"Home Shop Welding 101"

[torker]

Geb..it'll be coming. I finally got a new camera...don't have all the bugs worked out yet...and am pretty busy in the shop. I was hoping HSM would be able to host pics here that wouldn't disappear but it seems that isn't possible.
When i came up with the idea I thought my help was coming back to the shop and would give me a bunch more free time. That never happened..now I'm on my third helper who has turned out pretty much useless....this one is going down the road soon so it'll be onto #4 pretty soon.
Russ

[geb]

Home shop welding 101

Not sure this is the correct place to ask this question.........but. ....Where did the 'Home Shop Welding 101' go?

Sounds like a fantastic idea. Hope it is still in the works.

Thanks
geb

[torker]

SD...NICE! You gotta love 7024. You ever run it on straight polarity? It runs like glass.
I wish more beginners would try this instead of the ever constant 6013
Geez...I've been so bloody busy.. I haven't even had a chance to get to this welding thread.
I even bought a new camera..haven't had time to figure it out yet
Russ

[Smokedaddy]

I finally got arround to taking a few images of 7024. I could of filled it out a touch more but I was simply trying to show how pretty this rod can be.

http://www.pbase.com/smokedaddy/image/105467688/large

Big boy rod ... <smile>

http://www.pbase.com/smokedaddy/image/105467689

A crummy little video, with my crummy little cheap'o camera of me welding some 7024 on a coupon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXLFUmEldGE

-SD:

[torker]

Guys...sorry... I am absolutely swamped with work right now. I'll hopefully be posting some pics of a bunch of tanks I'm building...fuel tanks 3'X4'X14" with bafflles...lotta weld in bungs etc. I'm wanting to do a pic show of the entire build of one but need the time. The first bunch are rush jobs.
I have new ideas...I'd really like to share some "heavy" fabrication techniques we use in the business. How to handle fit up problems and control warpage etc. I've never seen some of this stuff mentioned anywhere...could be a hit!
Got some more very interesting work coming up soon...another 20 ton core splitter...only twice the width.
Yawn...got another huge pile of fenceposts to build....yay ironworker!!!
And umm... to top that off...the old fab shop I worked at.. I may be going back there to run an afternoon shift as well...they are buggin me to no end.
But...the best news of all..."The Gurl" might be coming back . She'll be limited to what she can do on the floor but it'll be good to have the "office/quoting/ordering/finding my glasses" boss back again!
Russ

[pcarpenter]

Yeah-- that would appear to be yet another one of those rods like I first saw being sold by what I call one of those "infomercial guys" at a woodworking show. You always wonder if its right up there with a "Shamwow" or something

Years later I bought some in a tube at Harbor Freight. Its actually useful stuff. Properly, it should be called a brazing rod because it melts well before the base metal...at least in the case of aluminum. You do have to wire brush with a dedicated clean brush to help do away with the oxides. The stuff does have some fluxing agent in it though, I believe. They also have you keep stirring the rod at the base metal as the base metal just begins to soften. In a way you are scraping oxides off the base metal with the filler rod and keeping the filler rod down in the puddle of melted filler rod.

I had this (probably potmetal) Bridgeport knee elevation crank that came with my mill. The handle broke a big chunk out when it broke and some pinhead did some cludge weld of a washer on the backside. I was going to hack the whole end off and make a replacement end of round aluminum bar stock and solder it on with that stuff. Instead, I thought that good practice might be to solder it up first before cutting it back off...just to try it out. When I was done, I hit it with a belt sander and it finished up so nice that I could not justify cutting off the end and replacing it:

[Smokedaddy]

Tried using this rod today. Just screwing around. I've never seen it before (not that it means anything).

http://www.pbase.com/smokedaddy/image/101061361

The rod ...

Aladdin Products

http://www.pbase.com/smokedaddy/image/101061362

I'm quite sure with a little (and I mean little) practice you could make a nice looking weld. This was my first shot ... yes I can do better.

-SD:

[Smokedaddy]

Here's a weld at home project. I found some used expansion tanks from a chill water system, cut the ends off them, bent and welded some round stock on the perimeter. I’m using them for tiered a water fountain. Of course they're not finished yet.

http://www.pbase.com/smokedaddy/image/101060545

-SD:

[dp]

School is in session

When this thread started I thought it was a great idea, and now that this forum is available it's an even better idea. Torker, or should I say, Mr. School Master, what say we all put our heads together and put a bit of formality into the next phase with a curriculum of sorts, and some weld-at-home projects? This thread has wandered around the topic a bit as is typical of this chatty bunch, but interest is high all around. So what's next, teach?

[Smokedaddy]

Got our mural installed today at our school. Turned out super nice.

http://www.pbase.com/smokedaddy/image/101023439

-SD:

[torker]

Dickie..I'll run a bit of 7024 later so you can see how purdy it is I always have a box of 3/32 on hand. I use it a lot on customers stuff that won't fit in the shop near enough to the wire machines. It looks really nice on bumpers etc.

[DICKEYBIRD]

Thanks for the input fellers. I'll have to get some 70 series rods to play with. Sounds like they'll help a lot.

S/D thanks for the link...that's a fantastic website! Not just for welding but for almost everything I'm interested in.

[torker]

SD...got mine from local Praxair...Gullco ..model 10A-20. Was about $135 when I bought it. I hear they're about $150 now.
Ya,,,you can use a toaster oven...but a real rod oven is so much nicer.

[Smokedaddy]

Personally I was brought up on 5P or 5P+ (all position rod) and I really love that stuff ... but hated it initially (while learning). <grin> Love that Jetrod too!

Were can you purchase a homeshop type rod oven that cheap Torker?

-SD:

[doctor demo]

Steve...7024 lays in like puddin...a pure and clean weld... even better with DC-(If you want the "glassy look").

I also don't agree that tig isn't in the realm of the HSM guy... a lot of people own tig machines now.

Russ, I guess that I allways just thought 7024 was like soupped up 6013 ya know 60xx vs 70xx. I'll have to get and try some.
On the tig topic...I was thinking more in terms of ( HSM 101 ) being a more (advanced) subject than a 101 course .I did not mean to imply HSM people can not or should not use or learn tig. In fact I'll come to class, it has been 30 something years since I have had formal instruction on tig.

Steve