Weld Test Stand

aliva said:
Just a suggestion on your welds. It looks like your moving too fast when applying the rod. The overlaps are way too far a part . Looks like you might be digging into the work. Slowdown and reduce your amperage, there seems to be a lot of under cut on the edges. Your rod angle also looks to be off it should be 45 degrees to the work in both vertical and horizontal. Try some flat welds till you get the speed and angles correct, then move on to other positions. The root pass can be 3/32 6010 rod with the filler and cap being 1/8 7018, just adjust the amperage to the rod size. also be sure to check your polarity electrode is DC+ ground -. Although 7018 can be used with reverse polarity, I find electrode + results in better flow. 7018 is also ok for AC or DC. DC being better for overhead.
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Excellent tips, thank you.

I definitely need to turn down the amperage! The fast speed is definitely a function of the amperage being set too high (3/32” 6010 at 80A).

One reason I might be digging into the work is because I always wear 2.5X cheaters (and sometimes 3X or 5X glasses). If I were to achieve an optimal arc length, it would be magnified 2.5X (or 3X, or 5X) & look like a long arc. This is why I dip tungsten a lot; I need to remain mindful that what I am looking at is greatly magnified.

Same phenomenon (vis a vid the magnification) for “digging in”, which I am *definitely* doing. The magnification has me running a very, very short arc. With 7018, I sometimes catch myself dragging the end of the electrode along the bottom of the root; that is too tight of an arc!

I did check on Saturday night (when my buddy was having a *really* hard time striking an arc) that the machine is set to DCEP. It was & still is set to DCEP. I only use 6010 & 7018, & I always set the machines to DCEP.

I sure notice that things weld much nicer once the weldment is heated up.
 
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Here are some pictures I found online. The pictures in this post are MIG welds.

Arc length:

3B5CB14E-77D1-405D-8CF0-D12CC323D93A.jpeg

Travel speed:

0CBC9C2A-88F1-484F-B43B-2535A8C5E009.jpeg

Amperage:

14E57ED8-8017-43C7-89D1-C9EB41043EA9.jpeg

Also “Amperage”:

CF40DC12-47C6-401E-B7B0-5D73BD8FD3DD.jpeg
 
I am reminded that “the shorter the arc, the lower the voltage”.

Because a stick welding machine is a “constant current machine”, the fixed current will yield less power (“heat”) with the short arc (per Ohm’s Law, of course).

As an example of this, if you had your current set properly, & you used too short of an arc, you could end up with a cold weld.

AFB480A7-61FB-4AA5-AFF1-7E652FD3A6FE.jpeg

In the post below, you will see the short arc is cold, & you can see that the long arc had much greater heat. Those 2 beads presumably had the same current setting; look what a difference you get by varying only one thing: voltage (by way of arc length).
 
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Here is another picture that I found online. These are stick welds.

E89AEF0B-A1CB-4D97-83E0-01CCBA6F61C9.jpeg
 
I *really* wanted to add a 1G (i.e. flat with rotation, see drawing) station to this weld test stand, so I bought this rollout kit:

Roll Out Wheels For Pipe Welders | Basic, Pro, & DIY Options

Our roll out wheels are designed to make your pipe welding projects easier. Save time and money by using the right tool for the job. Most orders ship same day.
hkfabrication.com hkfabrication.com

This was $250.30 delivered, which is $50.00 less than if you bought the same thing on eBay. It is a kit, so I get to weld it up.

In my experience, a welder gains good experience on *how to* weld root, hot, fill & capping passes using the rollout feature. That is, only welding from, say, 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock.

You can also use a rollout to always weld at 12 o’clock (if you are willing to (stick) weld one-handed & simultaneously rotate the wheel with your other hand). You can imagine what excellent practice this is, not having to worry about sagging weld beads.

This product (which mounts in a receiver hitch) can also be be used for 2G (horizontal welding beads on pipe with *no* rotation allowed, see drawing) or, less so, 5G (horizontally mounted pipe with no rotation). It can also be mounted at any angle for, as an example, 6G (45° angle with no rotation).

As it is built now, my weld test stand cannot mount a pipe in the vertical position (2G), so that is a problem for me.

My weld test stand is already very well suited for 5G and 6G (the positions which do *not* allow rotation). I will probably only use this fixture for 1G & 2G.

988D2451-AFDC-4148-A4ED-E6B70928BFA3.png

C6CCD1E3-9060-4A4A-A0E1-91AA94C6C49D.jpeg
92D16215-83D2-4904-B0E6-F3F490E0AD5B.jpeg
A73BBCEA-D9F4-4D3F-BD72-790D7E739325.jpeg
18FECE6D-419B-4BFC-B582-A4BAEC84F371.jpeg
 
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This quote is from the eBay description:

“You will need to supply:

  • 8″ Lathe Chuck (Amazon or eBay)
  • 4 Lug Trailer Hub (Tractor Supply SKU #19026199)
  • 1 1/16″ Spindle (Tractor Supply SKU #19024599)”
 
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erikmannie said:
Right now I have no money, but after about 2-3 weeks I can find a cheap 8” lathe chuck, plus the trailer hub & spindle.

Here is the recommended 4 lug trailer hub for $85:


View attachment 400651

Here is The recommended 1 1/16” spindle for $60:


View attachment 400652
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I always got good stuff from Richfield.

Trailer Hub Kit 1'' 4 Stud

Trailer Hub Kit 1'' 4 Stud: Kits Includes:. . 4 Lug Hub. 1" Bearing and Race. Seal. Dust Cap. Cotter Key. 4-Lug Nuts. . Hub,
richfieldtrailer.com

Pretty sure you can make the axle on your lathe.

John
 
matthewsx said:
I always got good stuff from Richfield.

Trailer Hub Kit 1'' 4 Stud

Trailer Hub Kit 1'' 4 Stud: Kits Includes:. . 4 Lug Hub. 1" Bearing and Race. Seal. Dust Cap. Cotter Key. 4-Lug Nuts. . Hub,
richfieldtrailer.com

Pretty sure you can make the axle on your lathe.

John
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I could definitely buy the castle nut & cotter pin, & then make the axle on my lathe, but I would need to know the dimensions. I could figure that out once I get all the parts.
 
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It is pretty clear to me that it would be *safer* to make a dedicated stand for the rollout kit + 8” lathe chuck. With the pipe on there, the load could be over 100 lbs.!

The existing weld test stand has a friction lock 7/16” bolt which holds up a sleeve & arm. I would like a triangular gusset where all that weight bears down on the main mast of the fixture stand, & I don’t think you can add a gusset on an adjustable sleeve.

If I started from ground zero, I could weld the receiver hitch to a *larger diameter mast* (with a thick gusset welded to both the mast & the female receiver hitch).

I could have this larger diameter mast slip into a slightly larger diameter pipe (welded to a solid base) wherein this larger diameter pipe is of sufficient length to allow the main mast to slide up & down for height adjustment.

That height adjustment could use 1 (or even 2) friction locks (i.e. a bolt tightened on to a pipe), & those bolts would be larger than 7/16”. In this case, I would forego the T-handles & opt for a tightening which would require a wrench (either open end or 1/2” socket drive—something 10”-12” long for sufficient torque).

Don’t you guys think that the rollout fixture + lathe chuck + pipe is too much weight to put on a sleeve which is friction tightened to a 2 inch pipe mast (with no gusset)? Figure that the pipe itself weighs 29 lbs.

I would even make the base larger. The base of the weld test stand that I just made is 10” X 10”. When I chose that size, I was not anticipating the much heavier load of a rollout wheel mechanism + 8” lathe chuck!
 
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