Posts

Posted on

GTAW

I had the opportunity to attend a course at Lincoln Electric’s Welding Technology & Training Center on GTAW, or TIG welding. I recently purchased a TIG welder, and although I had a good idea of how to use it, you get so much more from hands on instruction from someone qualified to teach.

One of the many rows of student booths.

The facility itself is impressive enough. The classrooms were very clean, integrated technology well and were stocked with snacks, water and soda. Our instructors, Lance and Karl really knew their stuff. Not only did we learn a lot about GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding), but they taught us a lot about the metallurgy involved.

I also picked up some new books on welding that I will be able to refer to from time t time as reference material. “Metals and How to Weld Them” was written in the 50s and 60s and is still very relevant today.

I’m looking forward to getting some scrap steel and aluminum and practicing more and more.

  • 3003 Aluminum / 4043 Filler
  • Stainless Steel / 308 Filler
  • A36 Steel / Silicon Bronze
Posted on

Completed a week long class in TIG (GTAW) at Lincoln Electric Welding School.

Completed a week long class in TIG (GTAW) at Lincoln Electric Welding School. Hats off to our instructors, Lance and Karl. They’re tops! I appreciated the attention you can only get one on one. Unexpectedly, we also learned a lot about metallurgy. Nice bonus! Lots of time under the hood. Still need lots of practice. Hoping to score some scrap metal from some local scrap yards and still need to get a lot more filler rod. Might have to find some more classes to take!
.
.
.
.

Instagram Source

Posted on

New Compressor Project

A good friend of mine, Andy, had this 60 gallon/175 psi air compressor for about 10 years when he bought it used. 5 years ago, he rebuilt the pump because it wasn’t delivering air at the expected rate. Its seen some heavy use and is running a bit tired again, so he ended up buying a new one and asked me if I would want to have the old one as a project.

Of course! I enjoy working on things like this. So later today, I plan on running some tests and calculate the pumps SCFM to see just how far it is off at its rated capacity.

I had just finished rebuilding this much older 30 gallon / 125 psi compressor. It still has a very small air leak, that I can hear, I just haven’t found it yet.

I have a few thoughts on what I might do with these. I have considered just piping the two tanks together and run them off the smaller, working, pump. That would give me 90 gallons of air at 125 psi. I do, however, worry about how much the old pump can really keep up and if that would put too much of a strain on the motor.

Once I figure out just how bad the old pump is, and what it will take to fix it, I’ll know what my options could be. Maybe I’ll just turn it into a 60 gallon smoker!