Welding in Haiti

   / Welding in Haiti #1  

wroughtn_harv

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I arrived in Port Au Prince the 11th of August. My immediate goal is to build two Ubuntu-blox machines. One of the reasons I'm posting this part of this adventure here is it involves a lot of the topics I've seen discussed on welding forums many times.

I don't have ideal circumstances, equipment or materials. But things have to get done. One of the encouraging things for me is welding and iron work happen here and the way it is done will inspire anyone who has chased a puddle of molten metal or wanted to.

I decided that we would use as little new materials as possible. Ubuntu-blox is about making good homes out of plastic trash. It seems to me that going to Haiti and not re-purposing steel as much as possible would be hypocritical. There's also an economical reasoning. It will cost less and more importantly the funds will do more good faster because it is injected directly into the local economy.

Friday we went out and about the city. One of my first finds was a master blacksmith's shop. I have forges etc and I can do some things with a hammer and anvil. But the most important lesson my blacksmithing has taught me is an appreciation for good work by real blacksmiths. This shop is in a small space along a road filled with shops. If you have ever been to a swap meet then replace the aisle with a highway filled with vehicles and you have the street this shop is on.

He makes chisels and pry bars along with digging bars etc. I'm sure he is capable of much more because of some of the materials on hand. Keep in mind that making a chisel or crow bar isn't just making a point. Hardening the point without making it brittle is even more important. His work is esquisite.

One of the photos shows the forge. A helper pedals a bicycle crank and that operates the blower. Too ingenius for words.
 

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   / Welding in Haiti
  • Thread Starter
#2  
In the same block with the blacksmith was welding shop that was making a gate. You might find the equipment interesting.

Haitians cook with charcoal. The grills you see in the pictures are their stoves. The design defines cultural genius. The design maximizes efficiency while minimizing distortion and failure caused by the heat. But what impresses most of us most is all of those cuts are done with a hack saw.

There were two men sitting on the ground with hammers and pieces of rail road track. They were straightening out bent rebar so it could be sold. Minimum wage is about five dollars a day. But think about earning minimum wage doing this in the sun in Georgia. Right now our temperature and humidity is comparable to that.

Used steel sales are to be found. If you don't like haggling price then settle for new or pay twice new price on the street. I don't like haggling price but feel I am competent at it. Haitians are experts. I hope to improve.
 

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   / Welding in Haiti #3  
Cool thread Harv. It's always interesting how people do things in other countries when they just can't afford to run down to the local welding/parts/whatever store for new equipment. I saw a lot of creative/jury rigged parts when I lived in South America.
 
   / Welding in Haiti
  • Thread Starter
#4  
I've tried to post more pictures and updates today but the internet service has been terrible. I have been able to post updates and photos on facebook "ubuntu-blox (project)"
 
   / Welding in Haiti #5  
Harv, I just lover the wheel barrow standing on end with the bicycle mural behind it. God bless you and your crew. I appreciate your efforts toward humanity.
 
   / Welding in Haiti
  • Thread Starter
#6  
We have two reasons for wanting to use what is at hand before buying new materials for making the machines. The most obvious is it is the right thing to do of course. The most pressing reason though involves the realities of time and expense. Ideal materials are difficult to locate and quite expensive.

I found four frames that were evidently used for shipping equipment of some kind laying against a wall. They are made with very thin 1 1/2 inch square tubing and I recommend heavy wall two inch for the machines. We are going to use the frames.

It is the same with the sheet metal. I recommend 3/16 and they have some 1/16. We did pick up some new flat bar stock of various sizes.

They sent me photos of the tools I would have available when I got here. The welder is a Lincoln tombstone buzz box. Tombstones are my last choice for this job with the thin materials. My choices for amperages range from way too hot or difficult to work too cold.

I arrived thurs late afternoon. Friday was spent searching for materials. Saturday we cut down the frames using cutting wheels on angle grinders and welded up the parts we needed with them.

I tried for ten minutes to get some pictures to transfer without success, sorry.
 
   / Welding in Haiti
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Today's my fifteenth day in Haiti. Today we are going to make our first couple of blocks. I'm making two machines with one just a step or two ahead of the other. The first one won't be done but it will be close enough where I can rig it to work well enough to produce a couple of blocks.

There were three of our blocks sent to Haiti. Two of them were brought in with one person who evidently took them back to San Francisco. They were bottle blocks made to look good and demonstrate what can be done with bottles only. If you are approached for fund raising with these blocks sit on your wallet.

The third block was made in Texas by Sam Bloch executive director of Grass Roots United dot org. He brought it to Haiti. Two weeks ago today a rep from a UN group took that block along with all of my printed pictures of my powerpoint. He was going to get the photos laminated for me. The sample block sure makes it easier to explain the whole thing, photos work a lot better than a laptop too.

We have spent less than a hundred dollars on new materials for two machines. We've been using scrap we find along with some material they had on hand. Power is an issue. Grid won't charge the batteries and run the welder. The generator won't either. Tuesday the grid was down all day so there was no welding. I can weld with the generator but only if the grid is up.

The plate I specify for the construction of a machine is three sixteenths minimum. I'm building these out of 16 gauge. I have one piece of 3/8 plate that I treat like gold. I found four frames used for shipping machinery, similar to what you see for atvs etc. 1 1/2 inch 16 gauge tubing for the most part. These have been a lifesaver.

My work table is a half sheet of 16 gauge over a wood table. No vise, two pair of regular vise grips, one pair of three inch vise grips that came out of a wood working kit. Lots of sawsall blades, no working sawsalls. All of my cutting has been done with angle grinder blades, I brought about 20 with me.

I brought my old Selstrum hood with me because I didn't want to take a chance on losing one of the daily hoods I use. The selstrum has been with a buddy ffor years until he could get an electronic of his own. Evidently the reason he finally made the plunge was because the selstrum was broke. He never mentioned that when he brought it back. I fixed it.

If I was asked what would be the worst welder to use for welding thin material I would scream out an old Lincoln tombstone without thinking. Yup, that's what I got. Forty amps is too cold unless you have a pretty good gap. 60 on the other hand is like welding with a plasma cutter.

I would be discouraged about that but for the fact that the frames I'm using for material was made in a jig by some kid in asia using 6013. If he can do that then I can do better with 6011. I'll just complain the whole time I'm doing it.

I needed a metal bender. I needed 3/4" holes in 3/8" plate. No drill bits even close to that big, no files of any kind, no torch. I did it without using my teeth. The bender while crude works like a Hossfield and works great. Can you figure out how?
 
   / Welding in Haiti
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Here are some photos of a Haitan gate shop. The power is stolen off the grid. A home made transformer is hot wire to the power lines. The vise ought to interest you as much as the fact that they use 1/8 inch rod and no adjustments.
 

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   / Welding in Haiti #10  
If your doing alot of thin work, see if you can fnd any 1/16 inch 6013 rods, they are perfect for sheet metal, I am having to weld a bunch of 3/32 with them in my tombstore, I will see how they work today.
 

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