02-04-2016, 09:17 AM
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#831 (permalink)
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EV OR DIESEL
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Aluminum sheet metal worker here.
I response to above thoughts on material choice.
I spend most of my day cutting and welding,040 3003 grade aluminum. My cost is around $0.90 per square foot, which isn't much different from my cost on 0.32 mild steel which is around $0.95 per square foot. You can totally MIG weld, TIG weld, and spot (resistance weld) all 3, however you do need a lot more power to do the aluminum. I've also done fiberglass work and definitely prefer working in metal, but that's just my skill set.
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02-04-2016, 11:16 PM
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#832 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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Isn't there an aluminized finish on steel exhaust pipe that you're not suppose to breath the fumes from? Is aluminum sheet the same way?
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02-05-2016, 03:19 PM
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#833 (permalink)
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T-100 Road Warrior
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Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
Isn't there an aluminized finish on steel exhaust pipe that you're not suppose to breath the fumes from? Is aluminum sheet the same way?
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Are you thinking of galvanized steel and welding? It's called metal fume fever. 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_fume_fever
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02-05-2016, 03:32 PM
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#834 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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Thanks. Not the sort of thing you want to get backwards. 
I've got a Unispot [-like] spot welder. I've been thinking about using it to spot weld corrugated sheet metal and Cyclone fence top rail. Bottom of the corrugation to top of the pipe. I've been using pop rivets, but when you take things apart it leaves holes. The spot weld might come apart with a chisel.
I could do a test and report back. |
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02-05-2016, 03:55 PM
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#835 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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Maybe I just like to live dangerously, but I think a hobby welder avoiding the fumes and working in a ventilated aera will be fine. I wouldn't want to do it for a living, but a few welds here and there I would do.
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02-06-2016, 12:30 AM
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#836 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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It looks like the Uni-spotter is upriver. Nothing is ever easy.
I was thinking about roofing tin on a pipe frame so it's all outdoors anyway. And it would be faster than drilling a hole for a pop-rivet, as well.
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02-08-2016, 04:19 AM
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#837 (permalink)
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T-100 Road Warrior
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02-08-2016, 08:13 AM
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#838 (permalink)
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EV OR DIESEL
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If you want a cheap spot welder, just go to harbor freight, I used one of those for 6 months before dropping the coin on a 1932 vintage water cooled unit that I now use.
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02-08-2016, 11:05 AM
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#839 (permalink)
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Not Doug
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Not very good reviews for $175: 120 Volt Spot Welder
Making your own for ten dollars and a dead microwave seems infinitely better. |
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02-08-2016, 02:43 PM
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#840 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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I was pretty impressed with the production quality of the video—titling, captioning and lighting. Rather than a desktop demonstration unit made from dimensional lumber, it could have hollow plastic tubing for arms with the cable run inside and be hung from a engine hoist for maneuverability.
The 'Unispotter' is one-sided, with the arc between a ring and post, but that should work on sheet metal. I'll probably retrieve it tomorrow unless it's already here and I just can't find it. That happens a lot. 
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