[kellerumps]

A buddy that helps me learn machining and stuff says, It is just like jacking off,the more you do it, the better you get at it.
Keep welding!

Thanks.....Not sure my wife wants me jacking off though....she would rather do it for me. :flipoff2:

 

[ksilovich]

Next time if you want the pieces to line up better and not have that 1/4" hang down.
You should cut each piece with half of the total angle.

For examples if the ramp is at a 40* angle you should cut the top piece with a 20* and then the ramp with another 20* and the ends will line up alot better.

 

[twoslo4five0]

if you swap im interested in the wheels as long as they are 15s.

 

[kellerumps]

Well....After really watching my measurements, I made a HUGE mistake and a couple of small mistakes today.

Cut some material, welded it up only to discover that it was .25 too wide. :mad3:

Rebuilt that and then my pieces were about .125 to long. So I spent alot of time today fixing various mistakes.

Here is where I left things tonight.....

There are some mistakes that I know about but will just live with.... Chalking everything up to learning. I saw on Extreme 4x4 today where if you are welding on the floor that being within .0625 and .125 is really good. Not sure if I believe that but I do know that I am happy with my first real fabrication attempt.

I lose the bay tomorrow nite and still dont have plan to skin it.

Normally, I wouldnt worry about it...but in Illinois its one of our Nazi like laws and I need this to get a rig for my daughter.

 

[gbkeith]

Are you going to run any sort of brace between the tires from the frame to the outside lip of the fender?

 

[kellerumps]

Are you going to run any sort of brace between the tires from the frame to the outside lip of the fender?

Yes...I think so. I just havent worked that out just yet. Its pretty damn sturdy the way it is. I was jumping on it yesterday and it didnt budge.

 

[kellerumps]

Well I lost my bay(I hate it when Dad's business gets in the way :grinpimp: ) and I couldnt find some .125 plate today to skin it......

Since I lost the bay, I laid down a layer of primer and then some rattle can black till I ran out.

Need 2 .125 pieces 54in by 8.125 and 4 24 by 8.125 pieces of plate to finish up.

This has been a great project for me......I have learned alot.

 

[#rawkon]

Looking good so far, My only criticism would be to finish the welds. On your drive over fenders everything is welded from the bottom. Why not run a bed on both sides? Looks like a flux core weld, so it would just be added piece of mind.

 

[kellerumps]

Not flux, just bad welding skills where I get the tip out to far or the gun angle is off. The welds got better as I got further along in the project.

As for welding on the top seams, I am waiting to see how I decide to skin it. My thought is to take some .125 plate and weld it in down the middle. My other thought is to weld another piece of flat down the middle and then skin with 16 gage.

 

[kellerumps]

Well thanks to a snow storm in Chicago and a cancelled meeting, I was able to stay home and made more progress.

Various Pics of the build.

Primed and 1st coat of paint.

Wish I could list everything I have learned. My welds still are not pretty, but my bad welds have improved as have my good welds. My cuts are more precise and accurate. My knowledge of my fab tools has increased.

My total cost so far is under $250. In fact my Iron Costs are just under $200.

There are alot of mistakes, alot of things I would change, but in the end I have learned so much and something you make is ALWAYS more satisfying than buying it.

I have more plans for this build, mainly to add lights and other bling.

 

[Phat95YJ]

Looks good man!

 

[RoosterBooster]

There are alot of mistakes, alot of things I would change, but in the end I have learned so much and something you make is ALWAYS more satisfying than buying it.

^ that is what its all about ...

born master fab/welders are rare .... the rest of us (try to) get there by endless practice

looks great ! :smokin:

 

[87manche]

looks pretty good for a first fab project.

I have booger welded much worse looking things.
Plan to skin the inside of the fender? Keeps the road nasty off your decking, and if you ever haul anything nice.

 

[kellerumps]

Looks good man!

Thank You

^ that is what its all about ...

born master fab/welders are rare .... the rest of us (try to) get there by endless practice

looks great ! :smokin:

Thank You...I have a couple of friends that can roll out of bed and decide to build something new and just do it. I know its experience, but for a hack like me I look on in awe.

looks pretty good for a first fab project.

I have booger welded much worse looking things.
Plan to skin the inside of the fender? Keeps the road nasty off your decking, and if you ever haul anything nice.

Not sure what booger welded means...and I dont think I want to know. :grinpimp:

As for inner skins....maybe eventually. As of right now it just will haul my Jeep.....

 

[87manche]

Thank You



Thank You...I have a couple of friends that can roll out of bed and decide to build something new and just do it. I know its experience, but for a hack like me I look on in awe.



Not sure what booger welded means...and I dont think I want to know. :grinpimp:

As for inner skins....maybe eventually. As of right now it just will haul my Jeep.....

booger welds:

when you suck so bad at welding your beads look like you just flung boogers at two pieces of metal and somehow they stuck.

 

[JayMcJay]

booger welds:

when you suck so bad at welding your beads look like you just flung boogers at two pieces of metal and somehow they stuck.

For a visual example, refer to your early work.

Good job on learning how to fab for yourself! It is an art that needs to be practiced continually to stay any good.
One tip I'll throw your way...tack your work together, and leave it for three days. Theres a good chance that in those three days you will find a reason to make some changes. If it's just tacked it's way easier to break apart for modifications.
One more that applies to smaller welders (and makes the last advise suck...) Learn when your welder is hot, and give it time to cool down. That welder may only have a 10% or 20% duty cycle. It, and you, will weld like crap one it's overheated.

 

[kellerumps]

One more that applies to smaller welders (and makes the last advise suck...) Learn when your welder is hot, and give it time to cool down. That welder may only have a 10% or 20% duty cycle. It, and you, will weld like crap one it's overheated.

Now THAT is some great advice. Please expand on the duty cycle part. Outside the welder being hot, what else do I look/listen for?

I've figured out.....

• what a bad ground acts like
• when the nozzle needs cleaned from splatter
• what it feels like to have a good bead going from a rhythm perspective

What I cant get right yet.....

• There are some welds that I can not get straight for long periods.
• I cant quite get my stick out/nozzle quite right. Meaning....the wire tends to get clogged inside my nozzle from time to time. This seems to happen more often on when welding horizontally. Like when I was welding my flat iron to my angle iron.
• There are times, when I know its not welding "Just right" but cant stop and reassess.
• Still learning the best viewing angle to insure straight solid welds.

In any case, I am happy with my results so far. Its a process and I have never been afraid to learn and try things.

Thanks for all the input so far.

 

[JayMcJay]

Duty cycle is the amount of time per time you can be in full use of the machine. 10 minutes is probably a safe ' per time'. So if you have a 10% duty cycle you can only be on the trigger for 1 minuet total out of 10. If you are welding at a lower than full power arting you can expand this some. You will notice the sound of the weld changing, and the performance will get crappy. At this point kick back and have a beer.

For the feed issues, try to increase the tension on the drive rollers.

 

[kellerumps]

Duty cycle is the amount of time per time you can be in full use of the machine. 10 minutes is probably a safe ' per time'. So if you have a 10% duty cycle you can only be on the trigger for 1 minuet total out of 10. If you are welding at a lower than full power arting you can expand this some. You will notice the sound of the weld changing, and the performance will get crappy. At this point kick back and have a beer.

For the feed issues, try to increase the tension on the drive rollers.

Can only weld for 1 out of 10 mins? Seriously......that really sucks.

 

[JayMcJay]

.
Some comments below

Now THAT is some great advice. Please expand on the duty cycle part. Outside the welder being hot, what else do I look/listen for?

I've figured out.....

• what a bad ground acts like
• when the nozzle needs cleaned from splatter
• what it feels like to have a good bead going from a rhythm perspective

What I cant get right yet.....

• There are some welds that I can not get straight for long periods.
  .
  .
  Make sure your mask is clean and the correct shade. You probably want a 9, a this is a low power welding operation. If you can't see, you can't weld. Try marking the weld joint with a white chalk before you strike an arc. This will help you see where your going.
  .
  .
• I cant quite get my stick out/nozzle quite right. Meaning....the wire tends to get clogged inside my nozzle from time to time. This seems to happen more often on when welding horizontally. Like when I was welding my flat iron to my angle iron.
  .
  .
  Maybe try some nozzle dip. It will help with keeping it cleaner, and cleaning.
  Always tighten your contact tip with a wrench our pliers. Finger right will cause weld issues.
  .
  .
• There are times, when I know its not welding "Just right" but cant stop and reassess.
  Drive roller pressure and the position of the whip/torch can really screw.with weld quality. The straighter you can keep the whip the happier it will be.
  .
  .
• Still learning the best viewing angle to insure straight solid welds.

In any case, I am happy with my results so far. Its a process and I have never been afraid to learn and try things.

.


Thanks for all the input so far.