Welding Tips and Tricks

Wooden mailbox post was rotting out so decided to practice with my new Hypertherm 30air and make a new one. Posts were band saw cut and bears were plasma. Welded with a original version Miller 211, .030 ER70-S6 wire. Did not use Autoset but settings were per the chart. 1/8" steel, sprayed cold galvanizing paint inside before I put on the end caps and painted outside with rattle cans. Covered part that will go into ground with asphalt sealant for roofing and gutters and let dry. I could not decide if I needed small air holes in the tubing would be better or worse for preventing internal for internal corrosion so I put in small holes just under the "T" joint in the back. Either way will probably outlast me.

Very nice. I like how the top bear is structural.

I like that! Around here we have to make our mailboxes heavy duty too. Mailbox smashing is a sport for teenagers riding around with baseball bats while being stupid.

Our mailbox has done us pretty good. As my ha s a metal frame and design would be nice, it wouldn't withstand the beating. Ours has been hit twice. First time we ripped out the oil pan on a car and the second time the truck pulled it out if the ground but took a hefty front end repair. We have to use the top of a phone pole about 2.5 ft in the ground. Or my other favorite design from down the round is a massive spring to prevent snow plows from ripping it off. Otherwise I'm sure the nighties and the mailman will be impressed.

Thanks for the comments. Hoping it will last a few years. Tried to put it back far enough to not get beat by the kids or the snow plows. I don't think that protecting your mailbox is a viable legal defense, even in Alaska. //Shipj0//

Very nice, well done.

And I am with sedanman - particularly impressed with the structural bear.

(I don't get to say 'structural bear' every day!)


Kym

Yeah, that bear does act as a gusset!

Years ago my mailbox was run down by teenaged drunk driver from a nearby rural public high school football game. I was away working for some weeks, which was common then. So I decided to make a mailbox from some work scraps that would both stockpile my mail while I was away and be a bit more stout and visible when it comes to teenagers.

Interestly, the road has a little hill and horizon which causes the mailbox to be about the first thing seen coming into view directly ahead while nearing the little town, at least years ago it was. People really like it somehow, as some area farmers would get creative and use auger flighting segments to stand up a mailbox.

C. Livingston. That is a cool mailbox. I'm thinking it would win against everything but maybe an M1 Tank. Kym / Sedanman: Not sure I needed a structural bear but made sense when I built it. Good eye that you caught that design part. Was going to do the same with the back bear but it didn't look balanced that way and kind of looked like the back bear was trying to sniff the front bears butt. Had to lower it far as possible to try and get away from that. My first "art" project, was fun to see how it came out.

C. Livingstone, I guess all I have to say coming from Wisconsin is I hope you never have snow because that box is a mile a way from the road. I see the nice gravel patch in front but that isn't enough to keep away the snow. Nice mailbox though.

Yeah, not enough snow to be a problem I guess, as the rural mail delivery personel seem to prefer the little turnouts off the roadways in that area. I just followed the pattern that was already established.

Farmwelding wrote:C. Livingstone, I guess all I have to say coming from Wisconsin is I hope you never have snow because that box is a mile a way from the road. I see the nice gravel patch in front but that isn't enough to keep away the snow. Nice mailbox though.