acetylene

[Freebirdwelds]

You gotta be wringing the guts out of that welder. It would find a fault in a lead connector in a hurry.
A guy could make a mess on a bevel that thick too.
I cut some 1/2 torch the other day and it remind me i dont do it much anymore.

Between all the arc gouging, and welding all 5/32 through 7/32 rod it gets a work out. lol But it melts steel like there is no tomorrow. Funny thing is out of the 200lbs of rod I keep on the truck 20lbs of it 1/8". I have 2 classes of rod combinations I use. 1 is for painted steel and 2 is for unpainted steel. I go through an easy 400lbs of rod a month, maybe 50lbs of wire on average. For what I do that 330MPX fits the bill for me. I don't have to gouge to deep because by the time I touch it, its pretty worn out. Take a look on my Instagram.

Oxy/acet I can burn up my tanks once a month to twice a month with all the torch gouging and cutting I do. The 5" steel I don't do as much as 3/8" to 3". This is an old 3" plate I cut for grapplers, we have a 3" x 12' x 25' piece outside waiting its turn. Some times I get lucky and have some teeth mostly cut and on deck.













(Disclaimer) Yes the other teeth tips were changed.

[Freebirdwelds]

There it is as I'm getting ready to weld it up. That's 1/2" AR400 plate padding across it. That's a 5/32 rod with the 7/32 rod.
I keep up to 18ea - 25 - 30 ton excavators. 9ea 25 ton track loaders with rakes and 8 tub grinders. Plus all the crap that hauls it.


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[SweetMK]

we have a 3" x 12' x 25' piece outside waiting its turn. Some times I get lucky and have some teeth mostly cut and on deck.

Did you have to get someone to help carry that in the shop, or did you carry it by yourself??

[Sberry]

The continuous welding would get old fast. It takes me about 20 minutes to get my fill and I wanna get out from under it. You working in that same spot most or lot of the time? I might be tempted to get Idealarc 600 at auction and set it there?

[Freebirdwelds]

The continuous welding would get old fast. It takes me about 20 minutes to get my fill and I wanna get out from under it. You working in that same spot most or lot of the time? I might be tempted to get Idealarc 600 at auction and set it there?

You would think it would but for what they are paying me it doesn't phase me. I work there as a contractor. I went up there last May to "look" at a grappler. And they have kept me ever since. I might add that they are 3 miles from my house. They grind mulch in 3 states pretty much every where, they also have 4 permanent locations that are up to an 1 1/2 hours from my house. I would love to do that but I still don't know how long this gig will last me. They have a **** load of welding equipment in that building and have been running an ad looking for welders with no takers. I was a last resort I think.

[Kelvin]

Holy cow. You boys must go through some serious oxygen.

[Sberry]

There is a lot to be said for 3 miles from home and the pay makes a difference too. I saw a couple big electrics go for 600 a piece a while back, some guy bought them and put 2 on a small trailer. It would save 10+ gallons of fuel a day? Plus wear.

[Freebirdwelds]

There is a lot to be said for 3 miles from home and the pay makes a difference too. I saw a couple big electrics go for 600 a piece a while back, some guy bought them and put 2 on a small trailer. It would save 10+ gallons of fuel a day? Plus wear.

Right now I'm looking for a class 6 truck to add, I still don't know why. But I like to fiddle. I'll put a Lincoln Frontier 400X on it with a boom. I'm in my 60's and this gig is my retirement plan. If I was going to do the shop thing or if my garage was bigger than 28 x 54 I'd think about putting 3 phase in it. But I love doing heavy equipment. It's no bullchit and I don't have to prep and paint anything. I can't remember the last time I had to use anything finer than a 27 grit rock. I have 5 master keys that fit every piece of equipment they have so lifting, or moving anything is pretty easy. At their shop I have a 800 series Bobcat with forks and a Cat 926 wheel loader with forks also. If this was 20 or 30 years ago maybe I'd get a big electric. lol

[Sberry]

There prolly isnt a big incentive for shop upgrade at this point. That does look pretty comfy, out of the weather on their time and expense. I was a super for a trucking outfit of sorts and I got them to heavy up the trucks. If a guy is really busy it makes some sense if stock is a problem, tools too really and the truck wont cave with another 100 ft of lead or box o steel chunks, extra bottles. I carried bolts, heavy pipe fittings, porto threader, chop saw.

[cwby]

What else is carbide used for?

Take about a 1/2 cup, put it in a quart mason jar & punch two 1/8" holes in the lid. Toss it your favorite fishing hole, wait for the BOOM & then go scoop the fish up.

[shortfuse]

Beaudreaux and Arceneaux are out in the pirogue fishing. Beaudreaux happens to be the local sheriff. Arceneaux reaches in his tackle box, brings out a stick of dynamite, lights it, tosses it in the water, explodes, fish float to surface.

Beaudreaux says, "Arceneaux, you can't do dat'! It's agin' the law!". Arceneaux reached in his tackle box, gets another stick of dynamite, lights the fuse, hands it to Beaudreaux and says, "Beaudreaux, you gonna fish or are you gonna talk?"

[CAVEMANN]

kMy uncle messed around with gold prospecting & used carbide in his hard had lamp, he gave me a 12 ounce jar full of it. I did the usual kid stuff burning it, the paint can thing, blowing the lid off, the I got a 5 gallon grease bucket, one of the metal ones with the crimp on lid, I started using it to blow the lid off, I started pushing things a bit, a few more crimps & allowing the carbide to process a little longer, I finally got to a point that was unsafe, I set it up one day with a pretty hot load & fair amount of crimps squeezed down around the lid, probably close to half of them, I sat the damn can angled on the rock that I always used, put my foot on top & lit the match, the explosion was big enough that it blew the lid off, blew the can off the rock & back about 15 feet or so, the percussion scared the hell outta me and was concerning enough to have me checking the jewels, that right there was the LAST time I played "lets make a bomb", that woke me up & gave me a respect for carbide, water, the acetylene it produced, paint/grease cans and matches!

[smithdoor]

Did you get your tank filled?

Dave

For some reason Praxair cant get us no acetylene for a while here in NE PA, I dont really know why I have heard a rumor that a plant blew up somewhere. I cant find any information about it and was wondering if anyone else heard anything like that.

Ive been doin most of what I got to do with the jet arc, and for the stuff we have to cut to size we have a big plasma cutter for it. They just got this thing a few weeks ago. Im gonna have to learn how to use it, I never had one to use before so this should be intresting

[old miner called Pop]

Did you get your tank filled?

Dave

I don't get em filled, the driver comes and swaps out the empty bottles for full bottles...had 4 empty bottles and he brought 4 full ones. He told me dont brag about it much because some other folks are gonna be short bottles. He told me the store manager is takin care of me because I pay when I get the bill and most of the others pay evry month or 2...or 3...or 4.

I asked him what the deal was with the shortage, he said he wasnt sure, they only got one rack full of acetylene on Tuesday this week and wherever it is comes from couldnt send any more than that. He dont know why...I asked if he heard anything about a plant blowing up he never heard that. He is thinkin no one wants to work at the plant where they make the stuff and that makes sense... I see more and more people evry day settin at a damn slot machine at a gas station in their jammies. This nation is goin to **** in a handbasket

[farmersammm]

The continuous welding would get old fast. It takes me about 20 minutes to get my fill and I wanna get out from under it. You working in that same spot most or lot of the time? I might be tempted to get Idealarc 600 at auction and set it there?

I did that to one of the kingpins on the Allis, and every time I look at it, I know it's gonna be a PITA to get it apart one day
K'kins: "So, quit lookin' at it!"

I drive her nuts We had fish(yuk!) for supper last night. She hands me the knife to cut my lemon.....which I do. Then I ask her if it was the same knife she used to cut her onion(I hate onion). "Yeah" This was after I squeezed the lemon on the fish

I started to mutter about how the onion taste would ruin the fish. She gets up, comes around the table, and tries to snatch the plate. She was gonna swap her fish for mine in order to shut me up. I ate the damn fish to prove to her that it didn't matter. Although I swear I tasted the onion

[whtbaron]

I'm still thinking about the welding table I could make with that 25' slab of 3"...wouldn't want to replace that at today's prices.

[Lis2323]

I'm still thinking about the welding table I could make with that 25' slab of 3"...wouldn't want to replace that at today's prices.

I find I’ve never even welded on my 3” welding table since I built it. It’s set up for other stuff and a thinner top is more conducive to clamping.

If I had it years ago it would have been handy but these days I don’t work on anything heavy duty.




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[smithdoor]

Just think of moving 15 ton table in shop.
My self I use saw horses if got to big railroad ties on the ground.
It is a little lighter than plate 3" thick .

FYI I have purchased 2½" x 96" x 300" plate and took a 30,000 pound forklift to move the plate.

Dave

I'm still thinking about the welding table I could make with that 25' slab of 3"...wouldn't want to replace that at today's prices.

[Sberry]

I see a lot of table designs on here. Some are beautiful and works of art. I am with Lis in the thing he discovered about clamping. There are a couple of simple features in a fab table for general work i like and would be in a build but while a lot of the extreme details are impressive and look well thought out they would be way down on the list, most wouldnt make the short list.
I like the thing freebird has to work from, simple, easy to work around and only addition might be made is some shelves to toss some heavy items on, bout half way so it doesnt mess thet the sweeping which is VERY hi on the list. I like straight edge and square corner at least on the main work side.
Mine isnt so much about what as where. They call it ergonomics i guess but i have never had a true master work here for more than a few minutes that didnt comment and say, this is about the easiest place they ever worked.

[Sberry]

Had 2 buds in to change a clutch and one comment, easier than if i had my own tool box sitting right here.
Lis, see your red bench is located similar and similar is size, island and can reach behind to the welders. Same for the air, i do have electric on them thru the floor though as well as a weld work bond.

[Lis2323]

I like the thing freebird has to work from, simple, easy to work around and only addition might be made is some shelves to toss some heavy items on, bout half way so it doesnt mess thet the sweeping which is VERY hi on the list. I like straight edge and square corner at least on the main work side..

Agreed about the table Freebird has access to. And the shelf for the reasons you mentioned.




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[Freebirdwelds]

Originally Posted by Sberry
I like the thing freebird has to work from, simple, easy to work around and only addition might be made is some shelves to toss some heavy items on, bout half way so it doesnt mess thet the sweeping which is VERY hi on the list. I like straight edge and square corner at least on the main work side..

Agreed about the table Freebird has access to. And the shelf for the reasons you mentioned.




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I've never used the nice tables at the front of the shop. I only use this one that they brought inside for me when it hit 100º outside. They sweep up a few times a month, me? I only push it all into a pile away from where I'm working cause I hate crap under my feet while I work. Other than that I've been told I'm not paid to clean. They actually clean up the piles I make. There is a lot of things I would like to do there but I just do what I'm paid to do and that is it. I still wonder why I'm there and know I'm working there on borrowed time. (maybe) But like I've said before, they pay my rate no questions asked and I give them a pound of flesh everyday.


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[Lis2323]

Originally Posted by Sberry
I like the thing freebird has to work from, simple, easy to work around and only addition might be made is some shelves to toss some heavy items on, bout half way so it doesnt mess thet the sweeping which is VERY hi on the list. I like straight edge and square corner at least on the main work side..




I've never used the nice tables at the front of the shop. I only use this one that they brought inside for me when it hit 100º outside. They sweep up a few times a month, me? I only push it all into a pile away from where I'm working cause I hate crap under my feet while I work. Other than that I've been told I'm not paid to clean. They actually clean up the piles I make. There is a lot of things I would like to do there but I just do what I'm paid to do and that is it. I still wonder why I'm there and know I'm working there on borrowed time. (maybe) But like I've said before, they pay my rate no questions asked and I give them a pound of flesh everyday.


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THAT's the table I was talking about.

Not the others.


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[Freebirdwelds]

test.