I weld

[bkbimmer]

I miss that E3. Where did it end up?

Me too, I have no idea where it is. Another car I should have finished but didn't because I'm retarded.

[slack]

Nice progress Cek. I think you'll find it more gratifying (and addictive) the more you do it.

If you are thinking about buying used when you make the jump to Mig, another machine to keep an eye out for would be a Millermatic 200.
Mine is circa 1991 and I really like it. If you can find a clean one it is a whole lot of machine for the money.

I used mine this past weekend to make a tool to hold the crank pulley while removing / re-torqueing the crankshaft bolt on our 4Runner.
Not the prettiest thing, but it did the job.

tool2

tool3

[bkbimmer]

Nice progress Cek. I think you'll find it more gratifying (and addictive) the more you do it.

If you are thinking about buying used when you make the jump to Mig, another machine to keep an eye out for would be a Millermatic 200.
Mine is circa 1991 and I really like it. If you can find a clean one it is a whole lot of machine for the money.

I used mine this past weekend to make a tool to hold the crank pulley while removing / re-torqueing the crankshaft bolt on our 4Runner.
Not the prettiest thing, but it did the job.

tool2

tool3

Making tools is the best.

[Karl Grau]

Making tools is the best.

How ...er, likely homo erectus (NTTAWWT).

[bkbimmer]

Making tools is the best.

How ...er, likely homo erectus (NTTAWWT).

Uncle Leo, HELLO.

[oldskool]

I weld but also build.

Needs paint.

[kzolee]

Welding excercises for beginners:

https://www.instagram.com/dickwally/

[Sharkpilot]

I am in the process of buying a MIG as well - think I have narrowed it down to a Miller 211. Keep us updated on your learning curve.

Check out this thread on welding: http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/119596

This guy knows what he is doing and its on a e28 M5! Also check out his other threads on how to fabricate panels.

[Karl Grau]

So it seems like even buying used, you’d need to spend at a minimum, $700-$1,000 for anything decent. Assuming I got any good at it, I’m not sure there’s enough welding in my future to warrant the expense.
I might be better off just flying my cousin down from Berkeley when I need welding done. He seems to have the hang of it.

[bkbimmer]

That is nice work.

[86GT635]

I am in the process of buying a MIG as well - think I have narrowed it down to a Miller 211. Keep us updated on your learning curve.

Check out this thread on welding: http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/119596

This guy knows what he is doing and its on a e28 M5! Also check out his other threads on how to fabricate panels.

That was a great read. How he made this from a flat piece of steel, I'll never know. That's some skill.



Edit: next page shows he did use 2 pieces on that, but still.

[bkbimmer]

I am in the process of buying a MIG as well - think I have narrowed it down to a Miller 211. Keep us updated on your learning curve.

Check out this thread on welding: http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/119596

This guy knows what he is doing and its on a e28 M5! Also check out his other threads on how to fabricate panels.

That was a great read. How he made this from a flat piece of steel, I'll never know. That's some skill.



Edit: next page shows he did use 2 pieces on that, but still.

It's not hard if you have a few special tools, steel is easy to form.

[bkbimmer]

I made this out of one piece of metal in less than thirty minutes. Patch on my e24 wheel arch.
I put a little more curve in it with my shrink before I welded it on the car.

[86GT635]

I really wish you'd make a thread on that car, I remember a few years ago you were talking about making a steel front spoiler. Are you serious about closing your shop?

[bkbimmer]

I really wish you'd make a thread on that car, I remember a few years ago you were talking about making a steel front spoiler. Are you serious about closing your shop?

I close it everyday.

I don't think this crappie e24 deserves a proper build thread.

[Karl Grau]

I made this out of one piece of metal in less than thirty minutes. Patch on my e24 wheel arch.
I put a little more curve in it with my shrink before I welded it on the car.

Brent, I will drive up to Oregon with a car full of hookers and a trunk full of beer if you'll fix what I think I'm going to find when I remove the trunk full of beer's seal/gasket.

That is nice work.

Yeah, I don’t how a talentless hack like me could be related to him or his brothers, who are also talented. Maybe I was adopted.

This is gate he did for the public swimming pool in Madison Wisconson.

[bkbimmer]

I made this out of one piece of metal in less than thirty minutes. Patch on my e24 wheel arch.
I put a little more curve in it with my shrink before I welded it on the car.

Brent, I will drive up to Oregon with a car full of hookers and a trunk full of beer if you'll fix what I think I'm going to find when I remove the trunk full of beer's seal/gasket.

That is nice work.

Yeah, I don’t how a talentless hack like me could be related to him or his brothers, who are also talented. Maybe I was adopted.

This is gate he did for the public swimming pool in Madison Wisconson.

I don't like beer, you had me a hookers.

[tig]

Happened to wander into a pawn shop this morning.

Saw this:


The were asking $899. It has everything that came with it but the manual and 120v power plug adapter. It does have the 230v power plug.

Got them down to $720. Cash back guarnatee w/in 7 days...

Took it home and verified the wire fed smoothly and it made a spark. Yay.

Now to get a gas cylinder and cart for it....

[bkbimmer]

Sweet, that will come in handy.

[tig]

Amazon Prime Sunday Delivery is da' bomb.

This arrived at about 1:30pm today:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00440DVE4

Assembly took about 45 minutes.

[bkbimmer]

Where's the Scooba tank?

[muleskinner]

So does this Nobel prize winner. I suppose you could call it "cold irons bound"

[tig]

Where's the Scooba tank?

All the dive shops were closed over the weekend.

[bkbimmer]

My dive shop is open Saturday.

[tig]

Got her up and running. 75/25 with .30 wire. Works wonderfully.



So much easier than the stick welder!

[bkbimmer]

You're almost a professional.

[tig]

I have been collecting ideas from welding table-build threads for years. I finally settled on a design based on @AMCGuy's thread on GarageJournal.com: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/show ... p?t=180145

His looks like this:


In my case I decided to go with beefier steel (mostly because I was unsure of what to order and decided I'd be better with thicker than too thin). I'm also making mine slightly smaller (51" instead of 60", but still 30" deep and about 32" high). I also wanted more overhang so that I could maneuver around the table easier.

My materials:

Planks: 6" x 1/2" x 30" set 1.5" apart
Long-side horizontal pieces: 3" x 2" x 3/8" angle
Short-side horizontal pieces and legs: 2" x 2" x 1/2" square tube
Casters: Heavy Duty Leveling Casters from McMaster Carr. They look like this:



The steel came last weekend and I've been practicing cutting and welding and dreaming of how the table would get laid out.



I finally got enough clarity in my head to start making drawings. I think I have it all figured out...

The design:



Green are the 6x1/2" planks.

Red are the 3x2" angle iron. Note the one for the top has the 3" side horizontal (where the bolts will go supporting the planks) and the bottom one has the 3" side vertical. The bottom one extends 4" past the legs and will be mated with a 4" section of 3x2" angle iron making a 4x4" base for each caster.

I'm mounting the short-side top horizontal member on the outside so it can serve as a receiver for tools. It will also support two 2.5" trailer hitch receivers facing out the short side (not in diagram).

Probably way more complicated (and stout) than I'll ever need, but the real point here is to have a real project to learn to weld with.

Tomorrow I'm gonna start cutting for realz!

[bkbimmer]

Way to overthink it.

[tig]

Way to overthink it.

I know, right?

[bkbimmer]

You are a way more professional looking welder than I am.