The Agony Of Defeat

[warburtonplayer]

So this is what happens when you rush through a project and try and cut corners. After all the fabrication and welding the first use of the 2 point to 3 point conversion one of the welds broke off on the first dig in the ground.

 

[RobS]

Ouch! Any recommendations for us non/novice welders?

 

[warburtonplayer]

Yeah dont use a wire welder on something like this I tried to cheat and do a quick job, now it will take me twice as long because now I will have to grind it all down and start over!!! If I would have just took the time to use the sticke welder I would not be in the situation.

 

[Shmudda]

Yep.....make sure you get darn good penetration on that weld the next time. Some welds look great, but in reality they are very weak due to no weld penetration. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Lesson learned I guess.......

I've been there too, so I am speaking from experience!

Craig

 

[Pennsylvania Weldor]

Not only apply it with stick welding, but it may be helpful to not use hardened material as this material will be affected by welding, and become very brittle. It may pay you to go to your local TSC store and buy these to use on the tiller. It doesn't require any welding, just a hole to bolt it in place.

 

[FredH]

Penetration is Penetration regardless what type welder you use . Not a peeing match regarding which is better but as thread above mentioned , to much heat can be just as bad as not enough , sometimes worse . Old rear blade my father gave me had a stick weld done on the main shaft down to the blade . With his small tractor it held , but with my bigger NH , it snapped the shaft above the weld . To much heat had crystallized the bottom third of a 14" shaft . Darn good looking weld , but looks are not everything .

Fred H.

 

[EddieWalker]

If the welds are questionable, gussets and brackets will make a huge difference. Even the experts make there welds stronger this way when they need extra strength.

Eddie

 

[MikeD74T]

To much heat had crystallized the bottom third of a 14" shaft . Fred H.

Too much heat should have anealed the shaft making it softer, unless it was force cooled, ie quenched with water. MikeD74T

 

[Pennsylvania Weldor]

Too much heat should have anealed the shaft making it softer, unless it was force cooled, ie quenched with water. MikeD74T

I have to disagree. Too much heat will do much more than anneal. The annealing process requires much LESS heat to achieve the desire results. By heating beyond the critical temperature range of the base metal, molecular structure is changed, and brittleness occurs. Annealing is an involved process. Ever notice if a weld fails it usually breaks along side of the weld bead? This is the "heat affected zone". Temperature "at the arc" can be between 10,000 and 12,000 degrees F. Most metals melt well below that temp.

I do agree with you concerning forced cooling. Never do it.

 

[jimmer2880]

I'll ask the dumb question.

how do you know when you're using too much heat? (other than blowing holes)