How do I fix/remove these pathetic welds?

[JD1]

I'm repairing/upgrading a welder stand that was given to me. Not my welds. Considering that these awful things are in/near corners, how do I remove them so I can put down good welds? The stock is 1/4" angle. Saving the stand for scrap and building a new one is not really an option right now.

I could weld the open areas in the top 2 but the bottom one needs to come out because I have to weld a piece of angle right where it is. There may be other welds that need to be fixed, I haven't checked thoroughly yet.

Only thing I can think of is some kind of tapered burr on my die grinder. If that's the answer, what burr?

Or is there a better way?

[Mac's Crew]

Can you use a cutting wheel? I would cut it ehith the wheel and burr as little as possible but I think that may be the best way. Open for other options

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[psacustomcreations]

Hit the first two with a chisel and hammer. Put the chisel tip right at the bottom of the weld. It looks like there is no fusion so it may pop off.

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[JD1]

Even a small Dremel cutting wheel won't get all the way in.


If a carbide bur is the best answer for the bottom one:
1) Which one for speed, there are a bunch of types and styles
2) How do you deal with the tiny metal shards getting flung off and the chatter?



The top two look like they'd even come off with a putty knife (exaggeration).

[Meltedmetal]

If there is a weld on the back side of the ones in the first 2 pictures, cut it with a cutoff wheel, angle grinder , whatever you have and then take a pipe wrench and tip the angle towards the remaining weld. I don't think it will fight you much.

[SweetMK]

1/8" 7018, set the welder to about 160 amps, and weld over the existing welds,,

The result will be beautiful, slightly oversize, ultra-strong welds,, that no one would question,,

[M J D]

I would use an air arc but people don't have one, a machine to run one or know how. Die grinder with a carbide Burr or a band sander

[SweetMK]

1/8" 7018, set the welder to about 160 amps, and weld over the existing welds,,

The result will be beautiful, slightly oversize, ultra-strong welds,, that no one would question,,

Think of this as "TIG" welding,, the 7018 is the tungsten,, the lousy welds are the filler metal,,

Consuming the old welds with arc is by far the easiest approach, especially in corners,,

[Kelvin]

A few of them look like you could break them off with your fingernail. Got a Popsickle stick or paint scraper?

[tapwelder]

If just looking for strength, then i would not bother removing them. There is plenty of other areas to weld that could be ground and contoured.

Otherwise thin and twist to remove parts. Or just twist.

[Louie1961]

You are overthinking this IMHO. I wouldn't try to remove the old welds at all or even try to weld over them. In every one of those pictures, there were un-welded joints that you could zip up nice with your MIG welder or the stick rod of your choice. These joints don't need to be completely welded out for the weight a welding cart will hold. I would focus on the vertical joints, and just close those up nice.

[Meltedmetal]

But,but.but............. He won't get a good night's sleep for weeks cause he knows they are there.

[mla2ofus]

And as usual nobody's mentioned the old tried and true scarfing tip.

[JD1]

The top 2 are ugly but can be worked around. The bottom one needs to be removed, it's in the way. So I'll try MJD's suggestion of the carbide bur if I can find the right one. I think it will get into smaller places than a band sander.

I would go with the scarfing tip but I don't have an OA setup.

[Mac's Crew]

A cutting wheel will allow you to cut what can and "V" it out to make decent welds. We had a welder at work who for the life of him couldn't get anything to wet in. He no longer works there but I used that method way too much for my preference.

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[12V71]

You are overthinking this IMHO. I wouldn't try to remove the old welds at all or even try to weld over them. In every one of those pictures, there were un-welded joints that you could zip up nice with your MIG welder or the stick rod of your choice. These joints don't need to be completely welded out for the weight a welding cart will hold. I would focus on the vertical joints, and just close those up nice.

This^^^^ Plenty of spots to put in some good weld.

[bead-boy]

Yeah, the cost of burr bits and cutting wheels would almost exceed the cost of buying new steel and starting over.

[M J D]

The tree shaped burr should get in there pretty good. Certainly not the fastest way to remove metal but they fit in areas where other things can.

[pepi]

Even a small Dremel cutting wheel won't get all the way in.


If a carbide bur is the best answer for the bottom one:
1) Which one for speed, there are a bunch of types and styles
2) How do you deal with the tiny metal shards getting flung off and the chatter?



The top two look like they'd even come off with a putty knife (exaggeration).

That's a given, the best you could do is back off the pressure slow the tool down. Chatter, slowing the tool also helps. Chatter is caused by fast, trying to remove to much material. Light cuts and many passes, adjust as you go.
In other words there is no real answer, just realize the chatter is the tool digging in trying to take out to much material and bounces.

Bull nose burr works well....

[Rondo]

Crank up the volts and burn a good new weld right next to them. Or use a chamfer electrode or cutting torch laid at an angle. Pretty basic stuff.

[John T]

Yeah, the cost of burr bits and cutting wheels would almost exceed the cost of buying new steel and starting over.

Not to mention disfiguring yourself or bleeding out with the chinese death wheel when it blows up and you eat it.

.

[Louie1961]

the chinese death wheel

LMAO...best laugh of the week. Thanks John!

[tapwelder]

Use them as a template, and cope joints. The reassemble it in one plane.

[walker]

I would bet that you could put a 12” Crescent on those pieces of angle and twist them right out of the weld.

[Oscar]

Plasma cutter set to gouging. If no gouging mode, set to very low amperage in cutting mode and run the plasma arc over it with a slight weave motion, and it will sorta-gouge it out.