[Oscar]

Your welds look good to me on that exhaust. Actually, the re-purposed painted tubing welds look good as well.

I agree on the posting up of anything. I think we all get a bit oversensitive about this stuff comparing what we just did to something machine welded with all new parts in a controlled environment. I often make welds that don't look beautiful, it's called the real world. But I don't think one has failed in service in 25 years. My trouble is I just don't take pics of stuff. I had the fan out of my snowblower a week ago and a buddy of mine helped me with reshaping all the blades here one night after work. Then we cleaned it up and I welded it where steel had torn from impacts with rocks and debris. I wasn't so disappointed I didn't take pics of the welds, but once I saw how nice the shaping went on the bent up blades, I said it was sad I didn't have before pics to go with some after pics... I'm usually going at 110% speed trying to get stuff done and not thinking about sharing it. Working on the snowblower at 10 at night was no exception.

Exactly, real world stuff, not that Instagram fluff! it takes twice as long to finish a project when you stop to take pics, and 10x as long when you take pics and video clips, and then edit them all together for a YouTube video!

[Oscar]

Looking good, Oscar! Been meaning to build some racks myself. What did you use to cut the copes?

I used Bend-Tech 7x to make the design. It generates the cut wrappers for all the copes. Then I went to town using the plasma cutter.

[Spartan]

Little gravy work on New Years. Customy hanger mounts. 1/8" thick flat bar pieces set to a 45, only about 2.5" long. Just a quick run on the front and then a couple dabs on the back for added support. Wish I had a few thousand of these to do

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[BugHunter]

Exactly, real world stuff, not that Instagram fluff! it takes twice as long to finish a project when you stop to take pics, and 10x as long when you take pics and video clips, and then edit them all together for a YouTube video!

Yea, you got a LOT of work into that video set. PS, got one more project for ya on that... Go on YT and make a playlist for those 6 so when you get redirected to the YT site (like I did after clicking on your first video), it offers a list of vids (IN sequence), so the user can just watch all 6 without having to go find em. I was surprised YT didn't put the others in the "playing next" section, but at least while I was watching, it hadn't.

Yes, now you posted the other 5 parts here in the thread, but at the time I was watching last night you only had the first one listed and I didn't see the other posts till after I was done watching. I binge watched the whole series!

Excellent job on editing btw.

Here's a project I did yesterday. VERY little in the welding dept. Just the top and bottom parts are laminated for thickness. It's part of a cutter for a machine here. A hardened A2 insert goes in that recess and is then held from the back-side with those two flat heat screws. The A2 parts were in the oven when this was taken and I didn't take another pic till after it was in the machine and hidden, so I don't have a shot of the whole thing complete. It does show where the top and bottom parts were welded on, even if 80% of the welds were machined off later.

I got to play with my new grinder here on this project. I don't have a lot of legit work for the thing, but it sure is nice to have a nice surface grinder. It's gonna get a boatload of work though. The company where it came from is gonna have guys working in here 3 shifts for about 2 months using it while they undergo renovation work and theirs is down.

[Spartan]

Foot nuts!!

And nobody will ever get to see them. Like a pretty little hidden secret on a table that was otherwise welded out with stupid MIG.

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[LtBadd]

Nice table, and we do know about the secret welds

[BugHunter]

Spent today making a few ventilation screens for an aircraft engine test cell. Two of these side by side will offer ventilation for the engine to go through test. Rough opening size is 12 ft by 12 ft. All of it is 6,000 series aluminum.there are either five or six more test cells to do later on.

I wish I had a camera on the center braces when I weld them because they're a great example of a very heavy aluminum part and a very light part. You really have to lean on the outside frame hard so you don't melt away the center brace. It isn't difficult but it's interesting to see I'm about one and a half tungsten thicknesses off-center of the part ing line when I weld it. About 80% or more of the energy goes into the one outside frame.

[BillE.Dee]

NICE buggy. Now I see what you've been building. I see a road trip coming.

[BugHunter]

Bill, it's been a while since I did anything that big. They're actually sorta fun to do. I had to take the welder to the framing area to weld them right on the assembly table because they were too big to move.

Dropped my torch that was laying across the welder and broke my very first Furic cup doing this job. I have dropped the torch before, evidently it didn't hit in such a way to break the cup. I also stumbled / lost balance while welding and did a massive tungsten dip a while back. That filth'ed up another one which I tossed. That one also got burnt when I had turned the gas off and started welding and messed it up more. So, in a year, 2 cups went in the can. Probably still not too bad.

[Jakedaawg]

I only use those furick glass cups when I absolutely have to. I seem to break one every time I put it on the torch. Sure is nice in dark tight spaces though. I especially like them if I'm using a mirror to see where I'm going. I dont ha e the luxury of welding on a table though. Usually on my back up under a darn pontoon boat.

[BugHunter]

I bought a snowblower for my 2nd lawn tractor thinking that would be the better one for blowing snow (and it may yet be). Tractor is a JD 455. Put it on, and the thing weighs so much it took all the weight off the back wheels and it won't even move in the snow. It's worthless. So, I need to add weight. Figured I'd grab some steel stock at work and strap it on the back of the tractor. Just happened to have a nice 15" hunk of 7" stock and a 16.5" hunk of 5" I wasn't using, along with I've got an entire 2x8 I can cut some hunks off and that'll add up to enough I'm sure.

So, got to use my new dry cut saw which I have to say, even with the crappy vise that needs work, does an AWESOME job of cutting steel. If you don't own one, get one... Simple as that. This took untold time off my fab project vs the bandsaw. Honestly, probably took half the time it would have.

Cleaned most of the stuff in the blast cabinet, but left some with the mill scale and just tacked it up with the tig. I'm gonna stick weld the rest just to say I did. I think I've got a 25# box of 6011 3/32...

Used 1/4 x 1-1/2 steel angle with some 3/8x3/4 flat stock for the angled braces. Had to measure on the tractor and triangulate the frame hole locations for the braces, then go to work and mock it up and then check to make sure everything lines up. Used cardboard with holes drilled in it to locate the third triangulated hole after using bolts in the drawbar part as well as another bolt for the brace. To my not so small surprise, the holes lined up PERFECTLY when I took it home last night to check it before final welding.

The 5" piece is 67#/ft and the 7" is 131#/ft, so along with some 16" hunks of 2x8 @54#/ft, I fig'r this oughta hold the back wheels down. I'm gonna order a hunk of 10" material to make wheel weights as well. I can cut it in the bandsaw and then machine it to fit inside the wheels and even sit right on the wheel pilot too. If you are asking why I don't just buy weights, just go online and see what they cost. $170ea for a 70# wheel weight. I need 4, then for the rear suitcase weights, they're ~$80/50#. They're smok'n meth. I can't even afford suitcase weights at Tractor Supply.

To explain a little, the 7" piece goes in the outboard cradle, then the 5" piece goes in the next one toward the tractor where I don't have the sides welded in yet. Then the 2x8s (assuming they're even needed) will go behind that where the cradle for that isn't in place yet at all.

If you're wondering, the blower for this tractor weighs 220# and the center of it is 40" ahead of the front wheels. It's extended out there a ridiculous distance. It's so stupid I even inquired asking if they gave me the correct mount, and I'm still not convinced they did.

Time to go grab a stick or two and play!

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[BugHunter]

Ok, I threw in the towel! I tried 4 different rods on this thing. Started out with some Eutectic rods which actually worked pretty nice. 1/8" and run at 110A. Worked for all positions quite well.

Of course, never let well enough alone, I wanted to try out some other stuff that's sitting around here. The 6011 I thought I had (and I may yet) turned out to be 6013. I now understand Jody's disdain for those things. Omg are they awful. Then, I grabbed some Sandvik rods that are here, they ran really nice but almost looked like Silicon Bronze, I don't know what they are. Then I went to try some 7014 and they pretty much sucked. They may be too old and stored improperly, as are nearly all the rods here. Once I had goobered up almost all the weld areas I went back and covered over the 6013 and 7014 welds with ER70S2 using the TIG. Life is too short for that stick crap!

I need to pad some beads using some of these odd rods and if they won't work, either buy new ones and verify the old ones are no good from age or storage, or figure out what they will work for. Otherwise stick em in the dumpster and move on.

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[cj737]

Buggy, why not just use some tractor counterweights? Can often find those at any Scrap Sale or Farm auction. Looks like there is an existing hitch you could have fashioned a hook for them...

[BugHunter]

Buggy, why not just use some tractor counterweights? Can often find those at any Scrap Sale or Farm auction. Looks like there is an existing hitch you could have fashioned a hook for them...

As I mention above, they're terrible expensive. I can buy 4140 steel new for less money per pound than wheel weighs or suitcase weights. It's insane. For the amount I'd need, it would be $1000 even on Ebay. This is all stuff I have laying around at work already paid for. And I have them today.

If I find suitcase weights at some point for a decent price, this stuff will still be there and can come back to work and be used in the shop. Assuming of course I can get it back in the pickup without a forklift.

[VA-Sawyer]

The better my Tig gets, the worse my Stick looks.

Nicely done on the weight rack. Chains on the rear wheels will make a big difference if you aren't using them already.

[BugHunter]

The better my Tig gets, the worse my Stick looks.

Nicely done on the weight rack. Chains on the rear wheels will make a big difference if you aren't using them already.

Well, I definitely need to pick up some new sticks and see if they work better. Holy cow did these look terrible.

I have chains, but my driveway and walks would be scratched up if I use them so I took em off. Tried it last night and WOW, does it work better now! I blew out the neighbors parking area and did my mailbox where the township had plowed it back in. Never spun a bit. I painted everything so it wouldn't rust 'too bad'. Didn't even need the 2x8s, though I might still add them later if I find this next snow is a struggle. For now, I'm really happy, and no out of pocket $$$ used.

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Here's a vid of a guy using a 2 stage. Mine's a single stage which I'd say actually blows farther. Last night I blew over four 4 foot widths that had been cleared already, and no snow fell on the cleared part. This thing is a beast!

(no, his is not 4wd, he just has the ag tires on the front).

[WVDeere]

My first mig project. Just unboxed the Hobart today.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BugHunter]

Nice! Pretty thin stuff for a first project.

[Spartan]

Quicky repair/mod to a custom bike frame. 11ga MS to 16ish-ga chromoly tube. It was a bit more awkward getting in there than it looks!

Repair was needed due to a classic failure that I've seen at least a dozen times. The original support had the maker's logo laser cut into it, which led the plate to eventually crack due to weakness. Lost track of how many times I've seen a failure (or what leads to a very poor fitup) due to makers putting the placement of their logo as a higher priority than strength. SMDH...

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[cj737]

Quicky repair/mod to a custom bike frame. 11ga MS to 16ish-ga chromoly tube. It was a bit more awkward getting in there than it looks!

Repair was needed due to a classic failure that I've seen at least a dozen times. The original support had the maker's logo laser cut into it, which led the plate to eventually crack due to weakness. Lost track of how many times I've seen a failure (or what leads to a very poor fitup) due to makers putting the placement of their logo as a higher priority than strength. SMDH...

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What, you didn't braze it!!??? Paul Brodie would hunt you down and cut your throat

[Spartan]

Can anybody guess what it is/what it will be used for?? I'll send a Jazzy 10 ceramic kit free of charge to the first person that guesses correctly...but that's a bit doubtful.

Hints: It's for me, and not a customer. It will be partially painted. It's heavy...1/4" thick flat bar for the base.

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[JayWal]

Toilet paper holder

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[Coldman]

charcoal quail

[Oscar]

The 6011 I thought I had (and I may yet) turned out to be 6013. I now understand Jody's disdain for those things. Omg are they awful.

What's wrong with 6013? I think they run easy and nice.

[VA-Sawyer]

Boot scraper?