Another simple 3rd hand, or finger at least. multiple 1/8" holes drilled through the handle, or same size as your most used or abundant filler rod. I have always had eighth around in some fashion and even a piece of tungsten would suffice. Either way, you get the idea. It traps things in two di...

This is what good shops used to be like. Everyone was into the best end results. I knew I had skills, but it didn't stop me from working vicariously thru others tasks. Ego was of a collective mindset. Bosses had been up through the ranks and it was obvious they hadn't forgotten where they came from,...

How long does i take you to weld one of those seams all the way around?

Good on you for stepping up. Step dad'n can be a challenge, but even kids can tell when you mean well if they have been raised decently. You probably had a house full of everyone else's kids hanging out too when he was growing up, if it's anything like my house.

Way to go. Almost there. Looks nice and straight too.

34? I didn't think you were old enough to have a 34 yr old. I have a 24 year old and I am old as at least the dust from dirt. Congratulations, either way.

Yeah, I thought about it. You guys have great music down under. INXS, AC/DC. . .can't be too bad.

Doesn't surprise me at all. I often forget to change my ac balance and HF from anodized and the extra cleaning is enough to take care of even gray colored 6061. I mean, I see it cook away to the edge of the wash zone but the weld puddle is clean and shiny with no pepper. Sometimes 'we' get import ma...

I weld aluminum all day, every day. The most I use on visibly contaminated aluminum is a stainless wire brush if it's solids or oxidation, soap and water for just about everything else. Seems that aluminum that is stored outside for any length of time will have an organic contaminant and distillate ...

Hey, Thanks Jeff. May I just say that I find it sad that a true Craftsman is considering leaving the industry. You sould have bosses falling at you feet. Not sucking just saying that when you lay down work this good you deserve all the good things this industry has to offer. Not to have to give it ...

Wow, nice stuff.

Probably 50% quicker. Most notchers only go a couple degrees past 45 anyway. Many copes ending up being over 60 so it ends up being band saw work. By now I can cut them on the bandsaw quicker than I can adjust the notcher. You have to pre-cut the angles before notching anyway and again, the chop saw...

I would notch larger pipes where they go into larger pipes like 1-1/4" to 1-1/4" on up, but not 3/4 into 1" and up. Aluminum moves regardless. Is why I like to make fully welded sub assemblies that can be either straightened, or pre-stressed. Once it's trapped, it's a bitch to fix. He...

The whole joint would have to be pressed like on a press brake with an adapter or using the cross brake die backed with a piece of flat bar or angle iron. Pre-distorting it does work somewhat. I have had to weld large sections of 3/16" for sump well covers and I sandwiched each section between ...

No laughing here. It is incredibly difficult to weld that big of aluminum sections with TIG without distortion. Nothing short of sandwiching between heavy steel plates. That operation is better suited for MIG. Even then there is going to be distortion. Look at the many commercial aluminum boat hulls...

I realized, while reading Jeff's reply, I left out an important point... If you don't solve (or prevent) cracks in the tacks, and fix every one, those cracks will grow into your finish weld. While there are many causes for a weld to fail in any material, if you have a crack in your tack weld, and d...

I learned some hard lessons in tacking alumimum, which have been touched on here. The two biggest things to bite me were: tacks too small... Steve S You said it better than I but you're right, The let off ends up flush or even concave. I essentially cap the ends of my tacks, which also changes the ...

Hello welders! I was welding checker ally plate 6 mm tick and during tackink the tack had cracked every one. When I start welding it weld cracked to question is why? Facts: I was useing 2.4 ally filler with 5% silicone welder was setup around 200 amps plate was v grooved on both sides half way, I d...

Right across the street from my shop is a metal scrap yard. They always have sorted piles of mill ends etc for pennies on the dollar. I walk through occasionally just to see what they have and grab what I can use for jigs and fixtures. Much of what they sort is as good as you might buy from a distri...

Great idea.

Here's an extreme duty powder coat. It's a base color coat with a clear atop that if I recall correctly. It's made for the marine/corrosive environment. The best thing about it is that it hides sanding scratches and other imperfections. We get the parts sandblasted by the same outfit. There is a cho...

I have an older rebuilt speed-air compressor with no belt guard. The plastic factory one is double ugly and 'had' belt/wheel wear-thru's in a couple spots. I was initially jealous that the one in the video was getting a new one. I really wasn't expecting fabrication tips when I joined on this site a...

Nice. Congratulations on the new space.

Otto Nobedder wrote:

Colt45GTO wrote:where am i from? originally the womb but ...

I remember going to a picnic with Dad and coming home with Mom....

LOL

Imron and Awlgrip are great LPU paints. Ask anyone who has ever had to sand it. It is dangerous as has been noted. We used to use it on aluminum but now we find it more cost effective to get things powder coated instead, especially when considering primer as well as paint.