The scotch brite grinder wheel worked. It's a Black & Decker product but I think that Gator makes it. They look the same and other than the print on the B&D package card, they're the same size, etc. I also used a 2" wire wheel on the grinder to clean out the first 2" on the inside ...

I used the scotch-brite type pad. 10 minutes later, it's all clean and ready. So I should be able to just mig it now that all of the gal is off, right?

Thanks again!

Thanks Richard, A grindin' I will go. I found an extra coarse Scotch-Brite type pad for a 4.5" grinder at a local hardware store today. I'm going to give that a shot as there's a You Tuber stating that this is a good way to clean off mill slag from hot roll. I wonder if it will take off gal too...

Hi Folks, I'm building a stand that will use a single piece of pipe as the main vertical support. Unfortunately, the only thing that I have is a length of 3.5" galvanized pipe with a .18" wall. It is strong enough for what I need but the galvanized coating has me concerned. I've read about...

Thanks Dave, That's what I'm after. I have some 3/8"and 3/4" plate that is somewhat flat. They have scale on them which I've never removed with a grinder yet. I was thinking of using one of those as a surface to weld on. I would like to eventually use the 3/8" plate for a small 24 x 2...

While I agree with you on this, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to learn how to make a butt weld joint. Given my druthers, I would have already purchased the Grunblau design but he doesn't offer them anymore.

Thanks AKmud,

Hi Welders, I'm working out a design for a Portaband saw table. I have two material choices in that I can cut down a 3' x 3' plate of 3/8" steel or butt weld two 14" long pieces of 6" x 1/4" steel. Ultimately, I would like to have a 12" x 14" table top. I kind of prefer...

Thanks for the charts guys. It looks like the powder coating oven that I'm building just found another use. I love when that happens.

For the time being, I'll store my steel in the main shop which is usually 60F at night and 68F plus during the day.

The building that I weld in is a 1920's structure that is going through some reconstruction. I'm basically replacing the roof. The section that I weld in is water tight but the main section has some leaks. Thus it is cold in the mornings lately. This morning it was about 35 degrees. So onto my quest...

Thanks Dave!

That makes a lot of sense.

OK, several weeks later and I have a 120 cubic foot tank of Stargon and 10 Lbs of .030" MIG wire plus a regulator. I hope to start using it tomorrow. Are there any issues that I should be aware of when dialing in the regulator with my 180 amp MIG unit? I already have the wires swapped for corre...

FABTECH 2017 was awesome!!! As someone who is relatively new to welding, I was not disappointed by this show. The greatest benefit was that I could see firsthand many of the products that I've been interested in purchasing or building for my shop. I picked up some squares from Fireball Tool that I h...

Dave, This is exactly what I'm looking for. The tip on the 7018 being a DC stick is very welcome as well. When I purchased the welder in June, it came with a ton of sticks. There are many 7014, 7018, 6010, 6011, and 6013 in tubes within a large box. Plus they're in various diameters. So I have a lot...

Hi Everyone, I finally installed a new 50 amp circuit into my shop specifically for my 1940's era Mid-States Deluxe 200 AC Arc Welder. This thing is a beast. It's one of those old units where you plug the cable into the corresponding receptacle for the Amps that you want. The plugs are set up to loo...

Not sure that you want to get this deep into it but the railroads use thermite for welding rail together. Not in that part of the rail industry but I've seen it done. Lots to it. Google "welding railroad rail with thermite" for more. Here's a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uxsFglz2ig of ...

Thanks Dave and Odis,

Gas and clean wire it is. I'll get a tank next week with clean wire and give it a whirl. Thanks for the reminder on polarity change Dave. I read that in the manual when I first bought my machine. But it's always good to have a reminder.

Thanks again,

Terry

Hi Guys, I'm trying to figure a couple of things out. I've been doing MIG with .030 flux core and getting decent welds on 1/8" steel using a 180 amp MIG unit. A friend of mine who is a former industrial arts teacher keeps telling me to add a 25/75 tank of argon/co2 to my kit and that I'll get m...

Yeah, we're pretty lucky with the selection of good used gear up here.

Hope that your weathering the floods and staying dry!

Terry

Thanks MFleet! Since watching this vid and a couple others, I'm seriously considering a VFD. You're right, much easier to convert and control. I have a CNC mill that has a Fuji VFD on it but it's 3 phase to begin with. Unfortunately it's in a separate building and running off of a rotary. My Wellsaw...

Great ideas guys! I like th pipe stand with the threaded rod for adjustability. The chair base sounds good too. MFleet, if I use a VFD with the current 3PH motor, will that do a single phase to 3 phase conversion without requiring a rotary or solid state converter? I like that idea too! Thanks Every...

My bandsaw is a Grizzly G4030. It's around 250 pounds. I don't think that I want to put it on a stand as it would be very top heavy and a pain to move around. I bought it used for a couple hundred bucks a few years back. http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-1-2-x-10-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw/G4030 There is...

I was thinking of that too. The problem is the height. I have a Grizzly G4030 horz/vert bandsaw. The table height for the horizontal feature is only 21" tall. I have some rolller stands but the lowest that they'll go is 28". I've thought about donating one to the cause but I use them with ...

Hi Everyone, In order to build up my welding chops, I'm planning to build a 21" tall support for my horizontal band saw. The cutting surface of the saw is 21" above the floor. I have a couple of ideas for how to build this. But I'm wondering if maybe I'm reinventing the wheel. Has anyone e...

Awesome cart! I bought one alongside of my MIG as I didn't know how to weld yet. As I start to accumulate other gear, I see myself building a larger one. Yours looks very well done!

Hi Everyone, I recently joined the forum and find my brain hurting from all of the great information that is here. Thank you to everyone who freely shares their knowledge. I'm currently working through some rewiring issues for my stick welder. OK, I have one 30 Amp/220 Volt circuit that is dedicated...