View Full Version : Incredible welds
Some of this gave me an unexplained erection: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=299587
I've only looked at the first page, but the third weld down is very, very impressive! Certainly many orders of magnitude better than I can do.
Sadly, I understand how amazing those welds are too. I've done a lot of MIG welding myself and a tiny bit of oxy-acetylene too but never came close to producing work of that quality. I like to imagine ally welding is much easier and more impressive looking than steel though :)
Best results I got was with a pure Argon gas bottle but that was expensive. I've got a great welder and I even have one of the LCD face shield units - it's all sat gathering dust and has been for many years :(
I really should learn to weld one day. Don't really know where to start though.
I learnt to MIG and TIG weld a few years back. It's a lot harder than it looks and as I've barely picked up a welder since learning I expect that I'd need to relearn.
If one of us learned, we'd definitely use the skill!
I always planned to learn, since having the Minis, but never got round to it. Might do it now I'm not studying for anything else. Problem is they you have to buy all the gear too :/
Some of those are purdy :)
Whenever I was at a race meeting or bike show, I'd spend ages looking at the welding on the race bikes :/
Saw this posted elsewhere and tbh only a couple really impress me... judging by others reactions i think its due to the fact that my dad used to be an Aerospace welder for Rolls Royce and has all the right gear at home, so some of his DIY jobs must be up to quite a high standard and exceed many of the ones in that that, which until seeing those in that thread i hadnt appreciated.
My welding this week was not so good :D
Rushing things out for prototypes doesn't need to be tidy or particularly strong. Bang the MIG up near max, pull the sparky flashy bzzd hot making trigger and zap it across the work as fast as you can :D
My welding this week was not so good :D
Rushing things out for prototypes doesn't need to be tidy or particularly strong. Bang the MIG up near max, pull the sparky flashy bzzd hot making trigger and zap it across the work as fast as you can :D
Sounds very technical!
indeed, some of those welds were sexual tbh
I couldn't do them as pretty, but then I was welding sheet metal (tin siding) to 1/4" at right angles, so I think I was doing pretty good not to burn a hole through the tin!!
Trick front end.
Before:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL19/1983783/21089564/348228348.jpg
During (remember this is a 75 year old part):
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL19/1983783/21089564/348228359.jpg
After:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL19/1983783/21089564/348228433.jpg
Inspired *makes mental note*
(Actually I added it to my favourites)
A Place of Light
26-02-2009, 00:49
Very impressive.
I can't weld (well I've never actually tried so I think it's fair to say I'd be crap) and it's one of my regrets that I never learned how to. A very handy skill to have, although whoever did the pieces in the pics above is a just a tad more skilled than your average hobbyist.
I really should learn to weld one day. Don't really know where to start though.
Funny this thread should come back now. I start a year long welding course tonight :D
A very handy skill to have, although whoever did the pieces in the pics above is a just a tad more skilled than your average hobbyist.
Having the right equipment helps a great deal too. I only started getting good results when I stopped using just CO2 and paid the extra for the argoshield stuff and then I improved again when I bought an LCD face shield. Most critical though, was a good welder, with a wide range and a smooth feed.
My welding equipment just lies in my garage doing nothing now. I've always intended building a car or rebuilding something, ideally an E-Type, but like so many things, it's just something I've never got around to doing.
Funny this thread should come back now. I start a year long welding course tonight :D
I'd love to be taught properly.
My dad showed me the basics of oxy-acetylene years ago but you can't really store such equipment at home these days.
I'd love to be taught properly.
My dad showed me the basics of oxy-acetylene years ago but you can't really store such equipment at home these days.
My parent's neighbour, a fireman, offered me his oxy-acetylene equipment including half full cylinders a couple of years ago because he didn't feel comfortable having them around. And I would?! ;D
Every time I've tried to weld I set fire to something...
My parent's neighbour, a fireman, offered me his oxy-acetylene equipment including half full cylinders a couple of years ago because he didn't feel comfortable having them around. And I would?! ;D
Every time I've tried to weld I set fire to something...
I seem to recall that they'd invalidate your house insurance as well. The scariest thing about them is hearing how easily flashback can occur. If the tank becomes hot, it's time to vacate the immediate area :eek:
A Place of Light
01-03-2009, 04:10
I seem to recall that they'd invalidate your house insurance as well. The scariest thing about them is hearing how easily flashback can occur. If the tank becomes hot, it's time to vacate the immediate area :eek:
Acetylene is nasty.
It doesn't like anything, even itself, and this is why acetylene cylinders differ from regular cylinders.
Acetylene is nasty.
Yeah, it makes bananas go ripe.
Yeah, it makes bananas go ripe.
:huh: ???
It's fine these days. The bottles are foam filled and you load them up with flashback arresters and anti back-up valves. It used to scare me stiff because I know someone who got badly burned by it, but once I'd used it for a bit I became very comfortable with it.
It's fine these days. The bottles are foam filled and you load them up with flashback arresters and anti back-up valves. It used to scare me stiff because I know someone who got badly burned by it, but once I'd used it for a bit I became very comfortable with it.
they maybe filled with foam. But you still have to sit them upright for 1hour before using. You don't want the liquid to come out, or you will go up in a ball of flames.
A Place of Light
02-03-2009, 19:45
It's fine these days. The bottles are foam filled and you load them up with flashback arresters and anti back-up valves. It used to scare me stiff because I know someone who got badly burned by it, but once I'd used it for a bit I became very comfortable with it.
Foam? they were always filled with wire wool to prevent concentrations (read hotspots) building up in the cylinder.
I have to disagree with you about it being fine though.
It might be safer than it was, but Acetylene is not (and never will be) completely safe to handle and should be respected at all times regarding storage and use.
If the pressure's too great, it can spontaneously combust - it's very unstable.
A Place of Light
03-03-2009, 00:47
If the pressure's too great, it can spontaneously combust - it's very unstable.
I work with hazardous materials. Not as much now as I used to, but still often enough and with some real nasties.
When my first instructor said to me "Acetylene doesn't like anything.....even itself" I believed him. After being the first on-site when an incident has occured I can confirm that he's right. Volatile doesn't even come close.
I work with hazardous materials. Not as much now as I used to, but still often enough and with some real nasties.
When my first instructor said to me "Acetylene doesn't like anything.....even itself" I believed him. After being the first on-site when an incident has occured I can confirm that he's right. Volatile doesn't even come close.
Yep needs to be respected but no need to fear it, unless your a fireman. Two things that make it silly.
1) is the sheer range 2.2%-85% acetylene to air ratio is flammable. compare that to propane 2.2%-9.9%
2) is if the bottle is left on it's side the liquid can drain out the honeycomb and be forced out the valve when opened. The expansions is something ridiculous. like 1 teaspoon gives over a meter cubed of gas or something along those lines, can't remember the exact amount. which is why you are meant to leave acetylene bottles upright for 1hour before use after any transportation.
Yeah, it makes bananas go ripe.
:huh: ???
Bananas give off acetylene as they ripen, it speeds up the ripening process. That's why you hang bananas to stop the ripening too quickly (acetylene is heavier than air and sits in the bottom of the fruitbowl)
Absolutely nothing wrong with DA as long as it's used and stored with care and respect. I work in the industry that makes DA and of course there can be incidents but more often than not, it's not just a cylinder that goes pop. Poor hoses, out of date and service flashback arrestors, Regulators used by Noah to weld part of the ark. Then you have the users who "think" they know how to store it as well as strip down their kit after use.
In this thread alone there are a great many myths that simply aren't true
Bananas give off acetylene as they ripen, it speeds up the ripening process. That's why you hang bananas to stop the ripening too quickly (acetylene is heavier than air and sits in the bottom of the fruitbowl)
Bizarre but :cool:
Absolutely nothing wrong with DA as long as it's used and stored with care and respect. I work in the industry that makes DA and of course there can be incidents but more often than not, it's not just a cylinder that goes pop. Poor hoses, out of date and service flashback arrestors, Regulators used by Noah to weld part of the ark. Then you have the users who "think" they know how to store it as well as strip down their kit after use.
In this thread alone there are a great many myths that simply aren't true
Sounds about right.
I've got a compressor in my garage and one regular bit pf maintenance that you have to do is to let the water drain from the tank every so often. I never remember to do it of course even though I know it's essential. The water can corrode the tank, leading to a weakness in the cylinder wall, and that's not good if you're then pressurising the thing!
Sounds about right.
I've got a compressor in my garage and one regular bit pf maintenance that you have to do is to let the water drain from the tank every so often. I never remember to do it of course even though I know it's essential. The water can corrode the tank, leading to a weakness in the cylinder wall, and that's not good if you're then pressurising the thing!
So let me get this right, your taking the valve off the top off a cylinder and draining the water off the tank ????
Mine has a tap at the bottom of the tank, you just open it a bit and let the liquid squirt out.
Sounds about right.
I've got a compressor in my garage and one regular bit pf maintenance that you have to do is to let the water drain from the tank every so often. I never remember to do it of course even though I know it's essential. The water can corrode the tank, leading to a weakness in the cylinder wall, and that's not good if you're then pressurising the thing!
The issue of the water corroding the cylinder wall is negligble. It would take a very long time for that to happen. By which you should have exchanged it anwyay. What's more worrying is that you are using a compressor on the cylinder. Trust me you are running a much bigger risk than anything water would do to the cylinder.
Acetylene is a highly flammable compound and could ignite and explode under any number of conditions.
Acetylene has a flammable range of 2.5% to 85% in air. This means that if an ignition source is present (such as a spark of static electricity or a match) acetylene will burn.
If there is less than 2.5% acetylene in the air, there is not enough to burn. If there is more than 85% in the air, there is not enough oxygen to support the burning (although acetylene can decompose if ignited, even without any oxygen).
Bananas give off acetylene as they ripen, it speeds up the ripening process. That's why you hang bananas to stop the ripening too quickly (acetylene is heavier than air and sits in the bottom of the fruitbowl)
Sorry Faysh, thats not correct, DA is lighter than air and will rise.
If anyone wants any safety information on DA or any compressed gases send me a PM and I will send you as much or as little safety info that you need.
The issue of the water corroding the cylinder wall is negligble. It would take a very long time for that to happen. By which you should have exchanged it anwyay. What's more worrying is that you are using a compressor on the cylinder. Trust me you are running a much bigger risk than anything water would do to the cylinder.
Sorry if I misled you. When I talked of the cylinder, I meant the compressor's cylinder (the compressor consists of a motor and cylinder). I'm not using the compressor to fill any external cylinders :eek:
Mine has a tap at the bottom of the tank, you just open it a bit and let the liquid squirt out.
so has mine - I just haven't done it yet! :o
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