Yet another bucket-mod thread

[oldballs]

Welding and concrete work are simple in concept; but a lot more difficult to do in reality.

You said it!!!!! and that's differance between the pro and the amateur. But most of my concrete work is...

a. not settled b. not cracked c. not pretty.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Here's a few photos from today's work. After grinding out nearly all of the 6011 welds and going over with 7018, I am adding a 2nd and 3rd pass, building up weld in the joint. I also welded the sides of the base plate and closed off the hooks per suggestions here.



I just got done putting the last set of beads on and grinding off a few little bits of spatter. Tomorrow's task will be putting on the receiver tube.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have to say those welds dont look half bad. You are getting the hang of it. NOW if you can do that in all positions you will be on your way to becoming not a slow welder or a fast welder but a half-fast welder.

 

[k0ua]

Joshua, your welding is getting better and better.. Keep at it.. I am just a Half-"fast" welder myself, at best, on a good day.

James K0UA

 

[joshuabardwell]

Thanks, James and Gary. I think that first pic on the left is one of the better beads I've ever run. I'm right proud of it. The fact that that one was better than the others is more luck than skill, but the fact that I got even one looking like that says to me that there's at least a smidge of skill in there.

 

[joshuabardwell]

All done! Just need to paint it up and take some final pics. I have got to remember the way that welds cool. The receiver tube is cocked just a few degrees to one side because I welded one side up before welding the other. I thought that the tacks would hold it square, but no dice. So I guess the right thing to do is a few inches on one side, then a few inches on the other?

 

[k0ua]

All done! Just need to paint it up and take some final pics. I have got to remember the way that welds cool. The receiver tube is cocked just a few degrees to one side because I welded one side up before welding the other. I thought that the tacks would hold it square, but no dice. So I guess the right thing to do is a few inches on one side, then a few inches on the other?

Joshua, you have probably seen this before, but it is well worth watching again. It deals with tackups and "pulling" and how to overcome it.

ARc Welding Project -Everlast PowerPro 256 - YouTube

James K0UA

 

[mjncad]

Lots and lots of clamps go a long way to keeping things from creeping around during the welding process.

 

[troutsqueezer]

I was going to pop in with a comment after seeing your first weld passes but you've improved on them greatly so no need. I would spray the bare metal with self-etching primer before painting though.

Ditto on the tooth bar.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I was going to pop in with a comment after seeing your first weld passes but you've improved on them greatly so no need. I would spray the bare metal with self-etching primer before painting though.

Thanks for the compliment. Those first beads were pretty bad, and I'm glad I went back and ground them out. I still have a lot of practice to do with 6011, but as long as 7018 keeps working for me, I may never get to it. ;-) I mean, I will probably do it some day, because 6011 is such a bread-and-butter rod that I couldn't respectably show my face if I could work it, but I have a long way to go with "easy" rods before I need to start challenging myself like that.

Here's a photo of the finished job.