More Patch Panel Video, real time this time Options

[McMark]

Came down with a cold after my last video, so I was out of the shop for a couple days. Back at it today and made the promised 'real time' video of welding and grinding.

Ask any questions you have about the process.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5YEjjqgF_k

[Dave_Darling]

Random thoughts that occur to me as watch the video--

No audio, huh?

Interesting how that first section you welded popped upward as soon as you stopped.

How do you know how much of a gap needs to be left between the pieces of metal you are joining?

Sometimes when you pull the trigger, you don't get the same light-show that you do most of the time. Why is that? Did the wire not make proper contact or some such?

Damn, I could never do this kind of work!!!

--DD

[McMark]

No audio, huh?

I didn't think there was much to be gained by the audio. Thought about adding music, but decided it wasn't worth the time. I gotz better things ta do. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Interesting how that first section you welded popped upward as soon as you stopped.

I cut out all the 'dead time' where I'm switching (searching for) tools. So it looks like I have everything just ready to go. But really I cut out about 25% of the video of nothing.

How do you know how much of a gap needs to be left between the pieces of metal you are joining?

Experience, but the important point I glossed over is that if the panels are hard up against each other they will 'pucker'. It's not an entirely accurate analogy, but think of tectonic plates pushing together -- they bump into each other and start moving upwards (mountain) or downward (valley). Same thing happens with the panels. If they're hard up against each other before you apply heat, then the heat expansion will cause a pucker. When I make a cut to relieve this (as in the video) I usually use an air saw which has a blade thickness similar to a hacksaw blade (very thin), but I didn't have room in this case for the tool. So I had to use the cutoff wheel. The cutoff wheel thickness is way overkill, but it's still a weldable gap.

Sometimes when you pull the trigger, you don't get the same light-show that you do most of the time. Why is that? Did the wire not make proper contact or some such?

Basically, yeah, it's a 'misfire'. Could be from a small section of rust preventing conductivity. Could be a bit of paint. Could be a piece of weld spatter that's bridging the electrode tip to the nozzle/shield, which is often touching the metal, causing a short and keeping the necessary spark from happening. Could be that I got 'lucky' and shot the wire right through the gap and missed the metal altogether. Lots of reasons, and it's all the stuff that is solved with proper prep and maintenance. Cleaning the metal well before welding. Replacing welder tips when they get spatter stuck in them. Cleaning the nozzle periodically. All the stuff we should do, but often skip to just keep going.

Damn, I could never do this kind of work!!!

Sometimes I wonder myself. In fact I put off this patch panel for a bit because it's been a long time since I've done metalwork. I was really relieved and satisfied when it was all going right. Just like riding a bike... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)