I was proud of a particularly nice weld. It lay between each hunk of steel, puddles so tight and smooth that it looked like metal bred with liquid silk. I wanted to show it off, so I pulled off my helmet, which had no doubt left strappy sweat marks trailing through my hair, and went to where my brother, face contorted, was setting up the CNC mill. I watched the wiggler approach the shaft for a moment, then stop. I took my chance.
I asked my brother “Are you grumpy?”
He replied “I’m always grumpy. What do you need?”
“I just wanted to show you a weld that’s pretty special looking.”
As we walked over, he asked, “Does it glow in the dark?”
“It can if you give me twenty minutes. I do have that spray paint.”
He stood over the bench and examined the part. “Huh. That’s pretty nice.”
I would never expect higher praise from him.
Tag Archives: welding
Exposed from underneath
In process…
Because I CAN
To be machined away…
This is some fairly complicated aluminum welding. There is a machined channel through each piece, so the weld is between a part that is an eighth of an inch thick, and almost three quarters. The weld goes completely around the part, including a really tight inside corner followed by a curve. It must have fantastic penetration because the reinforcement is machined away and the hinge must be seamless.
Skeletal
This is an in-progress shot of a key rack design that I drew, produced in cad, plasma cut out of steel, and welded. I intend to have it powder coated black, then spray paint the skeleton white and then go over it again with a coat of glow in the dark paint.
Extensions
This is more CAD work- cardboard aided design.
There is no fear of gaps. Gaps just guarantee solid penetration.
Walking it around. This is TIG welding at around 200 amps.
Starting to look like something…
And it works! What a beautiful world!
TIG welding towards oblivion…
If you can build a bridge over it, you can TIG it. This piece is entitled “Grasping.” It’s interesting to see what people find in it. Dancers, chicken claws, a hand, or my personal favorite, a dejected snowman sitting under a tree.
I had a real axe to grind that day.
Adding a pipe onto an axe or sledgehammer does two great things- adds a little more weight, and helps to extend the life of the handle. Missing and hitting the axe near the head puts a ton of stress on the handle, this protects it.
I also built up the bottom edge, which had worn away, with TIG welds, and then ground it back into shape.
SCIENCE!
Acid etching the cross sections of SAW beads with different variable changes.
Addition
When a shoulder bolt and a ball stud love each other very much…
Rexicorn 