|
Fabrication and Metalworking Get welding advice, discuss different alloys, share pictures of your first fabrication attempts, as well as welds you are especially proud of |
|
Thread Tools | Rate Thread | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Some folks just gotta tinker
One of them folks would be me.
Background-On Outer Limits, Jeff Weston managed to set his track bar free and I was given the opportunity to use his Ready Welder to make it behave again. I liked almost everything about it until I went to weld the inside of the bracket on the inner frame side and the spool area was drastically interferring with the steering linkage. I then purchased a Ready Welder and without ever firing it up to see if it worked, set about modifying it to a more tight quarters friendly package. I grabbed the welding whip off of my Miller 185, hacked it in half and set about adapting it to the drive mechanism of the RW. I cut the RW up into pieces and mounted the various components into a Pelican case. I remounted the circuit board for the speed control on the drive mechanism into one end of the case. I then moved the dial SC into the handle of the Mig whip by unsoldering the potentiometer from the circuit board and using a PVC coupling and some creative drilling, now have it protected from accidental change while welding. My thought was that a 5' whip like a regular Mig would work anywhere the RW would and be easier to use. We'll see. Here are some down and dirty test welds to see if everything worked.
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Note to self:
Invent machine to suck the cool ideas and knowledge to do said cool ideas out of Blaine's head. Nice work (as usual) Chris |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
What about one of these?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=39443 The spool is in the box. DougB has one and they've used it several times for trail repairs. Chris |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
I guess that means the warranty on the Readywelder is void, huh? That's a pretty slick setup you've got there and the greater ability to get in tighter spaces will be invaluable.
As for the Harbor Freight link to the other welder, its downsides to me are its weight (45#) and the fact that it has built in batteries. If they're anything like my cell battery, their ability to hold a charge will diminish in time. It lists the aboutput at @ 130 amps whereas the RW puts out somewhere near 250A with two hefty batteries. Either way, any welder is better than no welder.
__________________
Jeff |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Blaine - don't ever try to check that on an airplane - I can imagine that conversation.....
__________________
Now I've always been puzzled by the yin and the yang - It'll come out in the wash, but it always leaves a stain |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
nice work. If I knew how to weld I'd probably want one for myself.
__________________
Brian |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
So----Where do I send my cc # to for one of those?
Very nicely done. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
What, no gas solenoid? Hook up to the CO2 bottle you carry in the Jeep.
Yeah, I know the wind is gonna be a problem. You'd still have to use flux core most of the time. BUT the ability to run MIG on the trailside would be cool. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Wow thats cool. How much are you going to charge me to convert mine? But I do need the gas to the handle because I use mine at home connected to a bottle.
|
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Sweet! I like my RW, but it is bulky.
__________________
"Bump it" |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Slick.....
That turned out nicer than I expected. Well actually it didn't. I knew it'd be trick coming from you. Allen
__________________
(OlllllllO) Me, Me, Me-It's All About me. But Enough About Me. What About You? What Do You Think Of Me? |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
If I get energetic, it still can be done. I didn't disable the gas mixture part of the set up.
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
Nicely done!
This may sound like a couple dumb questions, but I'm trying to learn a bit. Do you weld with the lid of the Pelican case open? Do the components inside warm up much while welding, even on quick jobs? Do I smell a Patent around the corner? |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
The small amount of welding I did caused no temperature rise. I guess that means you could weld with the lid closed. I did leave an option for a small cooling fan in the event it was needed. If there were considerations of a patent, it would not be posted here.
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
That's nice Blaine.
I haven't had a tight situation on the trail with mine yet but I do remember Jim B using a lot of rods to do the same track bar repair on my Jeep so he could reach up there. What I had been thinking was adapting the welding whip to the snout of the spool gun. It might still all fit in compact Ready Welder case? What do you think?
__________________
It's not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Based on what the guy at RW told me, I don't think heat will be a concern for Blaine's setup. The original RW design had little vents on one side of the gun above the trigger. I guess they realized that heat wasn't a concern so they no longer have this vent on the new ones and they haven't had a single problem according to RW.
As a heads up for anybody considering a RW, the guy told me a few weeks ago that they are working on a revision which should be out sometime next year so that the gun is only hot when the trigger is pulled. I don't know if this mod will be solely on the circuit board (about $50 to replace) or if there will be other changes to the gun. Perhaps the current guns will be able to be adapted to the new setup?
__________________
Jeff |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
The other issue is the drive assembly in the spool gun will only reliably feed the wire through about 6' of whip and that's with a modified Tweco .045 contact liner.
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
Somebody needs to explain duty cycle to me. What does it mean and what does it mean on a practicle term?
I have one of those little 110 volt lincoln welders. It is great for the little things around the house and smaller things on the jeep. It does seem to weld worse and worse the longer I'm welding with it. Does this have to do with the duty cycle? Thanks Bob
__________________
Living on the edge is one thing, falling off is quite another! |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
The duty cycle, expressed in percent, like 30%, is usually based on a 10 minute use cycle.
A 30% duty cycle means that you can use it "only" 3 continous minutes, then it must cool for 7 minutes. Fred
__________________
Fred Wilson Base - '98 Sahara, 4.0L 6 cyl, Auto (swapped from 5 sp) Suspension - 4.5" Currie Suspension Lift + 2" PA body lift, RS9000 Shocks, Currie front adjustable track bar. Currie Tie Rod and Drag Link, Currie Anti-Rock Sway Bar, Currie control arms. RE adjustable rear track bar. Axles & Lockers - Dana30/Dana44; LockRite/Full Detroit; 4.56. Drivetrain - AA SYE and CV Driveshaft, Tera 2wd lo. Armor - Full Wheels - 35x12.50 R15 MT/R's sipped on 15x7 Champion Beadlocks. Recovery - Warn XD9000i |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
That is a GREAT project Blaine! I happen to have a Pelican box in my garage, and thinking about picking up an RW next year... may have to explore this.
If you think about it, is there anything you'd do different?
__________________
Back in the saddle. |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Wow, that's just impressive... Hugely!
|
#25
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I'd run a shorter whip, down to around 4' or so. I already have issues trying to roll mine up small enough to store easily without kinking it. I'd get more creative and make a more robust drive system using a 12v stepper motor and the drive wheels out of a bigger MIG. I'd add a 200 amp solenoid that closes when you pull the trigger to weld and put it on the power side to stop the tip from being hot all the time. I'd change the two plugs on the side to only one. I only had 4 connector plugs and had to use two because I need 5 connections. That's three for the speed control and 2 for the trigger. I'd redo the ground to be able to be coiled up in the lid. Easy to do. Other than that, it's perfect.
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
I am Savvy. |
#27
|
|||
|
|||
that is very nicely done!
|
#29
|
|||
|
|||
I agree, the stock gun is bulky and hard to get in tight places.
I took a different approach - I just made the tip a bunch longer. Simple! I found a copper tip that was about 5" long at a welding shop - they had it on their parts shelf without a number - who knows what it was for. I had to thread the end so it'd screw in like the original one. Then I used a hunk of copper tubing around it as a shield. So far it's been able to reach in the tight places I've needed it to. And I put the "cold switch" on it - it's a bulky box in the line, but I like it. If they put it in the gun that would be slick. |
#30
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
I am Savvy. |
Bookmarks |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
If you folks could possibly give me an electronic hand (vote) | Joe Dillard | Jeep Friends Forum | 22 | 06-27-2007 09:25 AM |
New Brake Kit folks... | blkTJ | Technical Forum | 13 | 10-31-2006 05:36 PM |
Gotta love it! | DsrtJeeper | Jeep Friends Forum | 5 | 07-25-2005 02:11 PM |
You folks on the west coast got webbed feet yet??? | Chuck K. | Jeep Friends Forum | 14 | 02-23-2005 03:49 PM |
Okay folks, it's time to start the festivities | mrblaine | Get Out and Wheel | 15 | 11-23-2004 03:33 PM |