I've got to grind some to get the metal plate perfect. Sometimes alot more so than others.
Do you get the idea??
Gordon

Anonymous Poster · Apr 27, 2001

Life is what happens while we are making other plans. I always thought taking some welding courses would be a great idea, I may still do it. I read the text books with lessons and exercises and did the best I could. Been welding for 10 yrs now with an AC/DC "stick" machine and for the last 3 yrs or so also with a wire feed gun using flux cored wire. Flux core is great within the capability of my Lincoln Weld Pack 100 which uses standard house current. Heavy stuff forces me to the stick machine. I have the accessories for the wire feed welder to allow me to weld aluminum and stainless but haven't done it yet. I did some aluminum stick welding and only succeeded with massive doses of luck. Aluminum separates the welding men from the sparkler boys. Lincoln publishes a "bible" for welding. It is huge, about 8 1/2 X 11 X 3 but tells you how to do just about anything welding wise (the history stuff is interesting too). There are smaller text/handbooks at welder supply shops. I got one with guided exercises that really helped me. After good books my next best investment was an "automatic" welding helmet. Costly but SOOOOOO nice. Once you try one you won't want to weld without it.

Patrick

Good luck to all and remember to not breathe the fumes or burn down the world around you.