eSCHEn
Bit Wrangler
- Messages
- 6,136
- Location
- SW Scotland
I'm making a sculpture for a friend and I'm using 6mm mild. I needed a larger section to plasma cut from so I welded the two halves together. Here's rather a few photos.
So here's problem. Two bits of steel and I want one. I've knocked the plasma dross off and ground the edges as flat as I can. As I'm limited to 160A and this is 6mm I've done a small amount of vee prep. This also helped to clean out any remaining plasma slag. Not the neatest edge from this side and you can see how lumpy the vee is but I figure if I'm fast it'll be fine.
This is the template (~1000mm x ~450mm) made from lining paper. I originally drew it freehand in chalk on my back porch step (which is where I'm working tonight as it's out of the hoolie blowing and I kid myself it's a bit warmer than the 1decC it really is. And no. I did not realize it looked like a large sanitary towel until I laid it down there.
This is the 1.6 lens that's coming off to make way for a 2.4 - I really need to stop welding such crappy metals!
So here we are, ready to go. The blue thing is a camping bed cut up and duct taped together to save my knees.
First tacks are either end and one in the middle. I'm on 2.4 2% lanth running at 110A for my first guess. Flow is 7lpm as it's bloody windy and post is 4.5s. Filler is 1.6 A15 as I'm a bloody moron and bought A45 by mistake for ALL SIZES so I don't have anything else Never mind, just have to go faster!
Veeeeeery gingerly turn the tacked plate over. This side is a much nicer fit as you can see.
Power was way low last tacks so I dialed up to 140A and put three tacks in. Then I flipped back to the original side and put in 2" or so runs between the tacks. I'm trying to keep distortion down with all the flipping and stitching as there's a lot of heat in a line here so it wants to make an angle that is anything but zero degrees!
So here's the worst and best ones so far. I've not touched a welder for about four months so I'm actually fairly happy with both of these. Appearance may not be the best I can do but I'm confident that I've fused them properly.
Out of space for photos. More in the next post. Stay tuned for part two of the most detailed review of a butt weld EVER!
Edit: clarification.
So here's problem. Two bits of steel and I want one. I've knocked the plasma dross off and ground the edges as flat as I can. As I'm limited to 160A and this is 6mm I've done a small amount of vee prep. This also helped to clean out any remaining plasma slag. Not the neatest edge from this side and you can see how lumpy the vee is but I figure if I'm fast it'll be fine.
This is the template (~1000mm x ~450mm) made from lining paper. I originally drew it freehand in chalk on my back porch step (which is where I'm working tonight as it's out of the hoolie blowing and I kid myself it's a bit warmer than the 1decC it really is. And no. I did not realize it looked like a large sanitary towel until I laid it down there.
This is the 1.6 lens that's coming off to make way for a 2.4 - I really need to stop welding such crappy metals!
So here we are, ready to go. The blue thing is a camping bed cut up and duct taped together to save my knees.
First tacks are either end and one in the middle. I'm on 2.4 2% lanth running at 110A for my first guess. Flow is 7lpm as it's bloody windy and post is 4.5s. Filler is 1.6 A15 as I'm a bloody moron and bought A45 by mistake for ALL SIZES so I don't have anything else Never mind, just have to go faster!
Veeeeeery gingerly turn the tacked plate over. This side is a much nicer fit as you can see.
Power was way low last tacks so I dialed up to 140A and put three tacks in. Then I flipped back to the original side and put in 2" or so runs between the tacks. I'm trying to keep distortion down with all the flipping and stitching as there's a lot of heat in a line here so it wants to make an angle that is anything but zero degrees!
So here's the worst and best ones so far. I've not touched a welder for about four months so I'm actually fairly happy with both of these. Appearance may not be the best I can do but I'm confident that I've fused them properly.
Out of space for photos. More in the next post. Stay tuned for part two of the most detailed review of a butt weld EVER!
Edit: clarification.
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