Hot metal glue machines

[ahebron]

This week I have been using my hot metal glue machines.
First up was the MIG welder.

I scored two 800x1400x5mm sheets of steel from a job I was on so decided to replace the top of my fold up welding table with a 800x600 sheet and make a 800x800 top for my fold up panel trestle. 
Fired up the plasma cutter which is a 40a machine but it wouldn't cut the metal as easily as it should have, turned out I had burnt out the plasma tip and  nozzle last time I used it. Ordered parts from an online supplier as BOC who sold the machine are to expensive. I also ordered a new torch off Aliexpress, this is one with cheap consumables and I will porbably end up fittin this once the fitted one uses up its consumables.
Eventually In got the plate cut and went to weld locating tags underneath to locate the plate on the panel trestle. It wasnt welding as I would like and on investigation the brass nut that holds the liner in place had fallen ond was in the crate the MIG bits live in. Replace the nut and run out of wire, off to BOC who had reasonable priced wire and they are also the closest.
I got the table tops finished and am happy with the results.

Yesterday was TIG day and I was welding aluminium for the first time. I made a bracket for a film light out of 10mm x 50mm aluminium, nothing like starting out TIG welding an over size piece of metal. My TIG is ACDC 185 amps so I ground down the sides of the alloy to allow me to get them to stick. Hook up the table, torch and foot pedal and start to weld but it wasn't welding. I knew gas was coming out as I could hear it, I had positive lead to earth so why wasn't it working. Well I hadn't connected the gas line for the torch being used to MIG where the one connector does it all I didn't even think about the gas. Gas now connected and back to welding but I cannot get the heat into the metal, pedal to the floor and not doing it. St this point I was considering taking it to a proper welder to get the job done. Then I remembered the foot pedal on the plasma has max and minimum trim pots and the max pot was wound down. Finally I start to weld and hey it worked but getting the plate to heat up was a lot of work, I ended up filling the fillet then running the torch back over it a few times to melt the metals together. The joints are not load bearing and just act as 50mm spacers between the two long runs.

Next job was to get the holesaws out and lighten it all.
Finished it all with a coat of paint, but that has runs in it.
Bugger it I will leave it with runs and just see if it all works

 

[Graham C]

What fun you had, simple jobs can turn into a night mare. We all have days like that.

At least you got the jobs done.

Graham