Slapped the hub together the last two mornings. And I do mean slapped!
My practice welds from yesterday:
2nd from right was my first try. Right was second. 2nd from left was 3rd. and left most was my last try. Didn't take much effort to get decent results. Penetration was just right, in my opinion, leaving the back side of the metal on each pass a bit wrinkles from almost melting... (I'm no welder, but getting as much penetration as you can without blowing through seems the right idea!)
Of course, that was on a nice piece of mild steel. Working on the hub was another matter all together.
Here's what I was working with:
That's 2x 1.5" "Weldable X-hubs" with the Geo clutch center fitted in the first pic and a hub connector in the bottom pic. They're made by
G&G manufacturing out of Omaha, the same brand that's stamped on the motor's shaft. (What an odd coincidence). This seemed to be the easy/cheap way to get everything centered perfectly without using a machine shop to custom make it.
Welded the clutch hub center in first:
(this photo is omitted because of the embarrassing results of my attempt at welding)
Line 'em up:
Tack 'em:
Check for fit and trueness: (is that a word, or am I making it up as I go?)
And for fit:
Weld around:
(this photo is omitted because of the embarrassing results of my attempt at welding)
Quickly surmise that thicker metal needs more heat, which means I need a thicker electrode, which I don't have, so screw it, I'll make it work...
Grind off the mess and hit it with paint before anyone notices:
And, viola! You have a big lump of metal to throw at someone if they make any disparaging comments about your work.
But, it fits, it's true, it spins without and wobble/play/out of round. So, hey, it'll do.
I think I'll pick up some thicker electrodes next time I am out at the tool store...
