Buter
Chief Clam
- Messages
- 86
Grrr....Finished yet?
- Thread starter Buter
- Start date
Buter
Chief Clam
- Messages
- 86
Back from work last night and straight out to the shop this morning. The novelty's kinda wearing off...
The copper is taking waaaaaaaaaaay longer than I'd expected and set aside time for. The main problem isn't the different thicknesses (.75mm copper, 3mm steel) it's copper's desire to move when heated. You're welding up a nice little joint then the copper pops up, creates a gap and you burn right through it. Just as well we wanted a very agricultural looking piece, eh?
No third hand in the world can hold this stuff down so I've actually come up with a ridiculous method to fight the copper. First I lay down a really proud bead of filler on the steel, right next to the copper. I then lay a bead of filler on the side of the filler bead so that it overlaps the copper and keeps if from popping up, if you're careful.
Then do a proper pass to tie the filler into both pieces
Oooh, pretty...
Obviously, this takes considerably longer than just pushing puddles. This piece, the second to smallest, took just under 2.5 hours (including cutting and shaping the copper).
On a positive note I started this morning with one side completed.
Like y'all said, this stuff is at a premium so can't waste any.
Today's goal, 4 panels (the largest one has a perimeter of just under 2m).
Hood down, music up; let's rock!
It was a looooooooooooooooooong day. 8am-9pm stopping only for my morning constitutional. All the copper pieces are cut out and, yeah, I got the 4 pieces on. One more day to work on it then back to work, so I'll be back out around 9 again. Livin da dream.
Cheers
Buter
The copper is taking waaaaaaaaaaay longer than I'd expected and set aside time for. The main problem isn't the different thicknesses (.75mm copper, 3mm steel) it's copper's desire to move when heated. You're welding up a nice little joint then the copper pops up, creates a gap and you burn right through it. Just as well we wanted a very agricultural looking piece, eh?
No third hand in the world can hold this stuff down so I've actually come up with a ridiculous method to fight the copper. First I lay down a really proud bead of filler on the steel, right next to the copper. I then lay a bead of filler on the side of the filler bead so that it overlaps the copper and keeps if from popping up, if you're careful.
Then do a proper pass to tie the filler into both pieces
Oooh, pretty...
Obviously, this takes considerably longer than just pushing puddles. This piece, the second to smallest, took just under 2.5 hours (including cutting and shaping the copper).
On a positive note I started this morning with one side completed.
Like y'all said, this stuff is at a premium so can't waste any.
Today's goal, 4 panels (the largest one has a perimeter of just under 2m).
Hood down, music up; let's rock!
It was a looooooooooooooooooong day. 8am-9pm stopping only for my morning constitutional. All the copper pieces are cut out and, yeah, I got the 4 pieces on. One more day to work on it then back to work, so I'll be back out around 9 again. Livin da dream.
Cheers
Buter
Buter
Chief Clam
- Messages
- 86
Well, when I started this little project I had no idea that the copper would take so long or that I would have to spend as much time at the day job as I have the past couple of months. As a result the deadline isn't creeping up on me, it's bearing down on me like a ****** off bull and I'm dressed all in red. Best get to blazin.
Audio motivation provided today by Iron Maiden
Oops, didn't see that! We'll call it character, shall we?
After laying down probably 1/2 Km of weld, I'm starting to predict what this copper will do and can get some decent looking joins
Can anyone tell the difference between these 2 pics?
I opened up my last water tank and, after I cut it up into strips, noticed it wasn't as flexible as the rest of the copper. This tank was apparently the middle grade of copper used for water tanks and it was only .3mm thicker than the rest, but it made a world of difference. It's so easy to work with that I'd have been done ages ago if I'd been using this all along. It doesn't move around nearly as bad as the slightly thinner stuff. I can actually just run beads like I'd planned on doing when I started this. Hard to see, but this bead was done in one pass with no cleverness needed - as much of a stack as you're gonna get with Sil-bronze and was still behaving as I went vertical with the join
The downside to the thicker copper is that it's a much better conductor. You'd be surprised how far the heat can travel! I found myself welding in big gauntlets half the time.
Don't ask me how I got it there. It's heavy.
Pushing puddles
How to keep this obnoxious stuff where you want it. Best £15 ever spent
Continued...
Audio motivation provided today by Iron Maiden
Oops, didn't see that! We'll call it character, shall we?
After laying down probably 1/2 Km of weld, I'm starting to predict what this copper will do and can get some decent looking joins
Can anyone tell the difference between these 2 pics?
I opened up my last water tank and, after I cut it up into strips, noticed it wasn't as flexible as the rest of the copper. This tank was apparently the middle grade of copper used for water tanks and it was only .3mm thicker than the rest, but it made a world of difference. It's so easy to work with that I'd have been done ages ago if I'd been using this all along. It doesn't move around nearly as bad as the slightly thinner stuff. I can actually just run beads like I'd planned on doing when I started this. Hard to see, but this bead was done in one pass with no cleverness needed - as much of a stack as you're gonna get with Sil-bronze and was still behaving as I went vertical with the join
The downside to the thicker copper is that it's a much better conductor. You'd be surprised how far the heat can travel! I found myself welding in big gauntlets half the time.
Don't ask me how I got it there. It's heavy.
Pushing puddles
How to keep this obnoxious stuff where you want it. Best £15 ever spent
Continued...
Last edited by a moderator:
Buter
Chief Clam
- Messages
- 86
I'm not exactly flush for working space here. If the torch hadn't come with a button cap I'd be getting one overnighted to me as Sunday is the last day I have to work on this thing so I need to get 'er done!
Time to mock up the centrepiece
Oh, man, this is gonna be tight (remember, this is a family forum when commenting on this picture )
Out comes the heavy guns
The 3 posts are in and the joins aren't too shabby. I was really fading by this point - I have just come back from Brazil and haven't really slept, let alone shake off the jet lag. To be honest, I couldn't even focus when I did these welds late at night and didn't really care how they came out. Shame I have to cover up a decent little weld with a ton of braze filler
Bit more blazin
Except for cutting around the baseplate (which I haven't quite figured out how to do yet) that be the copper done! How do ya'll like my new beer holder?
In the homestretch now, but still a few long days ahead...
Cheers
Buter
Time to mock up the centrepiece
Oh, man, this is gonna be tight (remember, this is a family forum when commenting on this picture
)Out comes the heavy guns
The 3 posts are in and the joins aren't too shabby. I was really fading by this point - I have just come back from Brazil and haven't really slept, let alone shake off the jet lag. To be honest, I couldn't even focus when I did these welds late at night and didn't really care how they came out. Shame I have to cover up a decent little weld with a ton of braze filler
Bit more blazin
Except for cutting around the baseplate (which I haven't quite figured out how to do yet) that be the copper done! How do ya'll like my new beer holder?
In the homestretch now, but still a few long days ahead...
Cheers
Buter
chunkolini
celebrity artiste
- Messages
- 9,456
- Location
- Swansea
Looking good, are you sick of it yet?
I find I reach a point on big jobs where I am sick of the whole thing, and think it is crap. then get it finished, stomp out the door and find it looks great the next day.
I understand the music thing, loud and nasty seems to be a huge help with difficult work.
I find I reach a point on big jobs where I am sick of the whole thing, and think it is crap. then get it finished, stomp out the door and find it looks great the next day.
I understand the music thing, loud and nasty seems to be a huge help with difficult work.
Buter
Chief Clam
- Messages
- 86
Thanks, Chunkolini.
Yeah, I'm well and truly sick of this one. It's the time crunch that's taken all the fun out of it. Yesterday was 15 hours - coffee and dinner were had at the welding table instead of the dinner table. Makes me laugh - if you look back to page one where I said the hard stuff was over and someone, can't remember who, said that might not be the case!
I love my music and it's the only thing keeping me sane on these long days.
Cheers
B
Yeah, I'm well and truly sick of this one. It's the time crunch that's taken all the fun out of it. Yesterday was 15 hours - coffee and dinner were had at the welding table instead of the dinner table. Makes me laugh - if you look back to page one where I said the hard stuff was over and someone, can't remember who, said that might not be the case!
I love my music and it's the only thing keeping me sane on these long days.
Cheers
B
chunkolini
celebrity artiste
- Messages
- 9,456
- Location
- Swansea
'I have done the difficult bit' that is one of favourite sayings. Always wrong though.
You are getting there.
I am always sad when a finished piece of work leaves my workshop.
You are getting there.
I am always sad when a finished piece of work leaves my workshop.
Buter
Chief Clam
- Messages
- 86
Well, this thing gets bolted in on Thursday and unveiled on Friday; I'm off to work tomorrow so I guess this post better end with my work finished.
Fired up the MIG for the first time in ages to do the mounts for the baseplate. Because I've been doing so much TIG work I noticed a few oddities. I kept trying to use a foot pedal which wasn't there and I kept the torch in position for the postflow, which also wasn't there. The wonderful MIG smoke made for an interesting pic, though
Cut down a couple sections of 60 mil box and tapered the ends. These feet will be welded on 3 sides to a 10 mil plate. Damn thing fell on me while I was trying to set the feet where I wanted them. Let's just say it's heavy.
I'd been dreading welding the ss ring into place for a while now. This was a major design fail on my part. This is why I make a prototype wherever possible - I was doing a lot of 'firsts' on this project and I don't really like that. I would have designed this differently were I to make it again. I fiddled around with this for about an hour and did the best I could. The 3 joins are welded about 50-60 per cent and brazed up nearly all the way 'round. Just between us, there's a mil here and there that I just couldn't get to.
Jumbo gas lens on and flow set to 11 lpm - tungsten out to 1 1/2". All I could do was spark it up and hope for the best
This was one of the most frustrating things I'd come across in quite some time. I'd say about 80% of the time I was either hitting the cup at the front or the cap at the back and just couldn't get the tungsten pointed where she needed to point. I phoned up Rapid Welding and apparently warranties don't cover throwing a temper tantrum and tossing your torch onto the welding table (which happened to be about 3m away at the time) whilst swearing like a drunken sailor. Always read the fine print, man. Always read the fine print.
W'eva. What's done is done. It's rock solid and nobody will ever be able to see it. Still disappointing for me, though.
Anyway, I'm pleased to say that when I shut the workshop lights out half an hour ago we had this
That's the metal work done. I'll turn it over to the sculptress now and she can patinate it and go grab the glory at the unveiling on Friday.
The mosaic is inlaid into a 90mm block of Birch Ply and has been made using beach pebbles and beach glass from the beach directly in front of the sculpture's location
I'll get some pics with it mounted next time I'm home and the sun is out.
Thanks for watching. I've got loads more projects ready to go but I'm gonna take a bit of time off and remember what it is I actually work for - to enjoy the hell out of life!
Cheers
Buter
Fired up the MIG for the first time in ages to do the mounts for the baseplate. Because I've been doing so much TIG work I noticed a few oddities. I kept trying to use a foot pedal which wasn't there and I kept the torch in position for the postflow, which also wasn't there. The wonderful MIG smoke made for an interesting pic, though
Cut down a couple sections of 60 mil box and tapered the ends. These feet will be welded on 3 sides to a 10 mil plate. Damn thing fell on me while I was trying to set the feet where I wanted them. Let's just say it's heavy.
I'd been dreading welding the ss ring into place for a while now. This was a major design fail on my part. This is why I make a prototype wherever possible - I was doing a lot of 'firsts' on this project and I don't really like that. I would have designed this differently were I to make it again. I fiddled around with this for about an hour and did the best I could. The 3 joins are welded about 50-60 per cent and brazed up nearly all the way 'round. Just between us, there's a mil here and there that I just couldn't get to.
Jumbo gas lens on and flow set to 11 lpm - tungsten out to 1 1/2". All I could do was spark it up and hope for the best
This was one of the most frustrating things I'd come across in quite some time. I'd say about 80% of the time I was either hitting the cup at the front or the cap at the back and just couldn't get the tungsten pointed where she needed to point. I phoned up Rapid Welding and apparently warranties don't cover throwing a temper tantrum and tossing your torch onto the welding table (which happened to be about 3m away at the time) whilst swearing like a drunken sailor. Always read the fine print, man. Always read the fine print.
W'eva. What's done is done. It's rock solid and nobody will ever be able to see it. Still disappointing for me, though.
Anyway, I'm pleased to say that when I shut the workshop lights out half an hour ago we had this
That's the metal work done. I'll turn it over to the sculptress now and she can patinate it and go grab the glory at the unveiling on Friday.
The mosaic is inlaid into a 90mm block of Birch Ply and has been made using beach pebbles and beach glass from the beach directly in front of the sculpture's location
I'll get some pics with it mounted next time I'm home and the sun is out.
Thanks for watching. I've got loads more projects ready to go but I'm gonna take a bit of time off and remember what it is I actually work for - to enjoy the hell out of life!
Cheers
Buter
chunkolini
celebrity artiste
- Messages
- 9,456
- Location
- Swansea
Looks good, the proof of the pudding is when you walk in the next day.
chunkolini
celebrity artiste
- Messages
- 9,456
- Location
- Swansea
What's going on there?
Buter
Chief Clam
- Messages
- 86
Apparently this lot didn't have a clue as to how to mount the sculpture. Why the project manager used builders for this is beyond me. A steel erector or basic engineer shop would have had this done in under an hour.
All morning, apparently. It's 4 holes, boys!
The proud artiste.
And.... Relax...
All morning, apparently. It's 4 holes, boys!
The proud artiste.
And.... Relax...
chunkolini
celebrity artiste
- Messages
- 9,456
- Location
- Swansea
Looks good, and she did all this by herself?
