k0ua
Epic Contributor
A good accurate AR is a lot of fun, but I have a couple of Ruger .22 pistols that are tack drivers too.. I wish you could come out. yep I believe we would have a lot of fun.
Welding Rods for beginners
- Thread starter daugen
- Start date
- Views: 64379
A good accurate AR is a lot of fun, but I have a couple of Ruger .22 pistols that are tack drivers too.. I wish you could come out. yep I believe we would have a lot of fun.
dragoneggs
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2013
- Messages
- 13,627
- Location
- Seabeck, Washington
- Tractor
- Kubota BX-25D, Kubota Z122RKW-42
Count me in... now back to welding?
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Yep, just waiting for Daugen to get back with some more pix and a report on his progress. I can commiserate with welding in the heat though. By the time you get your leathers and welding sleeves on in 100 degree heat, it takes a lot of the "sap" out of you! I am pretty curious how he is progressing.
LD1
Epic Contributor
Another benefit of tig welding.
Heavy leathers optional as there is no spatter to burn your forearms
k0ua
Epic Contributor
And it is hard to beat TIG for control and precision. No smoke either, and you can weld inside in the air conditioning. :thumbsup:
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
thanks guys, trying to find where I put the camera down...
pics later
some of it is pretty ugly
some is respectable though I probably used four rods when I needed half of one
already 100 heat index out now, tomorrow morning I hope
Drew
pics later
some of it is pretty ugly
some is respectable though I probably used four rods when I needed half of one
already 100 heat index out now, tomorrow morning I hope
Drew
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
started at 7am this morning and by noon I had one piece welded...no one is ever going to hire me to do this 
of course I had to do everything three or four times, but persistence paid off.
Made a small patch for the one hole I could not cover otherwise, and I'll weld that tomorrow.
The first picture I believe should win a prize as world's ugliest weld. I mean, it's really ugly...takes a lot of talent to get something to look that bad!
Surprisingly there was some penetration under that glop. Gosh did I grind and grind...but I had more fun doing this because I was using a 1/8 7014 rod instead of 3/32
and it definitely ran easier for me, about 94 amps. And I sucked it up and grabbed the rod with my glove and that did help; definitely harder for me to control a full length rod.
By the third or fourth time I was actually pushing a puddle back and forth. It may not be pretty but this steel isn't going anywhere.
The outside weld was a lot easier than the inside one, not helped due to some gapping due a bent deck. I clamped it in as best as I could but...
The inside weld is too ugly to leave, I'll do it again tomorrow morning, but the heat index was 114 when I stopped.
the hardest part will be getting the bent/ripped deck portion in alignment but I wanted the main support piece in place before I started bending things.
Lots more to do.
the overlay metal is not super thick so I have to be careful with that tomorrow.
of course I had to do everything three or four times, but persistence paid off.
Made a small patch for the one hole I could not cover otherwise, and I'll weld that tomorrow.
The first picture I believe should win a prize as world's ugliest weld. I mean, it's really ugly...takes a lot of talent to get something to look that bad!
Surprisingly there was some penetration under that glop. Gosh did I grind and grind...but I had more fun doing this because I was using a 1/8 7014 rod instead of 3/32
and it definitely ran easier for me, about 94 amps. And I sucked it up and grabbed the rod with my glove and that did help; definitely harder for me to control a full length rod.
By the third or fourth time I was actually pushing a puddle back and forth. It may not be pretty but this steel isn't going anywhere.
The outside weld was a lot easier than the inside one, not helped due to some gapping due a bent deck. I clamped it in as best as I could but...
The inside weld is too ugly to leave, I'll do it again tomorrow morning, but the heat index was 114 when I stopped.
the hardest part will be getting the bent/ripped deck portion in alignment but I wanted the main support piece in place before I started bending things.
Lots more to do.
the overlay metal is not super thick so I have to be careful with that tomorrow.
Attachments
newbury
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 14,095
- Location
- From Vt, in Va, retiring to MS
- Tractor
- Kubota's - B7610, M4700
Drew - like others wrote, drop down to 1/16th rod. I had the same problem with my welding on my mower deck. I kept blowing holes through it until I got some 1/16 and ran my Everlast 300 almost as low as it would go.
With thicker rod and more amps I'd start to get a good weld then whoops, blow a hole.
I practiced just making a stack of dimes on 10 gauge metal. First try it too cold, then crank it up, blow some holes and back it down a bit.
Praise to angle grinders.
With thicker rod and more amps I'd start to get a good weld then whoops, blow a hole.
I practiced just making a stack of dimes on 10 gauge metal. First try it too cold, then crank it up, blow some holes and back it down a bit.
Praise to angle grinders.
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
When i ran the heavier rod I knew I could not dig into the mower deck itself very much, concentrating more on the overlay piece.
Which is probably why I have that mosaic of slag all down that weld, which interestingly seems a shade of blue in the light.
I had used two smaller rods first, to be careful, and they just weren't doing it. So I switched up one size and ten amps and that helped.
When just welding that lighter weight overlay metal, I think I'll get some of that 1/16 rod first and try it.
Which is probably why I have that mosaic of slag all down that weld, which interestingly seems a shade of blue in the light.
I had used two smaller rods first, to be careful, and they just weren't doing it. So I switched up one size and ten amps and that helped.
When just welding that lighter weight overlay metal, I think I'll get some of that 1/16 rod first and try it.
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
Am off to go redo my "blue" weld.
I think I have shocked some of you speechless with such bad welding.
Truly an issue of turning :confused3: into :thumbsup:
Think I might make that one patch bigger. The whole area is in poor condition; thinking of getting the edge of the patch into safer territory.
So how does one make a patch look nice? ...not going to happen. I suppose grinding down the edges a bit would help.
I think I have shocked some of you speechless with such bad welding.
Truly an issue of turning :confused3: into :thumbsup:
Think I might make that one patch bigger. The whole area is in poor condition; thinking of getting the edge of the patch into safer territory.
So how does one make a patch look nice? ...not going to happen. I suppose grinding down the edges a bit would help.
