A long time coming!!!!!!!!! When, How and With What?

[Jaeger_S2k]

I've been browsing and reading and yes I've posted a couple of jokes but I haven't yet come up with a plan, no wait I have a plan I just haven't found the full solution.

I'm in the midst of finishing (plaster boarding, electrics, plumbing and gas, basically all the inside bits of a build). Have planned the kitchen and have an Island unit with extractor above.

As always I'd like to achieve a nice and well fitted look. With this in mind I decided the island would be Stainless Steel clad. This will require some building out and minor adjustments, they're not the problem.

Easy way would be to call someone in and say 'Clad that in Stainless Steel, with an upstand'. and pay the man.

But then I could have done that with a plasterer and electrician and a joiner but where's the fun in that?

I'm also not that wealthy, so my thought is/was to use 'old' catering work benches for the materials (Stainless Steel sheet) and the legs (square section) would build the upstand and any left, my work bench in the garage or I'd make something pretty with it.

The other benefit of DIY is that I can increase my tools collection and add another string to my bow, I'm a 'Handyman' maybe the odd repair to a gate etc? Oh I should also add I've never welded before, but I can sweat a lead to copper joint.

A few people I know that I've spoken to about the idea of SS and maybe welding have all said TIG but it's not easy (these are people who can mig, well as far as I can tell). On the forum I notice people are Mig'ing SS.

I have access to a creaser/bender (up to 3mm (I think it is)) so much of the island would be bent, the problem is getting hold of sheets big enough to do the full wrap round, plus I want to learn to weld. Plus I want it to be unique but 'nice' not looking like it's been pop-riveted and braised.

I'm quite good at following instruction and advice, I could never plaster before I tried and I do not a bad job. I don't like buying poor quality tools, you know the ones that matter, and will always buy the best I can justify to myself (and to 'She who makes lumpy Custard') not just what will be enough.

I think that'll do for now, if it needs more, I'm sure it will.

I thought about where to put this post but I couldn't really see it under most of the forum headings so put it in here, it's more of a chat over a coffee than a 'What welder to buy' question. If you feel it should be moved feel free.

 

[3Rs]

Im welding Stainless steel. Are the welds going to be seen?
If this is the case in my view mig is not going to be the way, Tig would be more pleasing to the eye.

 

[chunkolini]

I agree with 3R'ses
From my limited experience. Mig welding SS gives a sound joint, but not a pretty one, eg I am happy to leave Mig welded mild steel joints on display but not SS. But I have messed around with runing a Tig torch over them to tidy them up. Why? I have to make series of 2.1m spider webs in SS, and it is a load quicker to crop the pieces and Mig them in place holding them in place with my left hand then run the Tig torch quickly over them rather then Tig welding every joint. I am at a prototype stage at present while my designer blokey makes a few fuinal decisions. Yawn.

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

That's what I thought but didn't want to hear.
The welds would be seen, I thought paste and polishing would solve the look of the welds?
But it's sounding like that's a long route for a short cut.
So what would you recommend to an inexperienced welder, short of getting someone to do it for you?

 

[3Rs]

Not a lot, apart from getting an experienced welder to do it for you,
Allow you have too choices here if you know a welder. Either throw a few pound is way, or buy a pint.

Other than that you will have to pay for it to be done.

 

[malcolm]

I've ground down and polished stainless welds made with MIG before. It is possible to make them look like a fold or a continuous piece of metal with that method especially if you use hand tools for the last bit.

They were only small welds though (exhaust manifold). Would be much more of a pain to finish them like that over a long surface.

 

[Sam]

With a kitchen unit you do not want to see welds. All welds should be polished eg with a grain, the trick is to touch the metal as little as possible nice neat folds and fuse the seam if poss no filler rod. I hear what you are saying you dont want to spend a lot of money but in the long run you dont want to waste your money, stainless is expensive. The tools to polish and etch the welds are expensive my advice if you go this route is get someone that has experiance in this type of work the slightest dent shows up when light shines over the stainless. If you are cladding the wall eg splashback I would recomend fixing ply to the wall first as any deviation on the wall will show up. Stick the stainless to the ply using a contact adhesive dont dot and dab as when the adhesive drys it will pull the stainless where you have dabed and show up, give the ply a nice even cover. p.s. contact floor adhesive works just as well.

 

[Hitch]

Can you do a pic of the island Jaeger?
If you have acess to machinery to be able to bend it (neatly?) you could fold it up in a couple of panels, with internal bends where you could rivet/bolt/screw where they aren't seen.?

Id go with the above though, if it wants to look smart, TIG is the way forward. You could do a small downhill mig on it, then carefully grind back and polish, mask off 15-20mm either side of the weld, and grain that corner section lengthways, doesnt look that out of place if its neat, even on spiral polished sheet.
Depending on thickness of sheet, you may well have distortion problems with either method though.

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

Hmm.
Hitch - Photo will come soon. The folded edge has got me thinking! I've thought of a number of possible ways to make/work the edges corners making it more unique. More on that later I think.
3Rs - I'm not ignoring you, I'd be foolish to. But I'm keen to do this myself, not just saving spending, it's just my way.
chunkolini - Look forward to see the results.
I'll try and if it's a mess or unacceptable I'd accept it wasn't within my scope and either get someone else to do it or do something else. Yes that would cost more etc but it's just how I work.
Time isn't an issue as I can plant the island and work on it later, I can even pull it out and take it into the garage etc. I'm installing it and have the electrics underneath which will be wired to allow easy removal. Just the ovan and hob to disconnect/isolate and it'd move easy enough.
The biggest decision is going to be Mig or Tig and the difficulty rating of each as that will make the decision of which one to purchase first although I've yet to be so into welding that I could justify having 2 flavours.
Sam - Sticking full contact was the way to go thanks for confirming. Is that kitchen your own work?
malcolm - The longer edges/welds wouldn't bother me as far as the amount of effort for the result. Have a number of half decent polishing tools that would help.

I've not been put off, yet. Even if after trying I wouldn't be negative about it I'd just have to try harder. All comments are really appreciated, thanks.

 

[madkayaker]

what about a different finish. A strip over laying the joins and riveted together? Bit like the old steam boilers but in stainless

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

That's not bad. Bit more modern finish required but angle for the corners, stuck rather than rivets would work. thanks MK, keep the ideas coming.

I could do that till I was better at welding?

 

[Sam]

Hmm.

Sam - Sticking full contact was the way to go thanks for confirming. Is that kitchen your own work?

Yes was done at a hotel in East Lothian keep the welded seams on the shortest side , would definately go for tig and material no thinner than 1.2 that way you have half a chance polishing out any blemishes.