New Life for Old Welding Positioner

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I am all for New Technology. Here is what I was able to do to an old 1950’s Ransome  2500 lb. capacity welding positioner in order to weld a Snorkel Ring job I did recently.I installed a Baldor Variable Frequency Drive and dedicated Baldor 1 hp. motor to rotate my old manually (hand) driven Ransome Positioner table at precise motorized rpm. with no over-drive or under-drive. The Drive runs the 3 phase AC motor with pulsed DC. Motor control range is 0 rpm to 1800rpm. In fact the drive and motor are capable of 100% torque @ 0 (zero) rpm.Anyhow here are a few pics. Pictures of the snorkel rings to follow soon. Attached Images
Reply:Here are pictures of the Snorkel Ring job I was able to do with the revamped Ransome positioner.  Two 400 amp air cooled torches fed .045” cored Lincoln 712C @ 230 amps using 27 volts surrounded by 100% CO2. The cored 712C was a pleasure to work with. Welded 50 pieces. Consumed just under 3,300 lbs of the stuff before job was done. Attached Images
Reply:That is very crafty.  Very impressive.Im sure you will get some great use of it.  Very nice and beefy weld it like you own it
Reply:Simply awesome!David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Cool rig.what is a snorkel ring?A butterfly without wings, is just an ugly bug
Reply:Snorkel Ring?  As in aerial?Neat set up and use of normal materials for the gun holders.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Nice work, much problem with warpage?....Mike
Reply:Geez!!"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Nice job and a very interesting post. Thanks for sharing it!If you don't want to stand behind our Troops, feel free to stand in front of them.
Reply:very impressive stuff, all i ever build is shelves and ****hooks...
Reply:what is a snorkel ring?[/QUOTE]That was my question.
Reply:Last edited by spiral-cut-bevel; 12-12-2008 at 09:49 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Magnetic MechanicCool rig.what is a snorkel ring?
Reply:Used 3,300 pounds of filler making 50 parts?  Wow, that's a lot of weld filler per part!The radial welds in between 'segments' had to be done manually?What all did you have to do to that old positioner to add the motor drive?  Since everything looks industrial/machinery gray, it's hard to tell what was there originally and what you added.Impressive job, the (few) weld pics look nice and smooth and consistent (the benefits of that nice smooth electronically-controlled motor, eh?), but what did you have to do and why?  You had to weld (two?) segments of some relatively thick steel into a big ring of steel, why wasn't just a bigger ring of steel used in the first place?Like I said, interesting job, but I'm trying to understand the what and why of it all.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by mrmikeyNice work, much problem with warpage?....Mike
Reply:three questionsdid you weld the inner ring and outer ring at the same time , or both torches in one groove ?where did you find an old postioner ?what do you figure you have involved dollar wise in repowering that positioner.insert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseUsed 3,300 pounds of filler making 50 parts?  Wow, that's a lot of weld filler per part!The radial welds in between 'segments' had to be done manually?What all did you have to do to that old positioner to add the motor drive?  Since everything looks industrial/machinery gray, it's hard to tell what was there originally and what you added.Impressive job, the (few) weld pics look nice and smooth and consistent (the benefits of that nice smooth electronically-controlled motor, eh?), but what did you have to do and why?  You had to weld (two?) segments of some relatively thick steel into a big ring of steel, why wasn't just a bigger ring of steel used in the first place?Like I said, interesting job, but I'm trying to understand the what and why of it all.
Reply:Nice job on the conversion and it certainly looks like it does the trick. Welds look so good, too.Thinking about 3300lbs of filler is tiring, without thinking about putting it down!"One of the things we have to be thankful for is that we don't get as much government as we pay for." (Charles Kettering)Mitch 180 (NZ)Lincoln SAM-400-220 + ?-400 Fordson Major + 2 x Tractapac Humber 80 + Procut 40 PlasmaMiller Spectrum 375
Reply:Ahhh, those welded pieces are to cap off a previously machined groove in order to leave a 'tunnel' in there.  Now I (sort-of) understand.Yeah, it does seem kind of weird to drive an AC motor with DC from an electronic controller.  And that it works really-really well, never mind just working at all!  Well now that you have that precision drive controller and motor, you'll just have to 'upgrade' the precision of the rest of the original positioner in order to take advantage of the motor controller, right?    Hmmm, change original  'main' gearing from worm to hypoid gears, replace original bearings (bushings?) with precision ball/roller bearings, upgrade and reinforce the structure to reduce deflection and vibration/harmonics, etc, etc.  Interesting.    The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by chenrythree questionsdid you weld the inner ring and outer ring at the same time , or both torches in one groove ?where did you find an old postioner ?what do you figure you have involved dollar wise in repowering that positioner.
Reply:dd you have to adjust voltage and wre speed to account for the different speed ( ipm )difference in the two ringsinsert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:Originally Posted by chenrydd you have to adjust voltage and wre speed to account for the different speed ( ipm )difference in the two rings
Reply:Nice work OMS.Ingenious drive retrofit.I especially like the "piggy back" table-tilt drive - that took some thinking. I wonder if the drive could tolerate nearby high frequency?
Reply:Originally Posted by denrepNice work OMS.Ingenious drive retrofit.I especially like the "piggy back" table-tilt drive - that took some thinking. I wonder if the drive could tolerate nearby high frequency?