On Saturday, May 2, 2020 at 8:14:22 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Friday, May 1, 2020 at 8:32:21 PM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
================================================== ====
Aha, my old Picasa photos are still around:
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1Q...Y20vTCs_j1loIT
Sharing enabled?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ADDqcqbkWemoD2eC6
Nice. Let me ask a welding question. Being bored and at
home from college (freshman) my son has turned to welding.
(I bought us helmets a few years ago, we've got an old Dayton
AC/DC stick welder. and some real old stick... but new stuff
is on the way from amazon. 6011 1/8".)
Anyway there are like a bazillion stick welding videos, and if
anyone has a series or person they like... please tell me.
We're totally idiot beginners.
Mostly farm repair kinda stuff.
Well and 'the boy' wants to mod an old lawn tractor.
George H.
=================================================
I tried to learn stick welding in college but didn't really get it. When
area voc-techs began offering adult night classes I took machining and
welding classes repeatedly until I could do something useful without an
instructor looking over my shoulder, observing and correcting my mistakes
which a video can't do.
Before welding the main frame for that loader, a U of 2" square tubing that
holds the oil, I used all but the last session to practice welding butt
joints with 7018 rod, and then bending them to destruction with the shop's
50 ton press. Once I had full but not excessive bead penetration from one
side and could fold the test samples double along the weld without cracking
I welded the frame. I'm still very far from being a good welder.
Hah, we're having a hard time getting the arc going with out sticking
the rod to the piece. "Stop, stuck the rod again" says my son. :^)
It's kinda like sticking the landing in ice skating.. but opposite.
Once going he seems to be much better (than me) at laying down a nice bead.
7018 absorbs moisture unless stored air-tight. Of the rods that can be
stored open I found 6013 and 7014 the easiest and neatest. I didn't do very
well with 6011.
Besides the welder you need something to cut steel. I bought a used 4" x 6"
horizontal bandsaw of better than their average quality to cut bar and
tubing stock squarely and accurately. In the vertical position it can cut
flat plate free-hand, limited by the minimal left side clearance to the
frame. An abrasive chop saw also works, but not a wood-cutting bandsaw
unless you reduce its speed to 1/10th.
Thanks for that. Well a new order of 6011 is on the way and will be here
soon. We'll see if that works any better. I was trying to talk my son
into a night class or something... there's a place 'up the road'
near Rochester NY. We'll see. Most of what I want to do is
crude 'farm' repair. He has more ambitious dreams (which is fine)
of building stuff.
bandsaw and cutting. At home I've only used the reciprocating
saw (~sawzall) with a metal blade. (slow)
George H.