A recent side job completed

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I am so anxious to start doing my own stuff full time.  I am recently starting to pick up more and more side jobs.  the perk to side jobs is that I can do one side job in a day and get paid 2 times as much as i get for the whole week of doing the exact samething (everything) for the company i work for.  This job took about 8 hours to go get the materials, cut, build, paint, and install. Install was help courtesy of my wonderful Fiance.  The job was a large double gate with perforated metal on the rear, a walk through gate with perf on rear and 1/2" pickets, and a walk through gates with just 1/2" pickets. The top joints were strait cut per customers request, I normally angle cut the top joints and grind smoothe. if anyone has any suggestions on how to grind smoothe with out the grind marks please share this bit of information. The last gate picture was not good so I could not post it.
Reply:good job..you ought to work in a prison.. nobody gets out!!! ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapstergood job..you ought to work in a prison.. nobody gets out!!! ...zap!
Reply:Looks like the welds in the second pic weren't ground at all.  Is this because you'd rather have weld instead of grinding marks?  I like to use flap discs or mop discs (whatever ya wanna call them).  They'll grind smooth once they're wore down some.  I usually get 40 grit and I'll save some after they're wore down if I need a really smooth joint.  Or just get em in a finer grit.  Primer will take care of the rest.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Side jobs are great, especially the ones that go as planned. Nice gates.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by partagasLOL.   I used to work for a company that builds prison doors.  And let me tell you......   They are not fun.
Reply:Yes I left the welds because I think a nice looking weld looks better than an ugly set of grinid marks.  I can get pretty smooth with the grinder wheel but you can still always see those marks even after primer and paint.  thank you for the advise on grinding down the welds to be smooth.  I figured thats the way it was done but i was not completely sure.  I was trying to talk the customer into somethinga little less prison like.  There is where I talked them into doing x's on the double gates.  so they didnt feel like they were in a prison when the were in their back yard.  I hope I can find some pictures of some previous entry ways I have completed, they are much more on the artistic side.  Thank you for the kind words ladies and fellas!
Reply:Nice gates! As far as not leaving grinding marks.ts more about the equipment used...it can be done but takes time.Good way is knock off the top of the bead with ur fav stone or flap disc then switch to a 120 grit...or work progressively to a 120 paper disc with a rubber backing pad.Keep all ur grinds going in one direction...for a finer finish keep a bar of ivory soap handy...just hit the soap against the disc(paper not stone).it helps lube the grinding action producing a shinier and more even finish and is extremely handy to prevent clogging of the discs when grinding aluminum! This will gid rid of the obvious grinding marks but will leave a different finish that may or may not be visible thru whatever paint you r using.If ya need it a perfect match( if leaving it bare or a clear coat) use a DA with the finest paper ya can find or a portable sandblaster.Problems with these include having to do the whole peice(pain in the rear and time consuming with a DA) and job site cleanup of the sand...although this can be worked around with some painters plastic drop clothes. Basicaly itll come down to how much time ya want to put into it versus the finish you want to obtain.Keep in mind if ya have a helper that a hasty or untrained hand with a ginder,specialy with a stone,can be far more costly then doing the "elbow" work yourself!Also although im sure ya know this if you usualy leave your weld beads in the raw(the proper state for any work of art,lol) then hopefully you are still putting good bevels on your joints before ya weld....if not and you decide to grind em smooth you run the risk of not having enough weld left to maintain the strength you need.You probably didnt need that warning,but ive seen a perfectly good trailer in peices stretching a couple of miles along the roadbecause after buying a brand name trailerthe owner decided to"smooth" things out,aparently he musta figured it spruce up its looks...basicaly he bought then ground and painted a very high dollar pile of material and tires lol.
Reply:yep i'll throw in a vote for the flap disks also.they verry in price and quality, i normaly got them of e-bay at about $2.50 each when bought by 10. good quality as well as good price, but was given some walters a wile back and was realy impressed with them. not enough to spend $10 a pop on them but they are real nice, might be werth the $10 to you. summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:quick qeuestion for ya. in the first pic, it looks like you used 45 degree cuts. in the second pic you used 90's. any preference between the two."Retreat hell, were just fighting in the other direction"Miller Trailblazer 302, Extreme 12 VS, Dimension 400, Spectrum 375, HF 251D-1, Milermatic 251 w/ spoolgun  Hypertherm 1000Lincoln sp 1702000 F-450 to haul it
Reply:The body shop guy in me is saying that a very thin coat of bondo on those grind marks might be just the ticket. I've seen some body guys that are artists with bondo, and it seems you could slap the thinest layer of bondo on there that would fill in the grind marks. Once you get good at it then the finish sanding would be minimal.
Reply:I appreciate the comments folks!  All of my cuts on these gates were 90 degree cuts.  I have used bondo once or twice due to the person being upset that you could see the grind marks. I guess that is what really makes me concious about them.  The turned out perfectly smoothe but I dont really want to add a step like that to every joint I grind.  Oh and thank you for the tip but I always make sure to get full penetration and bevel correctly when I weld.
Reply:i dont know about bondo but a thin layer of glazing putty would do the trick, although a flap disk will make it smooth as a babbys but. even an 80 grit makes for some realy smooth finishes once you get the hang of using them, a light tuch is the key to a fine finish. summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:Originally Posted by mr2turbo7I appreciate the comments folks!  All of my cuts on these gates were 90 degree cuts.  I have used bondo once or twice due to the person being upset that you could see the grind marks. I guess that is what really makes me concious about them.  The turned out perfectly smoothe but I dont really want to add a step like that to every joint I grind.  Oh and thank you for the tip but I always make sure to get full penetration and bevel correctly when I weld.
Reply:Originally Posted by fun4now. although a flap disk will make it smooth as a babbys but. even an 80 grit makes for some realy smooth finishes once you get the hang of using them, a light tuch is the key to a fine finish.
Reply:What is the screening? Is it strong enough to resist dimpling from people poking their fingers into it?A man who can't weld is as poorly educated as a woman who can't sew
Reply:It is perforated metal. 24 gauge.  it is deffinately strong enough to not dimple form that.
Reply:Get a tube of spot putty from auto store. It's like thick primer in a toothpaste tube . Better and flows thinner than bondo, it's used after bondo to fill pinholes and scratches.
Reply:Bondo in the grooves will make it smooth.***************************************Lincoln AC225 stick welderLincoln HD100 WeldPak flux core wire feed welderThree of the cheapest grinders money can buy