Spruce Aircraft offers a scrap pack for sale. It's a bundle +-1' sections of different size 4130 tubing in different wall thickness. I have purchased some of these scrap packs for small parts and shim stock.

Thank Brett! I'll check them out. I just grabbed some 1-5/8 .135 mild steel scrap pieces today and notched and fit up a few practice joints tonight. Hopefully the more I practice the luckier I'll get.

damn, I just toss the cage scrap out, some good 6" fishies on both ends too ...i'll try to save you a bunch next time around....hurry up and get better with the alloys and move up to stainless...im starting to get the hang of it...after 90 hours of welding. :getout: I'll save some 3" 409 for you.

Thanks Vince! :thumbsup:

OK, yesterday and today's practice was 1.5" .120" wall round tubing.....real world stuff for a change.

Fitment and tack
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-S...-SKCGjMP-L.jpg

Final weld sections
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-p...-pmchVQ2-L.jpg

Completed piece
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-n...-nFgXGK2-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6...-6mpjVLN-L.jpg

Interiors
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-z...-z48CMDV-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-x...-x3dJK2W-L.jpg

I'm guessing the welds got hotter than ideal so embrittlement could be an issue. Please let me know what flaws you see in my techniques.


I keep laughing at myself because when I decided I wanted to learn how to weld I totally underestimated the amount of fabrication and prep a couple stupid pieces of metal require to make a respectable finished product. Since I purchased the MIG & TIG units the amount of elementary fab equipment I've bought is silly...............

The latest time saver:
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-R...RTX3rQT-X2.jpg

Well......



HAHAHAHAHAHA




Ya got to pick up the pace and move the puddle more... It looks to me like you're really barely moving -- and that's what is adding heat like crazy.



I got a great laugh out of your statement about tools to make things go better. It's so true and most people just never understand that part of the process.... they think you just watch these pro builds on here - and go home and "do it". Yeah - right.... The pros have SKILLZ and TOOLZ....

Regarding fab and prep.........I don't think it's possible to have too many really nice expensive tools. :bang:

Regarding speed.........I think I'm overly fixated on weld penetration. Tomorrow I'll repeat the process and try to double the pace/space between puddles. Appears I have opposite heat issues with TIG and MIG. :sieg:

Thanks for the input.

Guilty as charged. :underchair:


Jeff-

ME TOO!!!!

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-K...-KxXc8gq-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-J...-JX27szD-L.jpg

Getting mo bedder? :sieg:

100 amps @ 13 cfh (Miller charts says 110-140 add 10% for mild steel)