Ask your WELDING questions here.

[KTM640Dakar]

Originally Posted by r00t4rd3d

Would a gas-less MIG welder be okay for making racks and pannier supports ? One of my old jobs I did alot of stick welding but really cant afford a setup like that and was looking at a couple cheaper MIG welders. Also Ive never ran a MIG welder but have read if I can stick weld okay I should be able to MIG weld with no problems. What should I get ?

If you don't mind the weld looking rough then yes.

Go to Home Depot and buy a Lincoln Power MIG 140C.

[the_gr8t_waldo]

i'm trying to install an aux felt cell on my st1100. over the net i bought a used cell. when i got around to looking over the cell i noticed that to make me feel comfortable about my install, i need to strengthen the main attachment points,with a bushing. there's nothing that i've found "off the shelve" so i'm toying with the idea of making this. i've decided to use some 4130 crome-molly to fab two bushings. the plan is to weld some .5" dia(wall thickness .i25") tubing to a washer (home made fender washer...also .125 thick). the only welding equipment i have on hand is a stick welder.today at the local h.d. store i noticed that they sell 3/32 welding rods, although i will probably buy at the local welding supply place. this will be the smallest thing i ever tackled with such equipment- is it possible to weld something this small? i'm already assumeing that i'll have to clean it up with a dremel tool and files.oh yes i nearly forgot, i also have a rather small mapp gas/oxy set. i,ve alrerady assumed that this is too under powerd to weld steel, even something this small- i'd be delighted to find i am wrong about the gas approch.

[Inane Cathode]

I built a roof rack for my car as my first real welding project. Hobart 125 handler, flux core wire. Galvanized (i know, no problems) half inch conduit and some 1/8th inch flat stock for gussets etc.

Flux wire welds dont look that bad, i think. It's just the ash, slag, and occasional splattery dots that make it look bad :)

[the_gr8t_waldo]

i was intending to get by with what i had onhand. i'm guessing that i'll just have to go out and buy a pound of 3/32nds weld rod and just see if i can.

[tbarstow]

Originally Posted by the_gr8t_waldo

i'm trying to install an aux felt cell on my st1100. over the net i bought a used cell. when i got around to looking over the cell i noticed that to make me feel comfortable about my install, i need to strengthen the main attachment points,with a bushing. there's nothing that i've found "off the shelve" so i'm toying with the idea of making this. i've decided to use some 4130 crome-molly to fab two bushings. the plan is to weld some .5" dia(wall thickness .i25") tubing to a washer (home made fender washer...also .125 thick). the only welding equipment i have on hand is a stick welder.today at the local h.d. store i noticed that they sell 3/32 welding rods, although i will probably buy at the local welding supply place. this will be the smallest thing i ever tackled with such equipment- is it possible to weld something this small? i'm already assumeing that i'll have to clean it up with a dremel tool and files.oh yes i nearly forgot, i also have a rather small mapp gas/oxy set. i,ve alrerady assumed that this is too under powerd to weld steel, even something this small- i'd be delighted to find i am wrong about the gas approch.

For something that small, why not braze it instead? it will be plenty strong for your application and not distort it as much as welding it might. Plus, you can use your current set up.

[EvilGenius]

When gas welding, is it a terrible thing to go back over a bed you just finished with the torch and redo the bead without adding anymore rod?

In our A&P course they were pretty much telling us you have to get it right on the first pass or it's no good. But I don't see how it would be necessarily any different to go back and smooth out the bumps if you're not over heating or melting anymore material. Just slightly reshaping what was already puddled.

[steveberde]

I need to shorten my side stand 2" due to lowering my bike - how is this done?

Thanks

Steve

[bobzilla]

Originally Posted by steveberde

I need to shorten my side stand 2" due to lowering my bike - how is this done?

Thanks

Steve

Die grinder

[iillyyaa]

Originally Posted by steveberde

I need to shorten my side stand 2" due to lowering my bike - how is this done?

If you want more specific advice, you should post the make/model of the bike, sidestand material, or better yet, a picture. Also, your own assessment of your mech. skills and available equipment.

If you have, and want to retain, the stock wide "foot" at the bottom, you may want to cut out a section from the lower middle of the sidestand, and reassemble (weld, braze, pin, splint, etc.) the outer pieces. The other alternative is cutting the bottom off, and then welding on a home-made foot.

Beware that if you lowered your bike 2", it doesn't automatically imply that the sidestand has to be shortened by 2" as well. Likely, in lowering your bike, the spring rates/sag have changed as well, as did the leverage ratio of the wheels/sidestand/CofG system. You may want to experiment before deciding on the final length.
--
Ilya

[tbarstow]

Originally Posted by EvilGenius

When gas welding, is it a terrible thing to go back over a bed you just finished with the torch and redo the bead without adding anymore rod?

In our A&P course they were pretty much telling us you have to get it right on the first pass or it's no good. But I don't see how it would be necessarily any different to go back and smooth out the bumps if you're not over heating or melting anymore material. Just slightly reshaping what was already puddled.

A crappy looking weld is usually evidence of crap beneath the surface. Fixing it without removing the crappy surface hides your inclusions and can cause your weld to fail.

Normally your weld filler metal is much stronger than your base metal. The application of heat to the base metal alters the properties slightly and there is a heat affected zone between the filler metal and the base metal. Adding more heat increases the size of the heat affected zone and makes it more likely to fail, along with distorting your welded piece more. You'll also notice some slag on top of your weld. There may be additional inclusions just below the surface.

If you need to "fix" your weld, you would normally grind it down to get rid of the surface slag and any near surface inclusions.

[EvilGenius]

Originally Posted by tbarstow

A crappy looking weld is usually evidence of crap beneath the surface. Fixing it without removing the crappy surface hides your inclusions and can cause your weld to fail.

Normally your weld filler metal is much stronger than your base metal. The application of heat to the base metal alters the properties slightly and there is a heat affected zone between the filler metal and the base metal. Adding more heat increases the size of the heat affected zone and makes it more likely to fail, along with distorting your welded piece more. You'll also notice some slag on top of your weld. There may be additional inclusions just below the surface.

If you need to "fix" your weld, you would normally grind it down to get rid of the surface slag and any near surface inclusions.

That makes sense, but what if it's just a matter of an inconsistent (size and depth wise) bead?

[tbarstow]

Originally Posted by EvilGenius

That makes sense, but what if it's just a matter of an inconsistent (size and depth wise) bead?

I'll stick with my earlier reply, and that you're in a class, the instructor wants you to learn how to do it right the first time. Gas welding is easiest to learn and you use it to develop your skills and good habits. When you start getting into the electrical processes, you can do some real damage to your work piece by making additional passes.

[GSWayne]

Originally Posted by steveberde

I need to shorten my side stand 2" due to lowering my bike - how is this done?

Thanks

Steve

One way is to cut out a section in the middle and using an external or internal splint tube, weld it back together. Probably easier to cut off the foot, shorten it, then weld on a new bigger foot (because the stock feet are always too small).

I did it the most complicated way possible. I made it adjustable by splicing in some custom machined parts. The sleeve has internal threads and the knurled ring is a lock nut. Turns out I never need to adjust it, I think I have gotten smarter about choosing the slope where I park, so my perceived need for adjustability went away.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[SimpleSimon]

What tungsten types do you use for Aluminum? I've been using red but picked u a Grey and Orange to try out. Although, I've read that white (zirconated) is good.

[Strong Bad]

Originally Posted by SimpleSimon

What tungsten types do you use for Aluminum? I've been using red but picked u a Grey and Orange to try out. Although, I've read that white (zirconated) is good.

Zirconiated tungsten is color coded brown and yes it is good when welding AC.

://www.millerwelds.com/resources/articles/tungsten-electrode-guide