Thread: Earth moving machinery repair recommendations required

I have never seen one like it before.

It wouldn't take a welding works long to fix it, but, I have a welder & it is something new.

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

A pack of Low Hydrogen 2.5mm rods will cost about $55 & I'll never use them all.

I need to find somebody who sells sample packs.

Without any insult intended Cliff, find someone who actually knows how to weld properly. In the long run it will be cheaper and if it breaks you can take it back and ask why.

Where is the fun in that & how will I ever learn?

Go to TAFE? from my experience learning to weld can't be done properly without some expert guidance. Sure you can stick two pieces of metal together but as you found that is a different thing to doing it properly and once only.

Cliff, I didn't realise the machine was that far away. Should it fail again, I'd be inclined to make a new one. You might be able to machine the centre of the plate out and put a new shaft in, welding it from the underside using the same type of rod, it should then be more solid.
Kryn

I expect it to last longer this time.

It lasted 3 years the last time I welded it up with old rods & the old electric farm welder.

It seems that I am mostly the only one who uses that machine now so if it breaks again, it is most likely to break while I'm using it.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Go to TAFE? from my experience learning to weld can't be done properly without some expert guidance. Sure you can stick two pieces of metal together but as you found that is a different thing to doing it properly and once only.

I've been taught to stick weld, I just don't do it enough.

4 hours of practice the other day had me welding heaps better.

I did a MIG welding course at TAFE about 4 years ago & every time I need to use that for something, it takes several practice runs to get back into the swing of it.

I also learned how to TIG weld ali but I haven't done any since.

Now that I have a couple of different types of Low Hydrogen rods (& more on the way in the mail) I'll be practicing on a few of my own projects.

I have a half finished 3 point steady for my lathe.

I also have about 300M of 1" RHS lying in my tractor shed waiting to be turned into timber racking.

There is a 4' slasher out there in the paddock that needs some bits welding up on it.

I have all the parts a 14" buffer for finishing guitars, that needs some heavy parts welding together to mount the motor & pulleys.

I have a new VSD motor for my old pedestal lathe that needs a new mount welding up for it.

Some of these jobs will be just fine with the MIG but some of them will have to be done outside where the MIG may have a problem with wind.

Some of them like the motor mounts & the gearbox on the slasher will be better with the Low Hydrogen rods.

I just need to do more practice. (On some of these projects)

We need some pictures of some big wide beads done with the 4mm rods

You got ripped off a bit with one packet, I had to open it and remove a few rods to get it all under 3kg... If I were you I would demand your money back..

I'll start on that packet, thanks.

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

Trouble is that they want $42.50 for freight on one box.

Hi Cliff,
One thought I had is one of the Cairns Engineering supply shops may have a blister pack of Low hydrogen electrodes( 10 - 20 rods dependent on size brand etc)

Probably enough for your use with a few left over.

Grahame

Cliff,

For future reference I was in Bunnings new Cairns store the other day, and they have extended their range of welding gear and accessories. I noticed small packs of Ferrocraft 16s in stock as well as the usual Satincraft 13s, though they don't appear in the on-line catalogue. There might also have been others, but I was looking for something else and didn't notice. They may have just got a small shipment to test demand. There were several other items which I thought would have too low a turnover for Bunnings to be interested so they might just be testing the local market.

Anyway it is probably worth a look next time you are in Cairns.

Frank

Thanks guys, I have several welding projects so the rods I have now won't go astray.

I looked in the new Cairns Bunnings & I didn't see any Low Hydrogen rods at all, obviously didn't look hard enough.


Anyway, I have a 5Kg pack of 3.2mm Kobe LB52U 7016 rods, (used about 20 already) 2 x 1.5Kg packs of Lincon Electric Kryo 1P, E8018-G-H4R, ( Thanks .RC.) & Lordbug has posted me a pack or various rods to try as well.

Wow, wow, wow.... I love those 4mm Lincon Electric Kryo 1P, E8018-G-H4R rods.

Thanks .RC.

I did a couple of practice runs on another project to work out the best current & angle.
Used up 4 rods practicing & then attacked the grader part.

Again, I preheated the part & I found that if I preheated the end of a fresh rod with my hot air gun, they started better when using them at 150A.

Man, those things make me look good.

The more I used them, the better I got, I also found that if I pushed the current up to about 180A, I didn't have to preheat the rods to get them started.

Here is the finished part, it has been wire wheeled.

I love those rods so much that I went to the heaviest project that I have.

These are 2 pieces of grader blade that I want to use as a base for free standing work stand.

Cigarette lighter is to give an idea of the size.

P1020822 (Large).jpg

I found that if I wound the current up to about 185A, they didn't need preheating.

Tried a weave pattern to start with.

P1020823 (Large).jpg

Worked OK but the slag was tending to run in front of the weld pool & get trapped in the V joint so I changed to just straight beads.

First pass.

P1020824 (Large).JPG

Second pass.

P1020825 (Large).JPG

Third pass.

P1020826 (Large).jpg

Weave over the top.

P1020828 (Large).JPG

I found that I got the best results by wire wheeling it to clean it before each pass.

The back of the joint is also welded with 3 straight passes but there is nothing to photograph there 'cos I ground the high spots off so it would sit level on the floor.

The upright that will go on there next is a piece of 75lb rail but that will have to be another day.

How on earth did you keep that straight?