Welcome To The Welding & Metalworking Forum

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Crazy Horse

Dealer
Feb 20, 2009
1,153
3
36
USA
Welcome to,

Welding & Metalworking, share and ask questions here about welding & metalworking, and or all things welding & metalworking related.

Welding Processes
Discussions of all welding and allied processes including but not limited to; stick, mig, tig, oxy/fuel welding and brazing.

General Welding Information
This section is meant as a reference area for general welding data, safety information, etc.

Fabrication
Show off you projects and pictures of them and general discussions of fabrication techniques, knowledge and equipment.

Gases & Consumables
Discuss the many variety's of consumables, gases, and MIG/TIG Welding Flowmeter Regulators.

Machining
For discussion of turning, milling, drilling, tapping, precision grinding, etc. Related equipment, techniques and practices.

Metallurgy and Materials
General discussion on the metals and materials we use in our projects.

Shop Building
Discuss building a shop, electrical needs, compressed air systems, shop layout, shop equipment, and other relevant needs.

CNC Machines, Submerged Arc, Automated Systems, and other cutting methods
This is the place to discuss alternative cutting methods such as cutting with CNC Tables, Oxy-Fuel, and other cutting methods.

Plasma Cutting
General tips, ideas, tricks, and basic introduction on how to use Plasma Cutters.

Welding (Auto-Darkening) Helmets and Gear
Discuss Welding Helmets and other gear.

Welder Manufacturers
Discussions about Welders & Welding products from any manufacturer, such as.

Everlast Welders & Equipment

Harbor Freight Welders & Equipment

Hobart Welders & Equipment

Lincoln Welders & Equipment

Longevity Welders & Equipment

Miller Welders & Equipment

What Are the 3 Types of Welding?

1. Stick, MIG and TIG welding are 3 of the most common types of welding.

Stick, MIG and TIG welding are 3 of the most common types of welding.
Welding is a process in which two pieces of metal are joined together using heat and electricity. A filler material is used to form a pool of molten metal that cools to become a strong joint between the pieces. Welding is used in many different industries, including construction, shipbuilding, aeronautics and electronics. There are many different welding processes, but the most common are stick welding, metal inert gas (MIG) welding and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding.


Stick Welding

2. Stick welding, also known as Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is one of the easiest and most common types of welding. The electrode, or "stick" that gives this type of welding its name, is covered with a metal coating that melts and forms a gas shield as the heat is applied, adding slag, deoxidizers and alloy to the welded metal. Slag is created when globules of molten metal solidify on the surface of the weld--these must be chipped off. Stick welding equipment is simple to use and inexpensive. The electrode provides its own flux, eliminating the need for additional supplies. Stick welding can be used in all positions (welding done flat, horizontal, vertical and overhead) and has a lower sensitivity to drafts than gas-shielded welding. However, these welds have a very rough appearance.


MIG (Metal Inert Gas) Welding

3. Metal inert gas, or MIG, welding uses a spool of solid-steel wire that is fed to the work area from a machine through a contact tip in the MIG "gun." The contact tip is electrically charged when the trigger of the gun is pulled, which melts the wire for the weld puddle. MIG is usually used in indoor welding where drafts will not displace the gas shielding. However, it can be used in the field with wind blocks, such as plastic sheets. MIG welding can be used on stainless steel, mild steel and aluminum. It can be used to weld in all positions. You do not have to chip off slag build-up, and it is relatively easy to learn. Disadvantages include having to use a cumbersome tank of shielding gas and the cost of consumables like tips and nozzles.


TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) Welding

4. Tungsten inert gas, or TIG, welding can be used on a wider variety of materials, provides very high quality welds and does not produce toxic smoke or fumes. The argon gas used in this process protects the weld from contamination, so no slag is produced. Welds can be done in all positions. All of these benefits make TIG welding an ideal choice for confined spaces. TIG welding requires more skill and experience to produce a good weld, however. The torch must be held at the right angle, the weld-pool must be kept uniform and the right filler must be used.


What's the difference between MIG, TIG, and ARC Welders

Arc welders produce a variable current with the use of a transformer and use a welding rod in order to create the weld. There is a flux around the welding rod used to prevent reaction of the metal with atmospheric gases such as oxygen and nitrogen. However, this flux creates slag that must always be removed.

MIG welding, also known as Metal Inert Gas welding, is by far the easiest to learn. The MIG electrode is consumable and a MIG Shield or a flux core in the metal wire removes atmospheric gases from the welding area. MIG units are better for beginners as they create cleaner welds, however they do not have the capacity of welding thick metals in the way that arc welders do.

TIG welding, also known as Tungsten Inert Gas welding, is one of the more difficult styles of welding to master. The electrode in made of tungsten, and non-consumable, unlike the MIG electrode. However, the TIG and MIG welders both have a flux core in the metal wire which removes oxygen, nitrogen and other potentially reactive gases from the welding area.

When choosing an arc welder, one needs to take into consideration their level of skill and the usage of the welder. For beginners, a MIG welder is probably best as it is the easiest to use or for those wishing to perform auto work due to their clean welds. However, over time a MIG welder, with its consumable electrode, becomes very expensive. For those who wish to weld thicker metals an arc welder should be that of choice. TIG welders are good for more advanced users who need the thicker metal welding ability of the arc welder. When choosing a TIG arc welder, remember that ferrous metals require DC current and non-ferrous require AC current in TIG welders. Choose the welder which is not necessarily more popular, but which best fits your skill level, budget and the use you will make of it.

Shielding gases are inert or semi-inert gases that are commonly used in several welding processes, most notably gas metal arc welding and gas tungsten arc welding (GMAW and GTAW, more popularly known as MIG and TIG, respectively). Their purpose is to protect the weld area from atmospheric gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. Depending on the materials being welded, these atmospheric gases can reduce the quality of the weld or make the welding process more difficult to use. Other arc welding processes use other methods of protecting the weld from the atmosphere as well – shielded metal arc welding, for example, uses an electrode covered in a flux that produces carbon dioxide when consumed, a semi-inert gas that is an acceptable shielding gas for welding steel.

Improper choice of a welding gas can lead to a porous and weak weld, or to excessive spatter; the latter, while not affecting the weld itself, causes loss of productivity due to the manpower needed to remove the scattered drops.

What Is the Difference Between TIG Welding & MIG Welding?


Tungsten inert gas (TIG) and metal inert gas (MIG) are two types of arc welding processes. There are a few similarities between the two methods and many differences.

Electrode
1. TIG welding uses a tungsten electrode that is not consumed during the welding process. MIG welding uses a metal electrode that doubles as filler material for the weld and is consumed during welding.

Shielding Gas
2. TIG welding primarily uses argon as a shielding gas, with helium occasionally used. Argon is also the primary shielding gas used in MIG welding, but argon mixtures and carbon dioxide are often used for different applications.

Filler Material
3. TIG welding requires a separate filler material in rod or wire format because the electrode is not consumed. MIG welding delivers the filler material via the electrode.

Work Piece Materials
4. TIG welding can be applied to just about any metal, from steel to aluminum and exotic alloys. MIG welding was developed for nonferrous metals, but can be applied to steel.

Difficulty
5. TIG welding is considered to be more difficult than MIG welding because tighter tolerances have to be maintained between the electrode, the filler rod and the work piece.

Custom Fabrication & Metalworking
Bicycle Frame Jigs & Custom Metal Jigs For Building Gas tanks


To Be Continued..weld
awesome! love it.
I just wanted to share some forum members whom are quite talented when it come to Welding & Fabricating, and Painting.

The list is going to grow so I'll start with some of my favorites:

Norm, Venice Motor Bike, Pat, Sportscarpat aka Sportsmanflyer, Graucho, Bairdco, Culvercityclassics, Maxvision, 16v4nrbrgr, GNU, RedB66, Fulltimer, BarelyAwake, Labrat, Goatherder, Maniac57, bigbutterbean, Killercannuck, Roland & Timm aka Bigboy Cycles. Inked1974, and so many others that I'll have to add to this list as I remember them.

If you have a welding question please ask it here I'm sure one of us will have an answer or suggestion to help.
 

tooljunkie

Member
Apr 4, 2012
663
5
16
Manitoba,Canada
wow,crazy horse.
i can see you put a lot of effort into this thread,hats off to you.
i can see this getting lots of reads,as helpful as it gets.
looking forward to following this.
 

Crazy Horse

Dealer
Feb 20, 2009
1,153
3
36
USA
What type of grinder head is used to cope tubing to its self before welding. Is air drive or electric the best why to go.
OG, I'd say to use a belt drive grinder. This would allow for a much cleaner smoother finish. After notching a piece of tubing.

Or you can use an air drive grinder with tapered grinding heads, air dirive will give you much greater speed control when cleaning a notched tube.

If this is what you are try to accomplish, either way let us know what you've found to work for you.

Know if this question is in regards to notching steel tubing, my suggesting is to clamp a grinder in a vise, then use a magic marker outining your tubing that you want to cope / fishmouth and makesure you have a level table to slowly cutout the fishmouth to fit the two pieces of steel together for a tight fit.

Correct me if I misunderstood the question.

C.H.
 

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
22
0
memphis Tn
I use a regular old 4" angle grinder unless I have access to a tubing notcher. Most of the cheap ones I've used are junk unless you own stock in a hole saw company...just mark and grind carefully a bit at a time.
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
I wonder if anyone knows of an in line filter for the argon/carbon dioxide high pressure gas mix from the bottle being use for MIG, so that there is an additional line of defense to the regulator and gauges beside the little screen at the inlet to the regulator.

I have heard of one for high pressure air a long time ago that was small and used for scuba tanks being filled for extra measure to prevent contaminant into the tank being filled.

I already have a fairly full ARCO2 bottle that I have been told by the supplier that it is good, but my cheap 80 dollar regulator went on the fritz and lucky I am getting a courtesy replacement. It is 1 a 1/2 years old and the warranty was supposed to be just 1 year.

I was thinking buying something to give extra measure of keeping this second regulator working.

I probably just had the regulator go bad and the tank is fine, but it happened right after I had exchanged the tank that was the only one I used for the last 1 an 1/2 years and had no problem.

The regulator pressure gauge for tank rises so slowly and when bleeding off pressure it drops slowly, both like 1/2 hr to go to fill current level and to zero.

Secondly the approximated kind of flow rate using needle gauge has the flow occasionally fluctuate back and forth between the 15 cfm at the 18 cfm. I know when I set it for 15 cfm with the nozzle trigger on, that it goes up to 18 cfm normally. This is OK, but if it fluctuates back and forth going to the 18 cfm when trigger is pulled, then it indicates that the flow of gas has actually stopped. That would be common sense I suppose.

Since it did not do that fluctuating continuously I did continued to weld that day OK, but I know that it probably will quit working altogether at the worst possible time.

What you think, aside from the good news I get another cheapie regulator and hope for the best. I also looked at the inlet screen on the regulator they don't even want shipped back. It looks OK, but the company says they do not have parts to sell for servicing this regulator and they do not work on them.

For S & G's if the replacement one works, then after a while I may go on a mission to disassemble the old regulator to see what made it stop ticking. Then I can weld it into some artistic piece as I would not attempt to fix it other than replacing the inlet screen.

There are no leaks on it and it does have an over pressure release valve which is intact, so I guess the day has come for throw away regulators.

The upside a replacement is on its way and that I can recycle the metal for making a lamp. The switch could be the large wing that swings around on the flow rate setting modified for artistic purpose.

MT
 
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maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
22
0
memphis Tn
Most of the regulators I have seen have a sintered metal filter in the fitting that attaches the regulator to the tank.
Of course, I'm talking about commercial grade stuff, Not about the china welders.
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
I got a courtesy replacement although I was supposed to only have 1 year not 3 years and it is about 1 and a 1/2 years old regulator. Both of them have that kind of filter and there is nothing from the outside I can see. Probably it just went bad. The one I first got was made in USA and that was only made a small lot for Hobart. The one I got now as a replacement from Hobart is made in China as my original model regulator there are none left in stock.

I guess all will be fine, but I have not had a chance to yet hook up the one I got courtesy.

Just a thought. The way these regulators are built and how it may go bad or wear out, it may work with low pressure in the tank, like under 1000 psi, but from full fill at 2250 psi it acts up.

I mean why when I had the cylinder swapped when I was running below 500 psi, was it that it happens with a good clean full filled cylinder? Maybe just happened that way, but if I ask my friend to see if I could use his tank when it is below 1000 psi and hook up the old regulator and it works, well that could be it.

I use the welder so infrequently it could be another 1 and a 1/2 years before I get it swapped out again.

MT
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
I tested out the new regulator and it works fine.

There is something I noticed about the flow rate gauge which is an approximate type needle unit. As I have known already from using those type gauges, they have to be set about 3cfh above 15cfh to 18cfh for the desired flow of 15cfh. When holding the trigger the needle drops to 15cfh.

Whats new on this regulator is it drops down 4cfh from 18cfh to 14cfh. Then it rises slowly to 15cfh. I feel it is fine, just that if it rises back up to 18cfh while still depressing the trigger, then the flow I'll have to assume is stopped and there is something wrong.

Some test welding on bike frame tube to channel metal steel:

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=471338#post471338 see post 122 3 pics
 

FTW

New Member
Mar 26, 2013
24
1
0
SA
extremely impressed with the range of knowlage and intrest in bike building hear. THIS FORUM JUST KEEPS GIVING!!!
 

FTW

New Member
Mar 26, 2013
24
1
0
SA
auflgextremely impressed with the range of knowlage and intrest in bike building hear. THIS FORUM JUST KEEPS GIVING!!!
 

Jim C

Member
Jul 11, 2010
200
6
18
Long Beach Calif
I am a highly skilled retired machinist/tool & die maker I would like to rent some time on a Bridgeport mill or any vertical mill. In or near Long Beach Calif.
 

Crazy Horse

Dealer
Feb 20, 2009
1,153
3
36
USA
extremely impressed with the range of knowlage and intrest in bike building hear. THIS FORUM JUST KEEPS GIVING!!!
FTW, we have a saying here in the USA which reminds me of you and the type of build you are pursuing.

It's when someone is insane mentally ill.

Saying is: He's gone Postal, ie crazy, sound familiar to an Aussie?

Postie, ie the Honda CT110 riden by Australian Postal Carrier's ie Aussie mailman!

Let us know when you've started your motorized bicycle Stretch Cruiser Drag Bicycle, with the Postie engine.

C.H.
 
Mar 31, 2013
295
8
0
RI
thanks Crazy Horse, your 'friend request' is the closest thing to a welcome i've gotten around here, ...so far it hasn't seemed like a very friendly place so thanks again.

...now i'll go back to lurking and studying, ...so thanks too for sharing your knowledge, you personally have posted up a fair bit of homework for me and i best get started.

...i think i'll start with your Harbor Freight thread so i'll at least have the right tools when things hit the fan.

peace, bozo
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
I buy the flap disks, grinder, an cutter wheels for my angle grinder there and there good.

My $15 tap and die set from Harbor Freight I did one 1/4 - 20 thread and the next one tried the tip of the tap was mashed.

Soft metal maybe for next time I use that. My Vermont / American (don't know if that really is made in USA) I was missing a couple of them and my friend has the same kit. I borrowed the tap and did just great putting threads in the end of the Briggs crankshaft to have extra security to keeping the clutch in place.

Whats really neat is as the engine turns it naturally self tightens. Normal Right Hand Threads on the crankshaft that comes out the left side of the engine. Engine spins counter clockwise as looking at the end of the crankshaft toward the crankcase cover.

MT
 

Crazy Horse

Dealer
Feb 20, 2009
1,153
3
36
USA
thanks Crazy Horse, your 'friend request' is the closest thing to a welcome i've gotten around here, ...so far it hasn't seemed like a very friendly place so thanks again.

...now i'll go back to lurking and studying, ...so thanks too for sharing your knowledge, you personally have posted up a fair bit of homework for me and i best get started.

...i think i'll start with your Harbor Freight thread so i'll at least have the right tools when things hit the fan.

peace, bozo
bozo, your welcome and thanks for hanging in there with us crazies here at motorbicycling.com, you are in the right place.

Bozo, please checkout these these books from atomic zombie you don't need to have a million dollars or a million tools to build some amazing motorized bicycles, see the books below that I'm suggesting, you'll find a wealth of knowledge in them, and with some inexpensive horrible fright tools you'll be amazed at how cheap it is to build your own custom bicycles.

Here's the link to the book titled: Bike, Scooter, and Chopper Projects for the Evil Genius & Atomic Zombie's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza
http://www.amazon.com/Bike-Scooter-..._B001I9TW9C_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1367536614&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Zombie..._B001I9TW9C_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367536614&sr=1-1

Bozo, let us know what you think about this book?

Peace Crazy Horse.
 

Crazy Horse

Dealer
Feb 20, 2009
1,153
3
36
USA
It's amazing how much this section of the forum has grown, I remember asking " Paul " If I gave him the Forum Title and what it's about he'd review it for a new section, wow time flies....It is now known as " ( Motorized Bicycle Welding, Fabrication and Painting - The Chop Shop Custom fabrication and projects, tanks, frames and more. ), I've always tried to help inspire others and make this place the greatest motorized bicycling forum. I believe it still is and always will be IMO. Peace Crazy Horse.
 
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MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
Maybe we can fire up this thread again! Maybe also NorCal cal have some slightly less freezing nights. Soon to see about a slightly bigger and much better shape Briggs engine for my bike, and how well it works on the trails. I got a new OHV Sticker, but 28F degree nights is not ideal. 90 Summer heat the engine does not run to well. 40's for day time temps now I'd be interested is seeing the better power combined with less used 9000 series 3.5 hp in place of the worn 8000 series 3hp Briggs climbs hills well.

The two engines I thought would be a easy swap, but the cranks shaft is a short shaft and larger diameter. Mods to make it work are nearly done. I even found the old rings I saved when I bought new ones for the old engine. Once I split the crankcase on the old engine, I might find a broken ring and just use the saved parts. It is hard to get replacement parts for everything on the older engines.
 
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