Good morning

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

I made these little brackets yesterday for the car but I haven’t welded them yet, so that’s this morning’s project.




Those little bars are left over from trash racks we welded for the Friant-Kern canal back in 95.

I had been laid off from my engineering job and working as a computer consultant. A friend and I bid on this welding job, and amazingly we won the contract. We made money but we could have been $14,000 higher and still got the contract.

Anyhow it kept me employed for a whole summer, and I made enough money to pay the bills and buy a used Cadillac.

I’m gonna go out and weld these brackets this morning, so you all have a nice day.

 

[Rodburner]

I use something similar when I make brackets for various projects but I don’t have an on hand rack of steel..lol I’ve had good luck with these little nuggets when making offsets for some sliding doors and as boltable base plates when pipe is welded on,etc. I get them from Lowe’s by the hand full for a buck apiece. They weld great..

 

[Rodburner]

These assemblies slide through drilled holes in my utility trailer that allow me to add extensions to the top rails for hauling sheet goods on a 4’ long trailer. No tools, just push a retaining clip through the little hole and good to go. The eye bolt is screwed onto a nyloc nut that stays inside the nipple allowing for adjustment.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I did not get these mounted on the car yet but I did get them welded, and they came out pretty solid. I was really worried about burning through the tubing since it was only half as thick as the plate. I never burned through once. I did dip the electrode a couple times, but this was a big improvement on my previous work.

These came out so clean that I just wiped them with a paper towel. No burnishing.

Here’s the back.

Warpage was pretty minimal.



I made little plates to act as doublers and load spreaders where the round tubes attache to the frame. I got those installed and set up, but I did not weld them yet, so more fun tomorrow.

I spent a lot of time getting set up to weld and didn’t actually spend that much total time welding. I would’ve like to finish this today but I was just too tired.

Here’s what I am discovering. As I get more practice I am less intimidated by the procedure and my welds are improving. As this happens it is becoming more fun.

I really have been stalling on this project, because I am a bit intimidated by all the welding to be done. I think that will be much less the case now and I am more anxious than ever to get on with it.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

I was bragging that I hadn’t burned through that thin tube on the previous welding, but I did burn through there, while tack welding it under the car.

You can see the ugly blob right in the middle. I should’ve ground that out before I patched it, but there’s not a lot of stress on this.

I discovered it was very difficult to TIG weld overhead while under the car and all I was trying to do is make some tacks. I didn’t grind them out and I was paid back with unwarranted porosity.
I’m not super proud of these but I will label them acceptable and move on. Today I’m going to try to strip & paint the rails. These are about 4 feet long.

 

[Rodburner]

Wrong sub forum, but it’s all in the wrist…lol

 

[CaddmannQ]

I got these rails sanded down and sprayed today, but I still have to do the rusty bits under the transmission.

Wrong sub forum, but it’s all in the wrist…lolView attachment 29363

Did you plug all those tubes and back purge it with argon?

 

[Rodburner]

Lol no way is there that much time left in my lifespan to weld like that…I buried my best stuff underground. Lol

 

[CaddmannQ]

Well my wrists have survived many sports injuries . . . Basketball, skateboards, bicycles, motorcycles etc. so don’t expect me to do any artistry with a torch.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

I’m off to the welding shop this morning to look at a water cooled torch. I don’t want to spend a fortune on this business but I’m thinking $600 would be about the minimum.

That’s $210 for the torch and hoses and another $300 for the cooling unit.

Plus I’ll be buying new consumables because they don’t fit the CK 17.

I need to talk to somebody that has done this and get their opinions. I have to do a little heavier welding, and I might just be satisfied with stick welding for that part.

Of course I could do it with the 17 but I will spend a lot of time waiting around for the torch to cool. Or maybe I just need to set up a dedicated fan to cool my torch so I don’t have to wait long between passes.

I wasn’t going to spend money on this, and my problem is that now I have the extra money, and that is wearing a hole in my pocket.

I hope you all have such problems in your life as well.

Have a nice day folks.

 

[Bobster]

I need to talk to somebody that has done this and get their opinions. I have to do a little heavier welding, and I might just be satisfied with stick welding for that part.

I KNOW I've advised you on this. Do a search of relative terms and the posts will come up. In a nutshell:

generally, you use the amps in thousandths", ie: to TIG weld 1/8" (.125") you will set the machine at 125A. Al settings will be higher than Fe. They make handydandy charts to simplify settings (https://www.millerwelds.com/resources/welding-guides) So to reliably/comfortably TIG weld 1/4", you would need a 250A torch. They make very large torches rated at 400A but most often something requiring that many amps is welded with a different method than TIG.

#17-150A, this guy is definitely going to get hot with extended welding close to or at it's amp rating--why they include torches rated lower than the amps of the machine baffles me...
#26-200A, my 185A machine came with this torch. It will heat up as well, but not nearly as quickly as the 17
#18 (water-cooled)-300A
these take the same consumables

#9-125A
#20-250A (water-cooled)-250A
these take the same consumables

#26 and #18 about the same size (fat)
#17 and #20 about the same size

There are other flavors/numbers that are used for specific tasks like machine torches, super-delicate, etc that you need not concern yourself with.

I suggested you get a #26 last year. I had an extra Weldcraft torch head (new) that I could sell you, but you would have to buy the cables (~$40). I forget what I wanted for the torch. CK and Weldcraft are both excellent brands and you never have to worry about the quality. Miller and other welder mfg torches are also good stuff and probably made by one of those companies.

I have a Bernard 2gal cooler that has NEVER gotten hot even after an hour of 140A welding. I couldn't advise you on any of the Chinese brands as I have no experience with them. The main thing is to remember to turn the cooler on as the hot lead runs IN the return hose and will quickly melt through and burn up a $50 hose.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Thank you for all that Bobster, but it was really not necessary. I have already decided on the CK 20.

(Much appreciation for this though:
“The main thing is to remember to turn the cooler on as the hot lead runs IN the return hose and will quickly melt through and burn up a $50 hose.”)

But I had to see one in my hand and try it. So yesterday, after I looked at one physically to see how big it all was, I realized it was not going to be at all cumbersome even compared to the 17. That’s what I really was worrying about.

The problem was that they (The local welding shop) didn’t have one adaptable easily to my machine and also couldn’t provide nearly the same price as I could get from Primeweld. The coolers that they sell are probably compatible enough that they just plug into the 110 socket on my machine, But the prices were much higher.

When I decide to go water cooled I’m gonna get the CK 20 and the Primeweld water cooler kit that was designed to work with my welder exactly. It turns everything on and off for you when you start whackin the pedal. If you’ve got electrons you’ve got gas and water.

My consideration over the price isn’t such a big deal as I can get the whole business for 209+399 so about $650 with tax delivered. They’re Including the shipping and that torch kit in order to promote their welders and coolers.
But I also have a bunch of welding rod and this Primeweld will do AC arc welding so that might be the trick for some of the welding, particularly where there is an access problem. I haven’t tried that yet and it’s something I want to play with next.

Rather than cost, my main decision revolves around welding access of certain parts of my design, and possible alterations of that design itself. In the end I will probably end up doing both, Just because I can. LOL

 

[CaddmannQ]

Yesterday I got stuck doing some welding for my wife. I made her some hoops to hold these barrels together so she can plant in them. Those black straps were cut from an old security door, and so there was a lot of cleanup, but my welding was very minimal.


(Not so here. There’s about 64 welds on this grill….)

I also welded a grillwork from all this old scrollwork, from a security door that I scrapped out. This will give her a place to sit her flower pots inside this tall barrel.

Today I’m going to put some brackets on the barrel so it doesn’t need the buckets.

But I got a lot of welding practice yesterday doing this little diddly stuff and it went pretty good, until the wind kicked up and then everything went porous. I cranked the argon up high and kept welding with fair results.

Anyhow I can now tell instantly when my argon stream is getting weak. ;(

I had to buy a new quarter sheet sander, and I was actually sanding these bits of the car frame When my wife interrupted me.


I will get back to this after I make her brackets. I will get her to scrub that grill with a wire brush and shoot some black paint on it before I screw it into the barrel.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Oh yes…regarding this,

“#17-150A, this guy is definitely going to get hot with extended welding close to or at it's amp rating”

It gets very hot with extended welding at half that rating.

I was not planning to weld anything over 1/8 inch on this car. Most of the welding will be 1/32 to 1/16 & 1/16 to 3/32.

(But there’s a couple little bits where there is 3/16 steel to 3/32 and that’s where I was going to have the limited access problem.)

I was planning on having to do a lot of short stitch welds and spot welds. The CK 17 does pretty good with that working out around 40 to 60 amps.

One question I didn’t ask is this. “Will the CK 17 torch run any cooler if I use a larger electrode?”

So far I’m doing everything with 3/32 red W. I do have the collet and 1/8 set up, but I have never tried it.

 

[Bobster]

One question I didn’t ask is this. “Will the CK 17 torch run any cooler if I use a larger electrode?”

The short and only answer is "no". Alternately, the #26 is considerably beefier and is a low-cost option to help keep your hands cool. Plus it will take the same consumables your 17 does. I have one that came with my TIG that I keep as a backup. When going to a #20 you're going to need to get collets, cups and end caps for it. And the collets and cup adapters are specific for different dia. Ws.

PS: a too-short W may not make good enough contact and create resistance/heat so that is a possibility...

My welder, and I would venture yours as well, uses Dinse connectors. I created a Dinse/threaded stub to mount my water-cooled torch adapter. Cut a 1/2-13 bolt head off, sanded and scuffed it up, then soldered it into the connector where the cable would normally be clamped and cut back the rubber cover. The adapter is backed up with a jam nut and washer not clearly visible. And yes, that entire block is electrically "hot" when welding. But it stays cool to the touch which means the cooler is doing its job...



PS: note the use of LH fittings indicated by the little "slits" on the edges of the nut.

The reason you would go to a bigger W is for more amps/thicker metal and so a thinner W doesn't evaporate into the weld, contaminating it. Going down in amps you go down in W diameter so the arc establishes/maintains easier. This is more noticeable welding Al on AC hi-freq.

They also make a tinfoil-backed "guard" you can stick your torch hand through to deflect some of the heat away.

Normally, my #20 lives with a 1/8 pure W and gas lens as it is used mainly for Al. I have a 3/32 setup I can swap in if necessary. To do the thinner stuff I keep a #9 torch handy with a sharpened Ce or Th 1/16" W, I forget which. I just untwist my WC adapter and twist in a Dinse-to-small Dinse adapter, then twist the #9 power lead into it. And swap out the gas hose as my #9 has separate power lead and gas hose. I don't like the leads that combine power/gas into one hose/lead as it requires an adapter at the machine to separate the two. My #9 is actually a #9V with gas valve on the torch handle. I have a little HF 80A "lunchbox" DC stick welder I use for DC TIG and it works pretty good. As it doesn't have a built-in gas valve, the valve on the torch is necessary.

I usually keep a long end cap on my torches but I also have a shorty end cap if I need to get in tight. This will require a shorter W. When mine get on the small side I'll swap out to a new 7"-er and keep the stubby for when needed.

 

[Rodburner]

What? Lol……

 

[CaddmannQ]

“I don't like the leads that combine power/gas into one hose/lead as it requires an adapter at the machine to separate the two.”

This is exactly what I do have and why the best set up for me is the one already set up for this.

I got out there today and finished up my wife’s fancy barrel. The grill just lifts up so she can take it out and clean underneath.

I got the sanding done on my little frame rails and in a little bit I will go and shoot some paint on them.

 

[meanstreak]

Good morning to all of yous.

I have been scouring the local gun stores looking for a Ruger revolver. There is a new version of the Wrangler .22 or. They call it the Super Wrangler. It is .22 WMR. Anyways there does not seem to be one in town. Oh well, patience is a virtue, or so they say.

Y'all have a great day.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

I only have one pistol that shoots .22 WMR, but I like it because it’s tiny and it will pack a good load of snake shot.

The weather here has just been fantastic except the breeze that comes up in the afternoon spoils my TIG welding. Wearing a welding helmet I may not feel the air on my face, but I can see what happens when the argon starts blowing away.

Not a lot going on right now. I painted my U-bolts last night, As well as the minor frame rails, and today I’ll probably put that all back on the car.

First I want to clean up the suspension a little more but that’s a very minor job.

Have a nice day folks!

 

[CaddmannQ]

Hey guys, nothing fun going on today. I’ve been messing with the garden stuff all morning and cleaning aquariums. Now I’m gonna go continue sanding on my frame rails.