The $3 lesson

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So today, while I was out on my quest to find some scrap metal to weld, I pulled into a local scrap yard to ask if I could buy some scrap to learn with. I walked into the front door and the man behind the counter asked "can I help you with something?" I proceeded to tell him that I was a new welder and was wondering if they had any scrap metal I could buy from them for a few dollars. He replied "a new welder huh? I think I can help you out but first there's something you need to see." I said "sounds good show me the way."So he led me out back past the cars to where there was a very mangled up trailer sitting alone in a corner. I asked what happened and he explained that the welder that made the trailer didn't have enough penetration when he was welding the tongue. The day after the welder sold it the new owner had it loaded up to half the capacity the welder said it was capable of. He was driving down the interstate at 70 mph when he hit a bump and the welds broke loose. The trailer ended up hitting the minivan that was following him and killed all 4 people inside. Two parents, one 12 year old girl and a six month old girl that they were taking to meet her grandparents for the first time. As we were walking back to the shop he said "that trailer is the reason I will never teach someone to weld again." Apparently the man who welded the trailer had learned from the yard owner. Needless to say the welder is still in jail.After we got back he gave me some scrap and told me that I could have it for free. I told him that I had to give him something for it. So I opened my wallet and handed him $3. He said "thank you. Please don't make the same mistake that he did."If you have any doubts in your welding skills, even a little. Do NOT weld anything that can potentially cause harm if it breaks apart. Its simply not worth the risk. I will never forget this lesson. And I hope you guys won't either.Yours in the pursuit of better weldsLighttekku.Last edited by lighttekku; 10-13-2014 at 04:06 PM.Reason: spellingCraftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:The  of trailers I guessWhy is it always death stories about trailers around here?I'd like to hear, for once, a good death/near death story about a poorly built plant stand that drops a hundred pound Hydrangea plant on someone's noggin."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:It's a good story and a good lesson to keep repeating. Around here a lot of people beat up on posts about welding a trailer up. Most of us realize it's not that the members are trying to be mean but they are trying to discourage that very thing. There are not that many welding jobs a hobby/home welder can get involved with that has so much potential for serious failures as building or welding on a trailer. I'm a gunsmith and 90+% of all my welding is on firearms. And the limited locations of where those welds happen makes what I'm doing safer than building trailers. Kinda funny if you think about it.
Reply:@Kavall yeah that is pretty ironic. That being said I'm sure it would be more dangerous if you had a round in the chamber while you're welding the gun.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:@Farmersamm yes that would be quite an interesting story. Time to go out and practice some more welds. Hopefully I'll be able to get past the arc start this time.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:I know where I get heart burn on this subject. Is when a guy runs down to Home Depot, buys a 120-volt Mig welder. Joins these sites, ask the most rudimentary questions. Then states his first project is to build a 40-feet long gooseneck trailer! Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:@CEP so you mean my 90 volt craftsman won't be able to weld a 40' gooseneck for my 4 cylinder ranger? Shucks.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:This lesson is so valuable.It should be a sticky.We don't miss you Chad22!!!
Reply:@AKweldshop indeed. The most valuable $3 lesson I've ever received. I mean, I knew when I started that welding a trailer won't be something I'll be able to do for a year or more (probably more) so I have no plans to build one but just to see in person the damage that can be done with a bad weld really helped the lesson hit home. I'm going to try and get back there tomorrow to get some pictures. They are in the process of going out of business (unfortunately) so hopefully I'll make it in time.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:Originally Posted by lighttekku@CEP so you mean my 90 volt craftsman won't be able to weld a 40' gooseneck for my 4 cylinder ranger? Shucks.
Reply:@CEP I guess I'll have to get a 140 volt Harbor Freight welder to do that tough job Disclaimer: to those new to welding please don't take this seriously, a 140 volt Harbor Freight welder would be just as bad as my craftsman 90volt (if not worse) for welding a trailer.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:A good rule of thumb for trailer welding, if you have to ask if your welder is capable of welding a trailer, you should NOT weld a trailer. Remember it could be your family following you when.the weld breaks loose.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:Originally Posted by lighttekku@CEP I guess I'll have to get a 140 volt Harbor Freight welder to do that tough job Disclaimer: to those new to welding please don't take this seriously, a 140 volt Harbor Freight welder would be just as bad as my craftsman 90volt (if not worse) for welding a trailer.
Reply:@CEP yeah I've seen several posts you've made over the past few months that I've been lurking and I have no doubts that you are an extremely skilled welder, I'd be happy if I got half as good at welding as you are. Yeah I saw you mention a couple times that you do bridge work, color me impressed. I'm not sure I'll ever be at that level of skill but you can bet I'm gonna do as much as I can to get to your level of skill. About time for me to post some pictures of today's attempt at welding, hopefully I'll get some of your input master welder Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:Stick around, this is a good place to learn. A lot of fantastic welders here, and willing to help all they can! Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by lighttekku@CEP yeah I've seen several posts you've made over the past few months that I've been lurking and I have no doubts that you are an extremely skilled welder, I'd be happy if I got half as good at welding as you are. Yeah I saw you mention a couple times that you do bridge work, color me impressed. I'm not sure I'll ever be at that level of skill but you can bet I'm gonna do as much as I can to get to your level of skill. About time for me to post some pictures of today's attempt at welding, hopefully I'll get some of your input master welder
Reply:@CEP you couldn't get me to leave if you tried! I'm gonna be around for a while. Maybe even long enough to help others learn one day.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:@Farmersamm Yeah I saw a post with someone saying it was his, I thought they were joking! Was that really his? I seem to remember vaguely some thing about the company had nasty equipment and improper tools?Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammYeah, he's still sorta embarrassed about that one up in Minnesota
Reply:@CEP I'm sorry to hear that. Glad to know it wasn't because of a weld failure. Built any bridges in New england?Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:Originally Posted by lighttekku@CEP I'm sorry to hear that. Glad to know it wasn't because of a weld failure. Built any bridges in New england?
Reply:@CEP ah, don't know much about bridges, I'll Google what those are.Glad to know my bridges are out of reach of those engineers. Lol.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:Originally Posted by lighttekku@CEP ah, don't know much about bridges, I'll Google what those are.
Reply:I would think that trailer was done with a mig. You can make a beautiful mig weld but it will not hold a bucket of $hit . Sure they look good but only laying on top of the steel. Boy, if that guy did the trailer hitch too on the vehicle , I wonder what would have gone first ?
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1I would think that trailer was done with a mig. You can make a beautiful mig weld but it will not hold a bucket of $hit . Sure they look good but only laying on top of the steel. Boy, if that guy did the trailer hitch too on the vehicle , I wonder what would have gone first ?Engineers can actually get on an airplane, fly anywhere to screw someones life up. Just ask Jack Falls, Ironworker. He lost his life on the 1996 Atlanta olympic project. The light tower that he was working on collapsed and he fell to his death. Come to find out, the steel used for the "temporary" light tower was imported, NOT to the spec, engineer said it would be good to use for this "temporary" application. My roommate and I left town, went to  the Keys, couldn't take the attitude of the companies involved. Soon, Turner Field will be no more. Rest easy, Jack.RegardsDave
Reply:@CEP ah! Gotcha, thanks.@BD1 actually it looked like it was TIG welded to me but could be wrong.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:If it's Israel you are talking about, pay close attention. There is a lot if precious information in that head. He's a man who dispenses teaching in little doses. He knows as much about metallurgy as Jody, he had a rising career in engineering in NY, when his father got sick, he took over the business.
Reply:@Willie B I don't think it is. Which scrap yard is he at?Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:By your age I had built a number of trailers, it's a good thing that in those days 90 amp Craftsman welders were unavailable. I must have been 16 or 17 when I bought my Twentieth Century 295 amp AC unit I still have. I built wood splitters, never had a weld fail. I've run a lot of rod, and thawed a lot of water with it. I will confess I haven't used it in a while. These days, the small amount of stick I run is usually with a Bobcat. MIG gets more use. Oh, count me out of the group of MIG bashers. A fool can foul up any weld technique, I believe MIG is the easiest to learn a good weld.
Reply:Originally Posted by lighttekku@Willie B I don't think it is. Which scrap yard is he at?
Reply:@Willie B got to see a bobcat in person for the first time today. Talk about gorgeous. The man said the price on it was $4200 :ONope different place up in Middlebury. Although Mac is the one place I found to buy scrap from. Bought 18lbs for $6. The guy outside said it'd be $.40/lb. Ended up costing $.33/ lb. Will be going back there again for sure. Israel must be the bearded gentleman. He's very nice.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:I don't think it's so much a case of what welder you have so much as knowing the limitations of the welder you have. If you know that then you probably know enough about welding to build almost anything within your skill set.                                                MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:@mla2ofus the key here is within your skill set.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:If the guy who has the trailer will allow it, next time you are there bring back some pictures. It could be educational.---Meltedmetal
Reply:Originally Posted by AKweldshopThen why are you always recommending a mm211mvp??
Reply:Yeah I have an old DC stick machine. The knob is gone. I use a pair of vise grips on it. Every time I figure out where it is in relation to the scale, somebody takes the vise grips. It's mostly turn it right for more heat, left for less.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammI'd like to hear, for once, a good death/near death story about a poorly built plant stand that drops a hundred pound Hydrangea plant on someone's noggin.
Reply:So today I went back to get some pictures of the trailer but they were closed. Strange because they were open Columbus day. At any rate I will continue to try and get some pictures.@Willie B That sounds about right. People have a habit if running off with tools at the most in opportune time. Maybe you should get a cheap pair and tac them to the knob. Then set up a hidden camera to watch them trying to take off with them. Would probably be hilarious. Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:As I wrote that, the question came to mind, "Why haven't I welded something on the shaft?" It isn't a mystery who removes it, we would need a psychiatrist to explain why.
Reply:@Willie B I'm sensing you just discovered your next project, albeit a short project.Craftsman 90 amp Arc welder
Reply:About thirtieth on the list.
Reply:@Willie B That's a pretty good sized listCraftsman 90 amp Arc welder