Get Bent!!!

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Wouldn't be a build without some heat distortion.This was a major WOWFinish welding pulled the 3/16 plate like it was butter.To recover the project I was able to heat shrink the worst area.  This, in turn, pulled the other areas back into shape.Straightedge was clamped to exert pressure in the way I wanted to correct.  Heat was applied to the weld areas (where the distortion started in the first place), and then extended to the edge of the plate during about 4 heat/cool cycles.The metal was brought to the dull orange color then allowed to air cool to slowly bring things back into shape.  I didn't want to use water to cool, and maybe get too extreme results.The heating tip is a Flametech #10.  It's the smaller of my propane heating tips.  It heated the steel within about 40 seconds to dull red along the shrink path.  But it does use a bit of oxygen.  I think I used about 60% of a 140cf O2 bottle on this job, and one other small  chore.  And this is the SMALL tipI was pleased with the results.  I'm left with a slight bend that occured during initial tacking.  So I was able to pull it all back to pre-weld shape.The small sledge hammer was used for peening in the last heat/shrink cycle, along the very edge of the plate(the peening was done with the steel clamped, not with the edge swinging free).  This did an excellent job of relieving stress, and is a must when removing some sorts of distortion.  Stress got you into this predicament, and it has to be relieved to get you back on your feet Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Some of you might remember when I put this rig together Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Thanks for posting Samm. I've followed alot of your projects and it's greatly helped me with understanding and controlling heat distortion and fixing stuff when things go bad. To quote: "heat got you into the problem, heat can get you out".  The project's looking good.
Reply:I built a box one time out of 1/8 plat that was gave to me. It was to go on the tounge of a trailer. I didnt build a frame and cover it I just edge welded it together and I had to make a lip all the way around the top that fit over the edge to the box to seal it up so rain wouldnt get in while pulling the trailer. That top warped up something awful. I use straight edges and pipe clamps to work it back straight. using a heating and cooling rotation to get everything back down flat. What a mess. I think it took as long to fix the warping as it did to build the rest of the box.
Reply:so if you gotta do it again what would you do different?Last edited by weldbead; 11-29-2011 at 05:51 PM.
Reply:Always nice to see you work your magic on warped steel there Samm. A true master at work..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:That is too cool!  I was going to ask, but I guess if you had made a video of this process, you'd have posted it here with the photos?
Reply:also curious on how to prevent the distortion
Reply:Originally Posted by HOBARTalso curious on how to prevent the distortion
Reply:I dont mean to hijack but it is a somewhat similar question. I did some bead rolls on some .040" aluminum and after it had a lot of stress in it and was hard to make the panels fit into place.... Any ideas on how to relieve this?!HTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:Hi samm, is your shop still out doors?DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:LOL. Misleading ! Get Bent ? I was looking for my ciggy lighter
Reply:Hey Farmersamm, I really enjoy seeing how you deal with all the challenges presented to you, all of your threads are huge lessons for me as well as being truly entertaining. This city boy with a farmer heart intends to keep watching your threads,I can hardly wait 'til you get to straightening out that crashed spaceship on the edge of your lawn.   Attached ImagesWhen a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell