My wife wanted to put the spice planter outside, so, I came up with this idea. Kinda low key. Also, inside the plants weren't getting enough sun. When I get a little more money, I'm gonna buy some anti-spatter spray. Way too much arc-blow.
I had a bag of soda cans outside on my back porch. Someone stoled them. So, I made this frame for a garbage and will install it inside, in our storage closet next to the kitchen. The size is perfect. The bags stretch just enough over the corners to hold the bag up. The bottom will just touch the ground.
First, anyone who would steal a sack of cans obviously needs them way more than you.
Second, Nice project.
That much spatter says a little too much wire speed for the voltage. Spatter spray will help, but not with that mess of BB's.
If you have a can of PAM or other non-stick cooking spray, it's actually pretty close to the same thing, and will help some. Just let it dry, so all the solvents are off.
Otto, thanks again. That helped alot. I turned the wire speed down and there were very few beads. The beads that were there, were easily chipped off.
I had another project that wasn't really a project, but, a "to do" that I've been putting off. I wanted to weld my 30 gal. upright compressor to the inside of my van. I was set to go this afternoon - thought I'd check to see what was under, where I was welding. Good thing I checked. It was the gas tank! There was no other place where the compressor would fit. So, I cut the compressor/motor plate off and rewelded it on the side of the tank and turned an upright into a horizontal! The tank is designed for an upright, so, the fittings are out of place. Tomorrow, I'm going to Lowe's and get new fittings that will work. Now that the compressor lays flat, it sits just behind the front seats and since my van is a cargo van (no passengers), I have a full 10' clear on the inside. I can now weld it to the floor with no danger. I was going to take some photos, but, the battery ran down in my camera. I will post photos tomorrow.
On the upper left, you can see where I cut the platform off and mounted it on the side and hooked up the pressure lines. The old leg didn't fit right, so, I made a new one and welded it to the floor. I have a full 8 feet from the back door to the compressor. I'll tell ya, learning how to weld has been a real plus for me. I always used compressed air when I'm on the job. Now, I don't have to take the compressor on and off the truck all the time. I have another smaller compressor in the shop.
I'll throw one tip out here; Treat that compressor like a (ASME) coded vessel. Inspect the welds for cracks, especially at first. At the first sign of a crack, grind the entire weld out and re-weld it.
A crack in the weld can grow in any direction, including the parent metal. Most likely, this would result in a leak, but it is possible for it to fail catastrophically.
I've welded on compressor tanks to 300 gal, and never had a problem, but I have the ability to test them to 250PSI, and some specialized training (from the railroad, oddly enough) regarding "stress risers" in weldments. From what I see in your pictures, you've done just fine, but I always watch my welds for a while, just to be safe.
Some nice projects there Craig! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Those are some good points Steve, especially regarding treating the air tank as an ASME vessel. I was going to point out that "anti-spatter" spray won't stop the spatter, it just prevents it from sticking to the nozzle and tips. The reduction in wire speed or te given voltage being used would go a long ways to reducing the spatter.
Perfection is impossible, but if you strive for perfection, excellence is obtainable!
1983 Canox "Sparkler" 225 AC Stick Welder
Hobart 210 MVP MIG Welder
Harris "Spitfire" Oxy-Acetylene Set
Otto, I always appreciate the tips. My welds are getting much better. The secret is in the weld pool. Today, I went to the hardware store and bought a pipe union, cut it in half, and welded it to the new top of the tank. The other half of the union, I welded to the top front for the shut off switch and the guage. The area was tight, but, I managed. The welds look good. Tomorrow, I'm gonns get some pluge and plug up the old fittings.
Otto, I gotta bug you for one more tip. As I just finished the weld, the gun stopped, as expected. I ran out of wire. Can you feed a new spool of wire and push the previous wire that is left in the cable? Or will it jam? That's alot of wire to pull out and throw away. I'm gonna start buying 2lb. instead of 1lb. I'll post photos probably tomorrow. It really came out nice.
Throw the leftover wire out. The chance of a jamb in the liner is near 100%.
Liners aren't nearly a "zero clearance" fit, as any debris that gets in there would create a jamb. Also, liners are usually sized for a range of wires, say .023-.035, or .030 to .045".
When you get more wire, be sure to "button off" the weld where you ran out. This is good practice on all wire-feed welds (TIG, too.) I've not watched many of Jody's MIG videos, but I'm sure he's touched on it, so I may be "preaching to the choir". If you simply release the trigger when you've reached then end of your weld, you'll see a shallow depression, or "crater" where you stopped. If you hold position for a second or so, 'til the puddle color dims, and hit the trigger in the same spot for a second, you'll fill that depression in, and eliminate one of the "stress risers" where cracks can start.
Not good!
I fired up the compressor and it was leak city. It was really hard to weld around the mounting plate. The gun would barely fit. So, tomorrow I'll have to remove, once again, the mounting plate where the motor and compressor head sit. This time I'll be able to get a clear shot at the new ports. I will have to grind off the old weld. I'm gonna have to play with my welder a little more. I still don't have my flux core welds down perfect. It seems to "ball up" too much. And I don't mean arc blow. I know it's just a wire feed issue. I got alot of small projects and scrap that I can practice on.
