The Metalworking Thread

[Wilhelm]

Many things affect the voltage and current drop, so a good welder does not look at the display, he just observes the arc and corrects the settings.

I am not a good welder!
And I was maxing out my bigger welding machine.
There was/is nothing to adjust other than reducing amps while I obviously need more.

The 105Amp machine still did better than the smaller 90Amp one I have.
The "little one" can't melt 3.2mm rods, but it features an "exposed" transformer core design so it handles heat buildup better.
Both are passive ambient air cooled.

 

[Loony661]

While welding yesterday I tried utilizing two welding stick types (that I took randomly out of my rod supply).
Encountering a major difference in welding performance of the two I was curious and checked brand and intended purpose.
To my surprise both are Oerlikon, but one is "Fincord" and the other "Spezial".
Intended purpose is identical enough, recommended amperage is close enough as well.
With my welders 105Amp (nominal) I was on the very minimum of the recommended amperage.

View attachment 414770

The one pictured in my previous post is the rusty "Fincord".
It would instantly arc and hold the arc quite well at only 105Amp going through it.

View attachment 414771

The other rod was the "Spezial".
It would arc shortly and die.
I had to smack it onto the steel plate I was welding just to again get a short lived arc.
Upon inspecting the rod I noticed that the mantle wasn't melting fast enough to maintain the arc alive.
I am guessing that a 105Amp arc was not hot enough for this rods mantle to melt properly.

View attachment 414772

Quite interesting!

Welding rod can “spoil” if not stored properly. Humidity being the biggest culprit of breakdown. We keep ours in air tight containers, and also keep those containers in an old refrigerator, to keep the humidity from getting to them. Seems to work fone for us. You’ll know right away when you get a back stick, because it won’t stay lit. Sounds to me like you’re experiencing a compromised stick…

 

[jblnut]

Ain’t nothing much compared to some in here but I modded my bandsaw fence and had to build something to see if my bloody finger, missing fingernail and four stitches were worth it. Takes a lot for me to go in to have someone else sew me up but this one wouldn’t quit making a mess so …..


Cut, measure, cuss and cut again. 8th times the charm.


Mock it up ….


Cut some more and mock it up with my new welding clamps.


Needs a lot of cleanup but I own lots of grinders. I’d say I’m more of a decent grinderer than welderer. Also need to toss another tube on top so I have one for storage on top of the other two. And figure out a simple string/pin setup so I don’t have to lift my fat arsh off the seat to hook farm hitch stuff up. Drop the string, the pin drops and away I go !

 

[Loony661]

Ain’t nothing much compared to some in here but I modded my bandsaw fence and had to build something to see if my bloody finger, missing fingernail and four stitches were worth it. Takes a lot for me to go in to have someone else sew me up but this one wouldn’t quit making a mess so …..
View attachment 414782

Cut, measure, cuss and cut again. 8th times the charm.
View attachment 414783

Mock it up ….
View attachment 414789

Cut some more and mock it up with my new welding clamps.
View attachment 414791

Needs a lot of cleanup but I own lots of grinders. I’d say I’m more of a decent grinderer than welderer. Also need to toss another tube on top so I have one for storage on top of the other two. And figure out a simple string/pin setup so I don’t have to lift my fat arsh off the seat to hook farm hitch stuff up. Drop the string, the pin drops and away I go !
View attachment 414792

“Grinder and paint make me the welder I ain’t”

 

[Wilhelm]

Ain’t nothing much compared to some in here but I modded my bandsaw fence and had to build something to see if my bloody finger, missing fingernail and four stitches were worth it. Takes a lot for me to go in to have someone else sew me up but this one wouldn’t quit making a mess so …..
View attachment 414782

Cut, measure, cuss and cut again. 8th times the charm.
View attachment 414783

Mock it up ….
View attachment 414789

Cut some more and mock it up with my new welding clamps.
View attachment 414791

Needs a lot of cleanup but I own lots of grinders. I’d say I’m more of a decent grinderer than welderer. Also need to toss another tube on top so I have one for storage on top of the other two. And figure out a simple string/pin setup so I don’t have to lift my fat arsh off the seat to hook farm hitch stuff up. Drop the string, the pin drops and away I go !
View attachment 414792

My dad always says: cut off twice, still too short.

That looks way too elaborate for just a hitch.
Why so much effort?

I will be making a ball hitch for my tractor so I can utilize my small car trailer.
But I intend to fit it in place of the current teardrop tractor hitch.

 

[jblnut]

“Grinder and paint make me the welder I ain’t”

Darn right !! Paint goes a long way to hide mistakes lol

My dad always says: cut off twice, still too short.

That looks way too elaborate for just a hitch.
Why so much effort?

I will be making a ball hitch for my tractor so I can utilize my small car trailer.
But I intend to fit it in place of the current teardrop tractor hitch.

I looked all over on Netscape Navigator at different designs and thought I could do it better lol.

Plus I wanted to play with the revised fence on the saw, hence the angle cuts. The round bar fit perfectly into the top link and seemed the easiest way to do it. Plus it looks neat

 

[Wilhelm]

“Grinder and paint make me the welder I ain’t”

Dang, I didn't paint my welds yesterday!

Just a matter of time till I get ridiculed for those.

 

[Partner]

I am not a good welder!
And I was maxing out my bigger welding machine.
There was/is nothing to adjust other than reducing amps while I obviously need more.

The 105Amp machine still did better than the smaller 90Amp one I have.
The "little one" can't melt 3.2mm rods, but it features an "exposed" transformer core design so it handles heat buildup better.
Both are passive ambient air cooled.

Don't worry, this is not a welding forum and you can always add a fan to improve the factory or manufacturer / My grandfather, in times when it was difficult to buy anything, made a wooden box for a transformer without a bottom and while welding he opened the top cover and it works even now, I once added an electronic current regulator

 

[Yukon Stihl]

BTW, how bad is it having white smoke exiting my welder housing before the overheat protection kicks in - twice?

It’s never a good sign when the magic smoke comes out. It’s hard to get it back in.

 

[Wilhelm]

It’s never a good sign when the magic smoke comes out. It’s hard to get it back in.

That's what I thought too.
But I had to get the job done.
After the first overheat shutdown I used the smaller welding machine for another fix where a much thinner rod was actually desired, but then pushed the limits of the bigger welder into a second shutdown.
I had about 2" of weld length left to do but called it good enough.

This welder is in my family for 30+ years, I do not recall ever seeing my dad use it so I always thought it was defective.
I once asked my dad to dispose of it and to my surprise he said it was fully functional, he just doesn't use it because of the thermal shutoffs.

I am going to blow it out with the compressor, maybe & hopefully it was dust cooking off the transformer.
If I fried it, so be it - gotta check it out, didn't turn it back on since two days ago.

 

[Yukon Stihl]

I was cutting some 5/16 steel with a grinder and death wheel. That grinder has been used with the death wheels for years now. I was almost finished the cut and there were some sparks and flames coût of it. I assumed it was a bunch of shavings as I had been doing a bunch of cutting so I wanted to finish the cut. Just as i finished the cut smoke came out and it quit. Dead switch doesn’t move. It was one of the first Chinese power tools I bought. Got a replacement at the pawn shop for $10 guard removed already with a death wheel on it.

 

[NateSaw]

“Grinder and paint make me the welder I ain’t”

I thought these were hilarious. I could definitely use them.

 

[Loony661]

View attachment 415095
I thought these were hilarious. I could definitely use them.

I could give those to a few people! Ha!

 

[Firewood Hoarder]

I could give those to a few people! Ha!

There is definitely a market for those!

 

[Squareground3691]

Cutting threads ,

 

[davidwyby]

 

[davidwyby]

Who makes the biggest baddest metal cutting circular saw?