First "real" weld project

[EuropaChris]

Today was the day for me to bite the bullet and do something useful with my welder. I've had this project on the list for a while - the trick was figuring out how to weld it (or who).

I am in the process of restoring a 1940's vintage Iron Fireman coal stoker and cleaning up a 1960's vintage boiler that will sit on a custom designed base that also contains the business end of the stoker underneath. I started on this path a few years ago when natural gas prices went through the roof. The system will be housed in a detached garage/shop and hot water piped to a fan coil in the furnace plenum (just like the outdoor wood boilers use). The only real difference is I'll be burning Illinois coal. We can save all the acid rain and carbon footprint discussions for later.... :-)

So the boiler originally had a domestic hot water coil installed which I didn't plan to need, and over the years the gasket had leaked and corroded the mounting surfaces badly. Rather than repair the mounting area and then block it off with a plate, I simply cut the entire area out and fabricated a solid plate with the same shape.

I beveled both the plate and the boiler (1/4" steel on both) and tack welded a small tab on each side of the plate so it would drop in and sit flat. I fired up the welder and started my root pass with 6011 at 120 amps. I had a bit more gap than desired in a few spots which took a bit to fill properly, and while it wasn't the prettiest welding, it definitely had penetration! I cleaned up the weld with the grinder to level it out and get a good surface for the fill passes. I also wanted to grind down a few spots and make sure there were no slag inclusions.

I then ran my fill passes with 7014 at 140 amps and I was rather pleased at how they turned out. I burned up a pound of 6011 and almost a pound of 7014 today. I uploaded two pics - the first one is after the first 7014 fill pass and the second is after a few followup passes and some cleanup with the grinder removing weldberries. It's not the prettiest job, but it's solid (I hope!). Not bad for having never picked up a stick electrode until a few weeks ago. I also uploaded a pic of "before" - prior to cutting out the area.

I'll pressure test the boiler with water this weekend and check for any leaks. Normal operation will be 12-15 psi with probably a 30psi relief maximum, so I should be more than good.

Chris

[gauthier]

Well,that looks pretty good to me,you sure picked up on this stick welding quick too,

[sweettractors]

Good job, Ken Sweet

[yomax4]

Nice Job... You will enjoy the boiler.. I built an outdoor wood boiler 2 yrs ago and I can burn Coal too. I plan to give it a go mixed with wood this winter. good Luck!!!

[jayste]

Looks good Chris. Looking forward to the test results.

[EuropaChris]

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

I've been around welding for 15 years, mostly MIG and a little TIG, but have only picked up a MIG gun a handfull of times for "government" jobs or simple projects at work that don't have to look good. Pretty much I just ask questions and listen to what the real welders have to say. Once you understand the basic principles and "feel" of it, then it is a matter of simply looking and listening to what is going on with the weld and adjust accordingly.

I actually enjoy stick welding more than MIG. I feel I have more time during the weld to see what is happening with the joint (especially with 6011) and manipulate the puddle to get the heat where it needs to go. With MIG you're just squirtin' out metal and best you can hope for is to keep the torch speed and weave consistent for a nice bead. I must say, though, that I really like welding MIG using a 400 amp 3 phase Lincoln or Miller with .045 wire. After fiddling with a Millermatic 250 and .035 wire, the first time I welded something with Big Momma I felt like Captain Kirk with his phaser set to 10!! ZzzzzAP --ooops, didn't want to put a hole there......

Edit: Here's a link to a picture album with some various shots of the refurb on the stoker and boiler: http://tinyurl.com/25a5vfo
And here is a video of the first test run on the stoker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py49seodBPU

[gauthier]

Yeah,thats why your doing so good with stick,you know what you are trying to accomplish,and how to go about doing it,thats really the hard part to learn,the welding part just takes practice,but you can practice doing something wrong forever and you won't get it right,if you know what I mean.

[Thomas]

Nice follow w/the rod Chris,before you know it laying like dimes weld.

[Mark @ Everlast]

Just keep at it. Technique will come. Running multiple beads is a good start.