... WELDING ....

[Paul#25]

On welds like in the 2 photos above I'm moving the welding nozzle in small circles or "C" shapes to get the coverage. That is what you have to try practicing.

[BushWacker]

I see that I need to improve the lighting
and helmet settings ...
... definitely cant see the progress of the
' molten puddle ' though and need move the
rod much more gradually ...

[Mad Manny]

Chas as Henri said, clean the rust and scale off the metal before you try to weld. It will make a huge difference in your weld and makes it easier to strike the arc.

That's funny - someone actually thinking Chas will clean something...ever!

When you say you can't see to strike an arc, is that because the helmet is too dark or are your glasses a problem.

It's probably just dirty...

[Ricof4e]

[BushWacker]

... I have Disston Helmet and it has
3 knob settings:

small inside knob sensitivity
small inside knob darkness setting
outside LHS knob ... also darkness ?

... yesterday had settings at very sensitive
& max darkness as was scared of that arc eye !
Never used auto-darkening helmet before.

Trust is Earned ...
-----------------------------------------------------------
==========================================

29/10/2020 from the captains log ...

Heres an add on for yesterdays progress:

... right ... so Ive improved the settings
and watched my glasses are not skew
and can see a bit better whats going on
at the sharp end ... though can not see a
progressing melt puddle - probably as only
get 2 to 3 sec welding runs when the rod isnt
striking or when it gets stuck.
When it strikes I also pull away too fast
almost as a reflex.

I filed the local contact points and welding lines clean ... though only thought after I should have earthed both angle iron pieces... and ended up on amps for 3mm. Main problem is reflex pulling away from strike to avoid sticking and also need hold electrode lightly ?

Some have commented to ...
" Weld on 80-100 Amp for 3mm Rods. Bend your at a slight angle upwards ie 20 degrees. Scratch when you arc ie pull it gently side ways. When you weld, weld in a slow small circle, each circle overlaps/cuts the previous circle in half. Weld short seams or tack runs. Big hint, clean surfaces ie prepare them by brushing/sanding/grinding and then wiping off with thinners to remove all oils. Obviously wait for thinners to evaporate. Lastly, weld in overalls and leather boots wearing 100% cotton socks. If you weld in slops, takkies etc ... "

... also to properly clean and prepare the earthing points and weld line areas ...
.
But heres the latest results on 30*30*3mm
angle iron corners with one length
nestled in the other ... neat fitting but
maybe up to 1/3 to 1/2mm gaps to weld
into/along... Photos below show
*First corner of Frame welds inside and outside
*Second Corner ... only welded outer corner

I tapped welds a bit with my ice-pick thing
a bit & not much crust came off ...

https://ibb.co/brvQ0R6

https://ibb.co/gtt2YVy

https://ibb.co/W282Dmv

https://ibb.co/3mhKhxc

[BushWacker]

I have added an update to the post above ...
as unable to start new post with photos ...

[Paul#25]

Chas have a look at this guys YouTube channel. You should get some good information.
https://youtu.be/pMtqDWUpJds

[Ricof4e]

Chas, how's the welding going?

[BushWacker]

... slow improvement but a long way
from seam welding ... once weather gets clear will get Shaun and Paul give me a lesson!
... but Ive made a bottom bracket box to anchor lower end of my defender swing arm ,
... strong & functional but needed a thick coat of paint !
Swing Arm is firm and works A1 but Im
chancing my luck at the roadblocks as
its 'axle' runs in front of my indicators !

[Paul#25]

Chas, I really hope you aren't going to drive anywhere with that attached to the back of your Landy. The weld, if it can be called a weld, that I circled in red isn't structurally sound. The little blobs that are holding it in place at the moment are going to fail very quickly. Some poor sole driving behind you when it fails is going to be extremely unhappy carrying your spare wheel on his bonnet and half through his windscreen.
Please think carefully about the structural integrity of any welding you undertake. When your modification fails will it cause injury or worse, or just give your mates a good laugh. If you are in front of me on the road with that welding on the mount, I'll pull over and have a coffee before continuing on while keeping a good lookout for spares I can pick up and sell back to you.

[Mad Manny]

Chas, I really hope you aren't going to drive anywhere with that attached to the back of your Landy...

Shuttup Paul, we have been waiting to watch that catastrophic failure for weeks,
Damn %&*%#@!) Killjoy!

[BushWacker]

B34B199D-6110-4AF9-88AD-8B2D5EB3BA1F.jpeg~2.jpg
Chas, I really hope you aren't going to drive anywhere with that attached to the back of your Landy. The weld, if it can be called a weld, that I circled in red isn't structurally sound. The little blobs that are holding it in place at the moment are going to fail very quickly. Some poor sole driving behind you when it fails is going to be extremely unhappy carrying your spare wheel on his bonnet and half through his windscreen.
Please think carefully about the structural integrity of any welding you undertake. When your modification fails will it cause injury or worse, or just give your mates a good laugh. If you are in front of me on the road with that welding on the mount, I'll pull over and have a coffee before continuing on while keeping a good lookout for spares I can pick up and sell back to you.

... cant fail Paul ... !!!
... its done out of 3mm plate and angle iron
and welded on every join ...
... front and back and sides ...
and every plate/ face has a 5mm HT bolt
through it ... ( can see 1 in photo )
The top and bottom of the swingarm
itself are pinned by 8mm HT bolts
and the point by the standard 8mm
linkage.
... would all hold , even without welding.

... but I agree ,
... its not a work of art

[Paul#25]

B34B199D-6110-4AF9-88AD-8B2D5EB3BA1F.jpeg~2.jpg
Chas, I really hope you aren't going to drive anywhere with that attached to the back of your Landy. The weld, if it can be called a weld, that I circled in red isn't structurally sound. The little blobs that are holding it in place at the moment are going to fail very quickly. Some poor sole driving behind you when it fails is going to be extremely unhappy carrying your spare wheel on his bonnet and half through his windscreen.
Please think carefully about the structural integrity of any welding you undertake. When your modification fails will it cause injury or worse, or just give your mates a good laugh. If you are in front of me on the road with that welding on the mount, I'll pull over and have a coffee before continuing on while keeping a good lookout for spares I can pick up and sell back to you.

... cant fail Paul ... !!!
... its done out of 3mm plate and angle iron
and welded on every join ...
... front and back and sides ...
and every plate/ face has a 5mm HT bolt
through it ... ( can see 1 in photo )
... would hold , even without welding.

... but I agree ,
... its not a work of art

Chas, anything can fail.....
3mm plate is actually very thin for that application and what I circled in red in my previous post can't be classified as a weld. If you take that joint and cut through the length of it, you will see that those blobs you call the weld actually have little to no penetration into the base material. 5mm bolts are for panels not structural attachment.
Go have a look at what the commercially available stuff is built from.
You obviously have everything under control so I'll just ignore this thread from now on. My and others advise isn't needed.
Cheers......

[Leon]

Chas waar bly jy. As jy hulp nodig het sal ek jou help sodra ek by die huis is met die welding werk.
Ek bedoel niks lelik nie.

[AndreasR]

Very kind of you Leon.