Today I MADE

[davsgold]

I had considered buying a spool gun for the MIG (one to suit my machine would probably run $700+) or running Teflon liners in the standard MIG torch, which I'm told makes aluminium welding feasible with a standard MIG setup.
But I had an inoperable AC TIG unit sitting in the shed which once belonged to a good mate. He's gone now, but I figured I might be able resurrect his welder before lashing out big dollars on MIG mods.
It turned out that a $50 gas solenoid fixed the problem After that I just had to figure out how to use it, haha

yes the Teflon liners are a must if running aluminum wire through the standard Mig gun, and a shorter cable for the handpiece back to the control box is also a good idea, my mig has about a 4 metre long cable and liner and it will still play up if the wire sticks in the tip, and that is with the rollers backed off so it slips easily

 

[Moneybox]

View attachment Vacuum Cleaner(1).mp4

 

[sand surfer]

with the rain here recently i got the charcoal forge going to make the rake/pick for the return trip to the mullock heaps at fig tree
gave it a harden then fitted the handle for a test run before doing the temper ,all worked well
tapping the rake off the handle and it fell on the concrete floor, it could not have fallen on the rubber matting oh no and i heard something hit the shed wall at a great rate of knots

a reminder to self and anyone else of the dangers of hardened steel that has not yet been tempered
if it had hit me it could of turned out quite nasty
it is in the steel rack/storage area somewhere
one day when i am bored i might spend 1/2 to 1 hour moving everything to find it
and heat it up and weld it back on after it has been annealed again
or i will cut the rest of the tines off and use it as a heavy scraper/pick
i can not make another at the moment as i have no material left till i do a scrap yard run again

 

[davsgold]

it was looking good to Graeme, oh well that will let the big gold nuggets through now just gotta keep an eye out for em, and yes I know you will be able to weld it back on when you find it

 

[Nightjar]

My "Eagles" mascot that was fixed to shed door was looking worse for wear so cut out a replica using marine ply this time, time consuming but it brightens up entrance and hopefully inspire a revival of the team.

 

[sand surfer]

leaning towards the easy way out dave , cut the tines off or leave them on and(use the cheat method) mig weld the tine back on and use it as a stick rake around the yard

a lot of work to weld it back on , maybe refine the steps taken dave and do the test before hardening
but then you have the problem of straightening it if it bends or twists
which would be better than what happened
as i have said to you dave never hit carbon steel when cold ,i may have cracked it when plannishing it dave
tapped it to hard or a stress fracture that did not mold when annealed after forging
that's what you get sometimes when playing with scrap yard steels

 

[Nightjar]

View attachment 4573View attachment 4574View attachment 4575View attachment 4576

****The Photobucket photos in post 68 in 2016 are defunct so have revived post for new comers.****

**2015**
Water is scarce in WA goldfields even more so now they have dismantled hundreds of windmills.
Here is another handy device for retrieving water from wells or bores if you get desperate.

It is a simple build;
(1)1 X metre of 90mm thin walled stormwater PVC
(2)Cut two flat PVC discs inside diameter of pipe, drill a series of holes near centre of the discs to allow water in.
(3)Cut a thin flat stainless steel/aluminium disc a couple of mm less than pipe inside diameter. Cut a rubber washer and glue it to disc.
(4)Press one of the PVC discs into end of pipe 25mm and then apply some PVC glue to fix it in place. Now fit the metal disc with rubber seal facing outside/end of pipe. (Don't glue this acts as a clacker valve) Lastly fit second PVC disc flush with end of pipe and glue.
Attach rope to top of pipe ensuring that when you lift it with the rope it remains vertical. Fit canvas shroud to prevent debris dropping into pipe when retrieving.
Length of rope.
Lower the pipe into the bore/well and when it reaches the water you will feel the rope go slack. Hold it at this point and when the pipe has filled you will feel the weight on the rope. Pull it up and up end the 5.5 litre of water into a bucket and repeat until you have required amount of water. (One lift is what is a daily recommended amount of water for one person)

"Bump" Have seen & read many prospectors are venturing out on the WA Goldfields in the heat of summer. We always carry this simple device I made up. There are hundreds of wells and bores and drill holes out there you could retrieve water if you become stranded.

 

[LONEWOLF]

yes the Teflon liners are a must if running aluminum wire through the standard Mig gun, and a shorter cable for the handpiece back to the control box is also a good idea, my mig has about a 4 metre long cable and liner and it will still play up if the wire sticks in the tip, and that is with the rollers backed off so it slips easily

Try a spray of Cooking oil on the tip ... Spray often and this can help with 'Wire Grab'.....

LW....

 

[davsgold]

Try a spray of Cooking oil on the tip ... Spray often and this can help with 'Wire Grab'.....

LW....

I use Mig Dip,

 

[sand surfer]

same here dave
but it says it is anti spatter to ,but i will leave that bit to boiler makers to argue over

 

[davsgold]

same here dave

but it says it is anti spatter to ,but i will leave that bit to boiler makers to argue over

yes well if that's the only thing they are relying on to stop spatter then they need a few more lessons

 

[sand surfer]

that's what they sell it as dave ,about all i have found that it does is reduces the amount of spatter that sticks to the gas shroud by a little bit,and makes it easier to clean it

 

[Hawkear]

Today I made a Bonsai display stand.
I like bringing some of my Bonsai indoors for a few days every now and then and to show off to visitors, but Gina was unhappy with putting the pots directly on our tables, especially the ones with her quilted runners on.
Just from a few offcuts laying about, you know the sort you keep for 15 years because you might just have a use for it one day. Well it happened!
I also like having some interesting rocks to give some additional character to Bonsai.

 

[davsgold]

that's what they sell it as dave ,about all i have found that it does is reduces the amount of spatter that sticks to the gas shroud by a little bit,and makes it easier to clean it

and a little bit of Mig Dip in the back of the mig tip helps the wire feed a bit better for a little while, usually cleaning the mig tip with a tip cleaner also works wonders

 

[sand surfer]

i hardly ever use it dave thanks for the tip mate
a mate gave it to me ,followed him home from work, it needed a good home
i lost my tip cleaner so i just banged a nail into a bit of broom handle and cut the head off it and pointed it
it's been that way for years, i have just about worn the blackhawk welder out with it
now i using the unimig
i am no boiler maker by a long shot dave but these inverted machines are unreal
still learning it but unreal

 

[davsgold]

yep your right about the Inverter type mig welders they are great, mine is the WIA 250i mig stick tig, well you know you've seen it

 

[davsgold]

this is my latest creation, a big Bowe Knife (Letter Opener), just finished it this morning.

make from 5160 spring steel, hardwood handle scales and white ABS plastic/pvc liners and brass pins

keeps me busy and something to do









cheers dave

 

[davsgold]

I am having a go at, well learning some about electro chemical etching onto the metal blades, I did a practice run on an earlier practice knife, yes it works just need to get a bit better at it, I'll use it for makers mark etc, and you can do whatever design/picture you want to use.

I bought a little tape printer and some clear stencil tape for it, using a battery charger for power and salty water in a dish, positive clamped to blade and negative to the salty probe end

first go at etching, trying it on these ones first before I try it on my better ones

 

[Mackka]

That looks fantastic mate. Well Done!!

 

[davsgold]

That looks fantastic mate. Well Done!!

thanks mate, a bit more practice and I reckon it'll be fairly good, I seen it done on youtube videos so I thought I would give it a go