Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations The Pond Barge Saga

Dwight,

You need to organize yourself better. Its hard to see the tubing in such a "dirty" shop.

Whats the next step?

All right Dwight. Stop posting photos of your shop. Now your just rubbing salt in a wound. (In my best Homer Simpson voice) "Dwight's stupid, stupid shop."

This morning I cut the perimeter frame members; two 16 footers and two 8 footers, all 45 degree angle cuts. I squared (very basic squaring) it all up on the saw horses with the 90 degree magnets.




That is where I was going to the leave the project until Monday evening after it cools down some.

Resistance was futile; so squared each corner with corner clamps, C-clamps on a heavy angle iron across the corners and the entire low tech welding guy stuff that I know. Then I tack welded it all together. The diagonal corner to corner disparity is under .125".



It was 94 degrees in the shop when I decided to give it a rest. These are the 5 sweatbands I doused this afternoon.


I better replenish my bodily fluids, and now!!

Better knock down a Coroner, eh?

Another way to make sure it's square is to measure diagnally from corner to corner. When both measurements are exactly the same, it's square.

Are you going to weld it all the way around? I'm just curios about moisture and keeping it out.

It probably doesn't compare, but I just bought a stick of 2x4 tubing with 1/4 inch walls for $100. What does it go for in your area?

Eddie

Bruce Condello - Thanks for the recommendation. I followed it!

eddie_walker - I did mention that, "The diagonal corner to corner disparity is under .125". I will be welding it all the way around. First though, I am just tacking the perimeter frame and cross members.

The tubing I am using is only 14 gauge so there would be a huge diference in price. The whole steel purchase as described earlier in the thread was $700 odd dollars.

Steel, like everything else I buy seems to keep getting most spensive.

Three cross members tacked into position and the remaining eight cut. This would go a lot faster if I didn’t have to work for a living.

Some progress this evening....

Glad to see you are making progress on "The Life is Good" Bremer Barge !!

ewest - I can still lift it, too!

eddie_walker - I can still lay down a lot nicer looking bead with the old stick welder than I can with the wire welder. Is this normal, or am I old and decrepit?

Dwight,

When I bought my welder, I never even considered a wire welder. I learned on an AC arc welder and when I discovered AC/DC arc weleders, there was nothing that compared for the price and versatility. Especialy if you have rural property, tractors and equipment!!!

Nice collection of saw horses. I have four and I'm always tripping over them, but seeing how nice the six do for keeping your platform up and level, I might just get another set.

Thanks for the updates,
Eddie

Dwight,

If you have prior welding experience, I'm surprised you're having trouble making a nice looking bead with the wire welder. You may already know this, but make sure you're using the correct polarity for the wire you're using. I'm assuming you're using flux-core wire since I don't see a shielding gas bottle in the pictures. The leads have to be reversed inside the welder to switch from solid core to flux core. You can weld using the wrong polarity, but it makes a pretty ugly bead.

Dave

A small bottle of 75/25 is pretty cheap and would help a great deal even when using self shielding wire. Solid wire and with gas shielding is where the mig shines otherwise simply using self shielding wire you're basically welding with a very tiny infinetely long stick electrode.

eddie_walker - I agree on the AC/DC welder for repair work. The MIG welder is useful when working with new clean metal and thin sheet and tubing.

When I was a young pup, I would have built the barge on the floor. Now that I have some age on me, I like working on stuff at waste level or so. Live and learn.

D. Helms – My Dad first taught me welding (He owned a Machine Shop) when I was 9 years old. AC/DC stick welders were all that we had in those days.

I first used a MIG welder in a production environment during summer break (1970). That was welding a one inch long bead on a bracket for animal cages. I don’t know how many thousand of those I made that summer, but it was so boring I was excited to get back to college! Until this project, I had not used a MIG welder since that summer.

The polarity is set correctly. I’m not really having a problem. it is just that the stick welder bead is just prettier in my view. Thanks for the tips, though.

Ryan Freeze - I will be picking up a regulator and a tank of 75/25. I like the analogy of the “tiny infinitely long stick electrode”.

Dwight and Eddie,
I don’t know what this welding story has to do with ponds. But it’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I worked on a pipeline welding crew in Kansas the summer of 1941, and graduated from high school in 1942. I didn’t need to go to college because I already knew everything I needed to know...

After high school I worked on the “big inch” pipeline that provided oil from the East Texas oil fields to the east coast to fuel the ships of war.
I learned to weld...somewhat...

The Army Air Corp formed a unit called the “Air Corp Engineers” and I volunteered.
Because of my experience as a welder, I came out of basic training classified as T-corporal.

I went into the service as an 18 year old know-it-all and came out dumber that a rock...
I went to college - the GI Bill paid me $90 a month – more money than I had ever seen...

By the way, I picked up a torch a couple of years ago and laid the prettiest bead you ever saw...

George1 – We’ve got welders coming out of the ironwork!

There is nothing quite like a nice brazed bead holding two pieces of heavy cast iron together.

I once brazed a trail down to the pond or was that blazed? And yes, there is a Brazing.com

I'm not adding my $0.02 worth unless someone needs to repair round bale feeders. That's all the welding I've done for 10 years or so (every Fall).

Progress today.

Geeezzzz the Life is Good Barge has a bumper !! And a place to attach a ramming device !!! :p

ewest - A propped ramming device on both ends with both facing the same direction for maximum ramming speed.

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I was thinking more of a trireme, Brettski, but that works too.

Looks like you're making good progress. Another tip: since you planning to get the 75/25 gas I assume you'll eventually be getting some solid wire. You may want to try some SuperArc L-56 made by Lincoln because it outperforms other wires on less than perfectly clean steel. I would also recommend .035" for your machine and general applicability.

Personally, I've have a soft spot for the art of stick welding:

Ryan Freeze - That art is very familiar. Did I see it on Lincoln Electrics website, somewhere?