Welding Tips and Tricks

I received the welding cart kit from ZTFab aka All-A-Cart.com for my new Everlast PowerTIG 255ext with PowerCool W300 torch cooler. When the cooler arrives this week I'll get started on the cart and chronicle in this thread.

Here's the base and handles, this is thinner material than I have TIG welded before. Most is .100 inch, tubes .070 wall, small bits like the cord hangers .080, and .250 for the rear axles. Fortunately I have a couple of Jody's videos saved he welded this same cart kit.



Here's all the other bits.



They were not kidding the rear wheels are cast iron hubbed! I will replace the front stem casters with locking casters.



They were nice enough to send me some drops for practicing on.

this should be a comfortable build with all the parts
cut so exactly.
good luck!
craig

That a nice kit, just take your time.. He does some nice work!

Comfortable? If someone messes this up, perhaps they should change hobbies/professions and start baking cupcakes! Can't get any easier

Oscar wrote:Comfortable? If someone messes this up, perhaps they should change hobbies/professions and start baking cupcakes! Can't get any easier

The thing is strong enough as is you could through some elements glue and it would hold. Any process is fine. Tig without filler would be my choice. If you want you can always do a different process for each joint. A little mig here, little 6011 there, some flux core, 7018, oxy-fuel, tig brazing. Heck some wire ties would do it.

Oscar wrote:Comfortable? If someone messes this up, perhaps they should change hobbies/professions and start baking cupcakes! Can't get any easier

Speaking of easy, you have just about finished your scratch built tube guitar amp I take it?

Coolidge wrote:

Oscar wrote:Comfortable? If someone messes this up, perhaps they should change hobbies/professions and start baking cupcakes! Can't get any easier

Speaking of easy, you have just about finished your scratch built tube guitar amp I take it?

I was never making one. I thought you were! I just collect audio gear. I'm up to 10 Peavey CS800X amplifiers, running through a dbx PA+ loudspeaker management unit, and a Behringer vacuum tube pre-amp. 3 of them out to some B&W 686 bookshelf's, and a Cerwin-Vega Stroker 15 in a ported box. That's my PC sound system.

Oscar needs a Peavey intervention ^^^

they're powerful and cheap!!

Peavey???
Gimme QSC. They're bulletproof.

Oscars that looks like a 6550 tube...class A?

The usual suspects have jacked my thread again

Coolidge wrote:The usual suspects have jacked my thread again

No Jeff and I haven't done it this time. And besides it kind of looks like you did it to me.

Sorry man. Audio is an old friend.

How much $ was that kit? I've got my 164 on a couple old speakers in the shop. I've gotten good enough not to blow holes in .062 stainless.

Kit price with the add-on options (2 more cord hangers and the accessory tubes) $450 plus $90 shipping. It came well packed in like about a 30x30x10 inch box.

PULSE TIG for the Win!! First tack welding...Jody was ZAP tack welding at like 150 amps. After some practice I got the hang of it but its a bit dicey, a bit too little on time and the two edges melt apart from each other and don't want to puddle together.



My first ever use of the pulse feature, pretty much went with Jody's settings 130 amps, 50/50 amps, 50/50 on time/pulse, 1 second pulse. Damn but that makes it easy to run a bead. So easy I could use this for tack welding with more consistency I think. That's a tack weld far left I didn't go over with the pulse.

I picked up some aluminum bar for this project 3.5x1.25x30 inches. I'm no Jody I can't just hold the parts together with one hand and weld it with the other. lol Camera is a Cannon EOS Mark II by the way.

I love QSCs too, but I got a sweet deal for my setup. These CS800X's are somewhat bulletproof after replacing a high-wattage resistor for the fan that likes to desolder itself from a board.

nelson wrote:Oscars that looks like a 6550 tube...class A?

It's a 6N5 aka 6AS7G, but soon that Chinese tube is going bye-bye in favor of a Sovtek. The little 6N3s are also going bye-bye in favor of Tung-Sol 12AX7's on pin-adapters. I believe it is full class-A, but don't hold me to that.

Sorry for the hijack.

Your new name is Farmwelding

Canon d5 mark ii? You must hit the lotto.

Coolidge wrote:Your new name is Farmwelding

The usernames are non-transferable. And besides-Oscar doesn't want to be known as the farm boy who welds and can't spell on a mobile device.

nelson wrote:Canon d5 mark ii? You must hit the lotto.

No its a 7D Mark II, gift for my 20th anniversary at work.

Almost finished welding up the cart...its clear I suck ass at welding round tubing.

Small diameter tube can be a pain. It always takes 5 or 6 practice joints to get in the rhythm more so if it's been more than a month or two since I did them last.

I really needed some stock to practice on and figure out amps. Really hard to see, maybe I should have gone to a much smaller cup. Used a gas lens #8.

No its a 7D Mark II, gift for my 20th anniversary at work. [/quote]

Upgrade to a full frame before you buy too many EF-S lenses!