This Week in Welding

Our instructors had to fly off to Chicago to learn how to maintain the new robotic welding trainer apparatus that the school will be getting this summer, so we had a pair of subs come in to make sure we didn’t hurt ourselves in the duration.

They are both highly competent, but they cannot grade our work or move us ahead too far, so I spent much of the week cutting pieces for future practice and then, finally, practice.

Specifically, MIG (GMAW) overhead, direct overhead and vertical. Here are a couple of examples of my vertical work (click to enlarge, of course)

My second pass, out of three, cooling.

My third pass. Still a little bit too much separation between the layering and one bit of not weaving far enough to the left (typical of me). Not bad for only two days of practice though.

Also, I had a different sub for the fab shop session, so I just did some prep fab for projects I could finish at home.

Three years or so ago, I traded some car parts for an older Warn 8274 winch. It was in a cradle of sorts, but is much too heavy and awkward to be moving around leisurely.

Fixed that with some handles and some 2″x2″. Now it mounts to my hitch receiver. When I fab up my front bumper, it too will have a receiver, so I can winch from both ends.

I also welded up a nine inch tall dodecahedron as a gift for someone. It still needs paint and some numbers, so you won’t be seeing that until it is done.

Tuesday I start in on the project I hinted at next week. You should be seeing pics of that later in the week.