88 Blazer Trike

[Fowler]

so now I need to get some filler wire

for the first welds I was thinking about using these 1/4 metal plates I have. They are big enough, heavy and I have 3 of them. 1 for my son practice on, one for me and 1 for a friend

They go on the bottom of a server/switch racks

As I said I have never Tig welded before so I was thinking something thick would be easier at first

What filler wire should I use?

 

[stacebg]

so now I need to get some filler wire

for the first welds I was thinking about using these 1/4 metal plates I have. They are big enough, heavy and I have 3 of them. 1 for my son practice on, one for me and 1 for a friend

They go on the bottom of a server/switch racks

As I said I have never Tig welded before so I was thinking something thick would be easier at first

What filler wire should I use?

062 wire is good (for us) down to about 16 gauge (060)

below that we have 035

 

[Fowler]

ordered wire this morning

the only place to get it local is the welding supply store about 45 minutes away and they are not open on weekends

 

[Fowler]

I found a place closer that may have filler wire. But they are not open on Sunday.

Today if I get a metal art project I am working on done in time and the Ol'Lady does not have anything on her list for me to do, I plan to fire up the tig and just do some practice starts without the filler.

I had to do a brake job yesterday on my HHR and then start the art project piece I am dong for a friend, then Beer and Boxing so had no time for the trike or welder.

On the square exhaust I had to go through a number of test pieces before I finally got the shape/size i needed for the bolts will have room and still not restrict the exhaust

Next is to modify the actual exhaust pipes I made

I was thinking though.

Before I tack them to the exhaust flange I need to recheck the pinion angle. It should be good but its been a while since i checked that. If I have to adjust the engine/transmission angle any that will throw off my header angle

 

[Fowler]

OK before you say it know they look like crap.

But I will learn and they will get better

 

[LarryA]

some look not too bad...the end divot, needs to go...the tig videos should tell how to deal with that.

 

[stacebg]

OK before you say it know they look like crap.

But I will learn and they will get better

View attachment 103824

dont waste too much time laying beads on flat sheet. u wont ever do that less u r doing decorative...weld 2 pc together side by side, an over lap or a t joint or a corner welded outside

 

[Fowler]

I don't have any filler wire yet. So I'm just doing it without filler.

I have a lot of practice to do.

I was running on 120V at 80 amps for then thin metal and 100 for the thick

I was using Blue Tungsten

I got caught with a the Ol'Ladys end table and she noticed I melted the epoxy cover on it.

 

[stacebg]

I don't have any filler wire yet. So I'm just doing it without filler.

I have a lot of practice to do.

I was running on 120V at 80 amps for then thin metal and 100 for the thick

I was using Blue Tungsten

I got caught with a the Ol'Ladys end table and she noticed I melted the epoxy cover on it.

didnt realize u had no wire didnt look that close ...

one thing u might find useful on thin stuff is a cabinet corner where 2 pc r welded edge to edge an a 90 degree corner if that makes sense may get some porosity with out wire

 

[LarryA]

Stacebg is right....so many videos are of just making beautiful flat welds.....get used to moving the torch for tacks positioning angles for lapwelds..and favoring the heat on heavy sections when welding thick to thin.

 

[Fowler]

I played with the welder for a while today.

first on a 15a 120 outlet. Worked well for the thinner stuff but started to trip the breaker on thicker plates. switched to 220. worked great. I was even able to make some OK welds.

I'm not used to holding the filler wire. First when I ended a weld I put the rod against my stomach, now have a 2 inch burn, 2nd and 3rd I placed the end of the hot wire on my legs

I'm learning the hard (hot) way

The torch head is adjustable to different positions. It also came with a foot pedal (just on and off) but I have issues with my feet. It also comes with a button on the torch. I like that since the foot pedal for me is not going to work.

On 220 it welded 1/4 inch angle to1/4 plate. I did a crappy weld but the welder was able to do it and more

I was working on another small metal art thing and was trying to tig weld a some pliers put it was turning out like crap. I finally realized I forgot to turn the Argon on.

I have a lot more practice to do

tomorrow I plan to look at the pinion angles on the trike again.

 

[Fowler]

not good yet but better



Wont even show you how bad I did on then thinner metal.

I will get the hang of it at some point.

Until I do I cant finish my headers

 

[LarryA]

All of the tig welders I follow on u-tube seem to be humble people....you are learning why! LOL I will probably be staying in the beginners category, but it is an enjoyable skill to try to learn!

 

[Fowler]

I have played with the TIG some here lately, Wife and Son have Covid so I have to isolate also.

At home more than normal.

I have tig welded a few things and its great! A lot cleaner.

Still not doing well on the thinner metal though.

It does make the small "art" things I want to do easier

 

[Fowler]

I need to start thinking differently. Now that I can do some basic TIG some of the projects I do would turn out a lot better if I incorporated some TIG welded aspects to them

 

[LarryA]

there is a guy. does a lot of stainless steel art work...u-tube is pacific art tig welding..you might give him a look. .I am starting a tubular type of intake for some chinese webers so will be trying to tig also....I have some silicon bronze rod that i may try to use on tube to flange joints

 

[BillR]

It does make the small "art" things I want to do easier

I always liked your "art" projects. Bring 'em on.

 

[Fowler]

I am rethinking my exhaust again. Still going with square but how I connect them may be different.

I have been doing a little practicing with the TIG. I love that welder.

My Granddaughter wanted a Kunai knife for Christmas. She wanted a plastic fake one. I did make a few of them for her and I bought her one.

I also made her a real one. This is terribly off balance but its a wall hanger.

The blade is a small section of leaf spring I shaped and heat treated in my forge

The handle is some rebar I had around (and I tig welded it to the bladed before heat treatment)

The guards are old dragon fly coat hooks that I cut the tails (hooks) off

Sorry cant get the picture to turn the right way

 

[AdvenJack]

At Your Service

 

[Fowler]

Hey guys,

I just started looking at Trike Talk again.

I have been concentrating on other thins for a long time now.

I ended up having to retire due to medical issue.

It's hard to work on the trike or anything with these dam braces I have to wear and the issues i have but I am slowly getting back to it.

For the longest time I did not do much of anything because of the pain but I finally come to realize that I just have to do things anyway because if i don't I will just waist away.

They have me on pain meds that also make things hard but again I need to get back into things.

Anyway enough of that.

I shortened the frame some and took away the big seats. For now I have an old lawn mower seat on it

I did make my square exhaust I wanted but I still have to weld up the seams, its just tack welded for now. I need to use my TIG welder to do it but I stopped learning on that also while I was dealing with things.

I need to figure out how to weld under neath the trike upside down. Im not the best at upside down welding and its not easy for me get down like that anymore

I will get some pictures posted soon

I have made a number of other things, things that I could make on a table and did not require me to crawl around. I will post some pics of them also.

 

[Sidecarbill]

Glad to hear you're still among us Bob

 

[Zammy]

Good to hear from you Bob.

 

[rhino 2]

Hey guys,

I just started looking at Trike Talk again.

I have been concentrating on other thins for a long time now.

I ended up having to retire due to medical issue.

It's hard to work on the trike or anything with these dam braces I have to wear and the issues i have but I am slowly getting back to it.

For the longest time I did not do much of anything because of the pain but I finally come to realize that I just have to do things anyway because if i don't I will just waist away.

They have me on pain meds that also make things hard but again I need to get back into things.

Anyway enough of that.

I shortened the frame some and took away the big seats. For now I have an old lawn mower seat on it

I did make my square exhaust I wanted but I still have to weld up the seams, its just tack welded for now. I need to use my TIG welder to do it but I stopped learning on that also while I was dealing with things.

I need to figure out how to weld under neath the trike upside down. Im not the best at upside down welding and its not easy for me get down like that anymore

I will get some pictures posted soon

I have made a number of other things, things that I could make on a table and did not require me to crawl around. I will post some pics of them also.

Welcome back..Bob….Nice to hear from you again…..

 

[LarryA]

Glad you are back Bob! Looking forward to some content here on homebuilts. Have been working on a trike project myself, medical issues also, so slow going.

 

[TomyJ]

Bob's Back

Welcome back Bob, I too have been down with medical issues. (broken left hip) so between the Trikes build and the partial enclosing of my 56 x 12 ft carport, almost ready to be walking with a cane.:gah:

 

[Fowler]

Here are some pics of the Trikes

The square exhaust and seat.

Everything is tack welded for now

The battery box and where I am welding the 2 half's of the frame back together

With my braces on I have a hard time pushing the gas pedal. So on my VW Trike I 3D printed a hand throttle. I am on design version 10 now.

 

[Fowler]

Me...




More work on my battery box:

 

[Fowler]

My daughter got married in the woods of our property.

She had asked me to build her an arch and put it on a trail

I ended up in the hospital and got a later start on it.

I built this while having braces on my feet/legs and a neck brace (and on some good pain meds)

I built it for it can be disassembled and moved around

Cant find a pic of it setup in the woods on the trail

 

[Fowler]

I found one with my granddaughter standing in it

 

[Gorilla]

great job bob