[JayWal]

Hey guys, I’ve just been approached with a job, it involves welding baseplates onto beams. A roof truss company I do maintenance for in winter asked me to if I could do this. It’s not a certified weld, and the plans show nothing whatsoever about how they are to be welded. The contractors will have the plates tacked on, ill just weld them out. The plates are then cemented into 8” of concrete so it’s not the most critical weld. The poles are 8x8,3/8 wall, the baseplates are 14”x14 by 3/4 thick.

I have a Miller Bobcat 250, it’s my only portable option since this is to be done on site and not in my farm shop. I’m thinking my best bet is grab some 3/16 dia 7018 and weld em out that way. It’s 10 poles, so I should be alright with a sealed pack since I do not have a rod heater.

Or would I be better off with 1/8” rods, just stacking 3 beads?

Any thoughts or ideas for me much appreciated.






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[Coldman]

So it's welding base plates onto columns not beams, ok. Strength wise, one run of 1/8" is going to be strong enough for application. Good practice is to make the fillet as thick as the thinner member, in this case 3/8", this also ensures the weld will not corrode out first. Three runs of 1/8" is going to take longer than running 3/16" so that is the indicator unless you have a suitcase that can run fluxcore. 3/16" is the way to go.

[JayWal]

So it's welding base plates onto columns not beams, ok. Strength wise, one run of 1/8" is going to be strong enough for application. Good practice is to make the fillet as thick as the thinner member, in this case 3/8", this also ensures the weld will not corrode out first. Three runs of 1/8" is going to take longer than running 3/16" so that is the indicator unless you have a suitcase that can run fluxcore. 3/16" is the way to go.

Yes, Columns. I apologize.

So will a sealed package of 7018 be ok for all day if I don’t have a heater? Supposed to be a rainy day, I will have them sealed up, just not heated. Or should I go 7014? Either way I don’t have enough rods in stock for this kinda project it’s a bit of a first for me so I’ll be picking up the rods I need from my LWS on the way there.

Thanks for the advice


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[Coldman]

A new pack of 7018 will be fine. If it does get moisture soaked later in the day it just means it will be like 7014. May as well start with 7018. If the plates are already tacked, all you have to do is weld em out. I think you can have the job done before moisture absorption is an issue anyway.

[JayWal]

Well crap. 3/16 need 250 amps which is the max for my machine. And it’s not running that good. Starts and runs fine, but half way through a weld the engine starts sputtering and backfiring. I kill the arc and engine runs smooth as glass again. Even with 1/8 rods at 125 amps


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[Coldman]

Well that just rots your socks

[JayWal]

But. It got better. After 2 dozen 1/8” rods she was runnin pretty good. After 3 dozen I tried the 3/16” again and had no issues. It’s a very lightly used rig, 81 hours on it in about 6 years. Guess it just needed the cobwebs blown out.


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[Coldman]

Sweet

[BillE.Dee]

REALLY nice job. I agree with you that the machine needed some cobwebs blown out. I had an engine that sat for a while also .. starting "mixing" some cleaner (seafoam) and gas stabilizer in the gasoline and got it straightened out after running it full tilt for about 5 minutes. Now if I am going to store gasoline I try to find non ethanol and still use the old family secret of stabilizer and cleaner.
Keep up the good work.
Bill

[JayWal]

Thanks, I’ve still got a long way to go to be as good as I’d like to be tho.

I actually didn’t even think to add any I have seafoam, use it plenty in my water pumps and air compressors. Ah well it all worked out I guess.

I have both dyed and regular gasoline on the yard, I’ve heard say you shouldn’t use dyed gas in small engines that won’t get used for a while because the dye will settle to the bottom eventually. Not 100% sure if that’s true but it kinda seems to be.


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[snoeproe]

What exactly is “dyed” gas?
You did good for what little information you were given and lack of weld detail in the drawing. I’m really surprised a company doing structural work like this doesn’t have better engineered welding details for their welders. Also surprised they didn’t require AWS D1.1 structural certification to cover themselves for liability and insurance purposes.

[JayWal]

I was pretty surprised too. It didn’t even say they needed to be welded. Much less how.

Dyed gas or diesel has no tax on it, but is for use in farm vehicles only. Farming is my main income, the welding is a side hustle. So I get to use cheaper fuel. Same stuff I just don’t pay tax on it. But I’ve heard some guys say in lawnmowers or chainsaws and the like if they just lie around all winter the dye in the fuel can seperate and settle giving some issues.

[cj737]

But I’ve heard some guys say in lawnmowers or chainsaws and the like if they just lie around all winter the dye in the fuel can separate and settle giving some issues.

I wouldn't think dyed gasoline in a chainsaw would be an issue since you're running 2-stroke fuel. The added oil should prevent any coagulation of the dye. Besides, chainsaw fuel tanks are pretty small in capacity. As for a lawnmower, dang, they seem capable of running the worst fuel on the planet and continue to tick along!

[snoeproe]

I’m aware of dyed diesel but never heard of dyed gasoline. Usually they sell clear (un dyed) gas at the lower tax rate to the local farmers if they require it.