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The "What Did You Work On Today" thread

3M views 36K replies 388 participants last post by  cerial 
#1 ·
4 hour work day for me at the shop. Used the time to do a valve body swap on a '01 Jetta 1.8t auto .... I successfully installed a transbrake on the car .... that however wasn't my intention.

Its in 2 gears at once in park, all other gears (R/N/D/2/1) are forward gears.... they all seam to be first gear.

I have it torn back down most of the way. Tuesday I'll actually get the VB back out and see whats up.... but part of me wants to take it out for a test drive the way it is just for the fun of it.
 
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#2,882 ·
Reg Green was right!

Spent another couple of hours in the shop attempting to teach myself to weld.

I took some evening courses about a zillion years ago at a local tech college (the old "one night a week for 15 weeks" thing).

Anyway, I scored a used big ol' Lincoln 110V mig a while ago, and last week I finally got around to getting a 40 foot bottle of co2/AR and some nice new wire for it and decided to go through every welding "how to" I could find on the web and see what's up.

After all it seems that EVERY guy on here can do it, right?

So following the advice on the web, I start off by finding a combination of wire speed and power that gives me a nice-sounding "BzzzzzzzzT on a nice clean piece of steel. OK - now we have amps & speed. Now we practice on a flat piece and try to get a nice looking bead. two hours, and a pound or two of wire later, its starting to look good. Nice penetration, nice looking "stack of dimes" bead.

So, lets see if I can put two pieces of metal together.

Well, yes, If I use crazy glue, or "the handy man's secret weapon"

Otherwise - not looking so good. That was Monday.

Tuesday, ditto

Today, I start again with some fresh pieces of steel, hit them with angle grinder, get nice shiny surfaces, clamp them together in the form of a cross, and have at it.

And lay down some nice beads, undo the clamp and "clank, rattle" as the top one hits the floor while the bottom one stays on the table.

So - another couple of pieces of steel, all cleaned and scuffed, turn the power up some more, add a bit more gas. Weave the puddle between the two pieces of steel at the join. Ensure that puddle is well into BOTH pieces.

shut welder off, release the clamp.

Clank, rattle.

Sigh. Pass the duct tape, please. Red Green was right.
 
#2,885 ·
Spent another couple of hours in the shop attempting to teach myself to weld.

I took some evening courses about a zillion years ago at a local tech college (the old "one night a week for 15 weeks" thing).

Anyway, I scored a used big ol' Lincoln 110V mig a while ago, and last week I finally got around to getting a 40 foot bottle of co2/AR and some nice new wire for it and decided to go through every welding "how to" I could find on the web and see what's up.

After all it seems that EVERY guy on here can do it, right?

So following the advice on the web, I start off by finding a combination of wire speed and power that gives me a nice-sounding "BzzzzzzzzT on a nice clean piece of steel. OK - now we have amps & speed. Now we practice on a flat piece and try to get a nice looking bead. two hours, and a pound or two of wire later, its starting to look good. Nice penetration, nice looking "stack of dimes" bead.

So, lets see if I can put two pieces of metal together.

Well, yes, If I use crazy glue, or "the handy man's secret weapon"

Otherwise - not looking so good. That was Monday.

Tuesday, ditto

Today, I start again with some fresh pieces of steel, hit them with angle grinder, get nice shiny surfaces, clamp them together in the form of a cross, and have at it.

And lay down some nice beads, undo the clamp and "clank, rattle" as the top one hits the floor while the bottom one stays on the table.

So - another couple of pieces of steel, all cleaned and scuffed, turn the power up some more, add a bit more gas. Weave the puddle between the two pieces of steel at the join. Ensure that puddle is well into BOTH pieces.

shut welder off, release the clamp.

Clank, rattle.

Sigh. Pass the duct tape, please. Red Green was right.
Have you read the "Basics of Basics"? (Click here)

Don't be turning up the gas anymore than where it is suppose to be, read the basics. Having the voltage and wire speed up high enough is the number one mistake. You can't be afraid of this, CRANK IT UP, you can always turn it back down if you find you are blowing holes or something. CRANK IT UP, you may need to move a lot faster, but CRANK IT UP and find out where your limitations are.

Brian
 
#2,886 ·
Spent another couple of hours in the shop attempting to teach myself to weld.

I took some evening courses about a zillion years ago at a local tech college (the old "one night a week for 15 weeks" thing).

Anyway, I scored a used big ol' Lincoln 110V mig a while ago, and last week I finally got around to getting a 40 foot bottle of co2/AR and some nice new wire for it and decided to go through every welding "how to" I could find on the web and see what's up.

After all it seems that EVERY guy on here can do it, right?

So following the advice on the web, I start off by finding a combination of wire speed and power that gives me a nice-sounding "BzzzzzzzzT on a nice clean piece of steel. OK - now we have amps & speed. Now we practice on a flat piece and try to get a nice looking bead. two hours, and a pound or two of wire later, its starting to look good. Nice penetration, nice looking "stack of dimes" bead.

So, lets see if I can put two pieces of metal together.

Well, yes, If I use crazy glue, or "the handy man's secret weapon"

Otherwise - not looking so good. That was Monday.

Tuesday, ditto

Today, I start again with some fresh pieces of steel, hit them with angle grinder, get nice shiny surfaces, clamp them together in the form of a cross, and have at it.

And lay down some nice beads, undo the clamp and "clank, rattle" as the top one hits the floor while the bottom one stays on the table.

So - another couple of pieces of steel, all cleaned and scuffed, turn the power up some more, add a bit more gas. Weave the puddle between the two pieces of steel at the join. Ensure that puddle is well into BOTH pieces.

shut welder off, release the clamp.

Clank, rattle.

Sigh. Pass the duct tape, please. Red Green was right.
try 23 psi with the trigger pulled. Also note that you will discover combinations of wire speeds and amps that will give you the desired frying bacon sound even if it's not the right penetration. So if you got the sizzle but not the penetration you know that the amps need to go up but so does the wire speed, but since the problem is in penetration then you can guess that it's the amps that need to move up a tad more. As Martin said, experiment with this and you'll find your limits where you get the sizzle and a fast burn thru. This means quick trigger it or turn it down a tad. you'll find your zone and write it down for what it's for. I have written down settings for open butt welds, flanged panels, plug welds, 3 layered plug welds, etc-etc. I do this to every welder I touch and for the first month it will change a few times til I find a comfort zone. Once you're in the ball park of what's written down it's a matter of sound and how the wire looks when done welding. It will tell me if it's too fast or slow. In other words, the rough settings make it so it's just a matter of turning one knob barely to the left or right or straightening out a kink in the line.
 
#2,889 ·
Hey Dave, get an old fender of a classic car and start cutting and welding. You are on the right track! You can learn only so much from a book or from theory. The bottom line is, you need to get out there and experience it for yourself. Welders require that you know that welder, and since they can vary due to tension adjustments and how old the thing is they kind of have their own personality.
 
#2,890 ·
turn the power up some more, add a bit more gas. Weave the puddle between the two pieces of steel at the join.
Note that there are different gas gauges on these welders some read PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) which should be set at 3-4 lbs while others have CFH (Cubic Feet Per Hour) which should be set at 25-30.

Brian
 
#2,893 ·
im finally able to post pics woohoo ! put some new tires on the 57 . I think it needs about a 4 "drop in front and a 2" in back
Everyone's tastes are different. I'd set the front ride height so that the fender opening to tire appearance is about the same as what is at the back right now and for my taste the back is perfect as is. However - it isn't my truck, so it's not my place to say....

Beautiful truck! Love it!
 
#2,894 ·
Note that there are different gas gauges on these welders some read PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) which should be set at 3-4 lbs while others have CFH (Cubic Feet Per Hour) which should be set at 25-30.

Brian
Mine reads cubic feet per (something). The guy at the welder shop said that if you can feel the gas coming outta the nozzle, you have the flow too high (unless you are outdoors) and that I should have it between 6 and 10. He pointed out that even at 10, a 40 foot bottle would only be good for 4 hours so up to now I've been following his advice. And yes, I had read the "basics of basics" - Excellently written by the way - now if I was even remotely normal instead of being in the World Book of Records under "klutz"......

Gonna try some thinner metal tomorrow - picked up some scrap sheet-metal (couple of hoods) at the boneyard today, see if I can do something with that. I've been trying to weld 3/16 and 1/8 stuff up to now as that is my next project (window framing for burglar bars!) We'll see what happens with 16 and 14 ga stuff tomorrow if I can do THAT or if that needs duct tape as well...... (And yes, I'll change to the .023 wire instead of the .035 I've been using)

Don't recall having this much trouble using flux core .035 or even using a stick on my ol Sears Buzz Box!

As it is, I'll ask my neighbor (a millwright) to assemble my burglar bars for me (or maybe I'll just ask Penn & Teller since this is clearly pure magic and not do-able by mere mortals?)
 
#2,895 ·
Dave, if it says CFH it needs to be at 25 or so. Some gauges have both readings, but if it is CFH 6 or 10 is way too low.

Today I got my bracket all done for the transfer seat. I have to assemble it tomorrow and it is good to go. Looking at the car even with the door open you would never know it was set up for the handicapped. :D I had an extra threshold moulding that I was second choice when I went thru them for the car. So it got sacrificed for Steve. :D

Brian



 
#2,897 ·
time to hang some panels on the Chrysler 300 I'm working on and got a peek of the decklid and hood in the booth. I also got to see a gas door I had to put a lot more time into than I would have liked.

kind of happy cause the boss is trying new stuff out by having us each assigned to a car rather than tag teaming. This was my first solo job at this place. So far so good. Can't wait to see it buffed cause it's already popping as is.



 
#2,898 ·
Just went back out and sliced a couple of hunks off a (badly bent up) hood from a '95 Mustang. Ground & polished. got rid the paint and etc. And tried putting them together. Still using the .035 wire and gas turned up to 15

Power turned up to 105 amps

Ran a bead around the "seam", released the clamps and said something that sounded a lot like "whale oil beef hooked"

They are stuck together! Ground down the beads and still could not pry them apart! Cut through the beads with angle grinder and - wow!

Tomorrow I'll see if that was a one-off or if it just might be repeatable. (and I guess I'll try my stick welder on the heavy channel iron for the window frames for the burglar bars - otherwise its "Yoo hoo neighbor?"
 
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