Welding Tips and Tricks

A customer was about to dump a 3 cylinder air compressor that got condemned by OHS because motor terminal box was ripped from bracket and motor fan cowl missing. I offered to take it away for free. They accepted my kind offer.

Repaired the terminal box with internal clamping - now solid.

Made a new fan cowl out of scrap aluminium sheet. Don't have slip rollers so had to improvise. Made up up this widget on some pipe, slide a 100mm (4") strap through a little at a time hammering all the way until I got the diameter I needed, weld it up, drill some holes and bingo job done. Runs very well and quiet too. My aluminium welding is very rusty but I wasn't going for looks.

Coldman wrote: My aluminium welding is very rusty but I wasn't going for looks.

Aluminum doesn't rust, but it does oxidize
(Couldn't resist, sorry)

Coldman wrote:A customer was about to dump a 3 cylinder air compressor that got condemned by OHS because motor terminal box was ripped from bracket and motor fan cowl missing. I offered to take it away for free. They accepted my kind offer.

That was so kind of you.
Looks good!

I’ve made $100 bucks replacing a few broken parts on condemned air compressors several times now. Last one was just a new pressure switch and then I replaced the discharge tube that got smashed with some SS tube. Amazing what gets scraped sometimes.

Poland308 wrote:I’ve made $100 bucks replacing a few broken parts on condemned air compressors several times now. Last one was just a new pressure switch and then I replaced the discharge tube that got smashed with some SS tube. Amazing what gets scraped sometimes.

Yeah, this summer I repaired damaged water pump which I took home from scrap. Works like a blast now. People just don't know how to repair their things. Just throw damaged things away and buy new stuff because its easier.