my aluminum TIG cart is under way finaly

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well i finaly got a chance to get started on my TIG cart. only 8 months after getting the TIG welder.LOL the design seems to keep changing as i go but i have stuck to my guns about building it out of aluminum, wich was my plan when i first got the TIG welder as i figured its only right i should take advantage of having it when building the cart. realy good practise time too.so this is how far i have gotten. i had to make it nice and artsy fartsy of cores.  i mean how can i be metalart if i dont put a lil art into my work right. its still got a ways to go and its verry time consuming as i keep making changes as i go and still kinda working out the over all design, i just figured if i keep waiting till i know what i want to build i'll never get started. so i just jumped in and started sticking stuff togather as i go, so far its working prety good. when its finished i will be sanding the hole thing to a satin finish with wood accents. it should look realy nice, and might even work ok too. Attached Images 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:Looking  good so far.. Lets see the welds now...Dont be shy......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:Nice start. I like the idea of an aluminum cart.My Photos on Flickr
Reply:Nice. I have a ton of carts that need to be built....Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:sorry ZAP no pic's of the welds i did not have the cammera out there at that point. but i will get some next trip out promiss. there is not much to show now as i already started the clean up on these ones and the camera was an after thought.i am quickly finding i dont have the needed clamps to work with aluminum. without being able to use a magnet and a quick tack from the MIG its been quite a chalenge getting every thing held in place long enough to get a good TIG tack. so befor you start an aluminum project be shore you put a lot of thought into clamping, a little pre-planing here could realy save you a lot of hassel. i have also found i realy dont like welding aluminum on the flat. i much prefer vertical on the side or up or down. yea i know it sounds strange but i just seem to get better welds if its not on the flat ??could be i'm over confident on the flat or its easyer to see the flowidity on a side joint as you work the puddle ? not realy shore why but flat is just not as nice for me?? standing up twisted around it going up seems to be my best welds, worst on my back but best on my beads.LOL go figure. 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:Very Nice Cart!Aluminum  IMHO: I think that I would want to add a gusset/re-enforcement at the base joint.Regards,JJW
Reply:looking good fun4now when your finshed you'll have to get the autosol out and make it pretty  Creative metal Creative metal Facebook
Reply:"flowidity"Now that word says it all when Tigging alum. Hey Fun, can I have your permission to use this word. Nice design on the cart too. T.J.www.tjsperformance.com
Reply:JJWi will be adding more suports to it. its only 1" aluminum thats like 1/16" thick walled. there is no way it would hold the wait of my TA out on the shelf. i designed the shelf to offset the wait threw the 3 points of atachment so it wont sag but the 2 uprights are just not strong enough to carry the load. odds are good i will go with some thing like the pink line for a suport or a similer desighn to the green one only on the bottom only but it may end up being like the green one. like i said it is just kinda growing into its final form as it goes and is at this point led only by how the matereal speeks to me, or what looks cool. i will at some point be adding a cooler to the lower portion of the cart so i need to leave it open for that reason but it still leave many options open for creativity.TJS  "flowidity"good word even if it isent a world.LOL feel free to use it all ya like. it just seemed like the best way to discribe what i was looking for for thouse that dont TIG.and for thouse that do this is a great project to get in some sereous seat time, or rather lack there of as i spent verry little time in my seat. most of the time i was standing. its given me a lot of practise with using diferent feet on the foot controle as well as a little bit of switching torch and filler hands. i have lerned a lot about doing aluminum on this project and the TA-185 has been great, and i'm haveing lots of fun so all is good.wello get the autosol out ????you lost me on that one??? Attached Images 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:some ting like this might look good too. its all going to just play out as i build as you can see i cant make up my minde on papper LOL Attached Images 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:I would guess that Autosol is a polish for the aluminum.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:isn't it a laquer coat?Idealarc 300\300 TIG AC\DC
Reply:not real shore what will be the final coat on it. its all used aluminum so its not the best looking, thats why i decided to go with a sanded satin finish. if it were nice new stuff i might consider a polish well i did actualy just got to looking at it and decided it would be way too much aditional work  so the sanded satin will make it all uniform and alow me to clean up the bad spots as well., heck i might even end up painting it but its not in the plan at the moment.i atached a pic of the wheels to be used as well as the mounting rail they will be sitting on, the hole cart will atach acrost 2 of thease on in the front and the other in the back i may take a few inches off the front one and am still considering using large rubber ones in the back like on my MIG cart, again it will come down to how i like the look when i get there. but for now the plan is 4 of these. i put a walters 4.5" flap disk to give you a size referance. Attached Images 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 fun4now.well i finaly got a chance to get started on my TIG cart. only 8 months after getting the TIG welder.LOL
Reply:I like....bends on sqr. tube always look neat -Graham-Mechanical EngineerAutosport Mechanic/Fabricator
Reply:I like the radius corners rather than the typical 90 deg squares._________________Chris
Reply:Nice cart.  Thanks for posting!MetalBob
Reply:Yep, original and cool.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:weather has prevented any welding to take place so far but i did get the uprights cut for the back that will give it the needed suport to keep it upright when the TIG welder is added. i also cut and fit the wooden shelf insert, it will end up getting stained a redish purple to kinda match the TA-185 and also nicely offcet the dyn200 when and if i upgrade to it later. i still need to add hangers for the cables and the foot controle on the sides yet but like i said too cold to weld at the moment. i'll proble pick up some more propain to run the heater wide open if its still cold tomarow as i realy want to get back on the torch.just keeping you updated. Attached Images 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:i also took the time to get all my tungstens sharpend up and ready for the next welding day. i was on my last tung when i stoped the other day so i had a bit of grinding to do. Attached Images 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:Looks good fun. You need a Kero heater to heat up the shop quick. I tried those propane units and they wouldn't even break the chill off. Next year I'm moving to either the DIY waste oil heater or the DIY outdoor woodstove and run PEX tubing into the floor or a L-A exchanger. I'm probably thinking the latter as the oil and keeping a collection unit just seems messy compared to wood. Plus the outside stove runs 12 - 36 hours on a single load...depending on outside ambient temps.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:well made a little more progress and even took a few pic's of a few tacks and a weld for ya, not the best looking  , but they hold well.12 is a tack15 is a tack23 is a full bead24 is the foot controle holder with foot controle in it.25 is it without the foot controle.still got a little bit to go on it as i didnt get the back suports welded on but i did get the tank holders welded on and all the cable holders also. so its getting closer. with a little luck and good weather i just might get this thing finished by this weekend. well that is if i dont run out of gass sorry the pic's are not the best hard to get a close up on the aluminum just too much reflextion. well that and i didnt want you to get that good of a look. Attached Images 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:Looking good, I especially like the foot control holder. Good idea.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Fun4now,Dude, let me give you a few pats on the back. Don't sell yourself short. There are guys in this forum who can tig weld like nobody's business, but those guys do it everyday and a lot in a day. Great for them. But for a lot of us, tigging is not an everyday thing. To add to that, I just went and looked for a camper shell for my truck and they had these aluminum diamond plate bedcovers, not toolboxes, just a cover for the bed area. The welds looked like my little boy did them. And they were asking a pretty penny for the dang things. I think you are doing a great job. Keep it up.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Joker11thanks for the positive words.  i dont feel like i am realy selling myself short as i feel i'm doing a great job and prity pleased with my progress for some one with less than 2 tanks of TIG time under the hood. and they were only 80's and we all know how fast that goes.LOLi am lerning a lot from this project and that was the biggest reson for doing it. not all my welds are comming out as nice as i would like for shore but they are all soid with good penitration and thats the first step. not only am i getting much better at making good looking welds but i am also getting good at cleaning and fixing things like this pic. as well as lerning to stop it from happening. this boo boo is from not leaving a vent on a short sealed tube. when i tacked the one side i heated the air inside so when i went for the tack on the other side as soon as it went liquid it poped like bubble gum.   neadless to say befor doing the next one i drilled a relief hole, small and easy to fill later when its all cooled down. i was also able to fix this mess and get it good and solid. this hole thing is made out of 1/16" tube so i dont have a lot of leway, when it goes molten its prety close to burned threw. so i gotta get the filler in there fast to keep it solid.so even though i say its not the greatest and even less so when compared to some of the guys on here that as you say do it every day. i'm realy happy with it and my progress. i hope to be able to sell my work some day so i know its not ready for that but it will be if i keep at it. with a little luck later on this summer i'll start trying to make a lil $$ out of my little shop, that would realy help but i'm not willing to try that till have have my work up to par. as they all say you onluy get one first impreshion so i dont want to tell any customer " i know its not the best looking but i'll get better"  i got a feeling i would not likely see him again.LOLmy brother has been trying to get me to open a small shop for 2 years now and as much as i need the $$ i want to be shore i am ready to do it right. so i keep on going as things get better and i lern what to watch for and how to get it all nice and prety. some day i hope to change my name from fun4now to side$$now. Attached Images 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.MicroZonethanks.i been wanting to use the little bit of diamond plate i have for some thing for a long time now. its a real beoch to weld on. not shore what type of aluminum it is and it could well have a plating on it as well??? so i realy wanted a bit of torch time befor trying it as its almost all i have. and it shore looks cool as a foot controle holder dosent it. 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:well you wanted pic's of my welds so here are a few fillet welds, the first one is on my cart its 1/16" to 1/8" the next 2 are 1/16" to 1/16"i was using a 3/32" 2% lanthanated tungsten at 97amps max on the TIG with a foot controle so not real shore of the exact amps wile welding. flow was 20 with a standerd TIG torch setup , no gas lens in use for these ones. i realy should have done the 1/16" to 1/16" with a 1/16" tungsten but had already switched to the 3/32" so i just went ahead and di it.as i think we have coverd it befor i'm no pro just doing the best a can and realy happy with the results so far.the 3rd pic is of the fillet cut acrost to show the inside but the pic is not too clear, sorry. Attached Images 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:oh and here is a sneak peek at the finished cart.the TA-185 is a lot heavyer than i rememberd so even though the cart is holding it fine i think it would be best to add more suport in the front. also haveing all 4 wheels swivel  is just not going to cut it. i thought it would make the cart more manuverable. AAAAAANTT not the case it makes it out of freaking controle. who know so it looks like i gotta get another set of tubed tires on the back and keep the swivels in the front. out of time the wife wants me back in bed so i'll post more pic's later, enjoy. Attached Images 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:Getting beter all the time.. ...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:well here is basicly the last of the pic's. i shortend the front wheel holder so they are a little closer togather in the front than in the pic. but all the welding is done now its just about the final look of it and then i'll post a finished pic. i might use some blue anodize paint on it, that could look cool.i finished up the stain for the top shelf and added an extra set of suports to the front, just to be safe. i also took off the back swivel casters and used tubed tires like on the MIG cart. i thought 4 swivel wheels would give me beter manoverability but all it realy did was make the cart out of controle. so a few cosmetic's and its all done. been great fun and one heck of a lerning process. i'm realy glad i went this way with it. 1 is the top10 is the back12 front 14 full cart pic19 is a better pic of the top. Attached Images 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:Very cool....So what kind of bender did you use for the aluminum tubing??Came out good
Reply:I  did not do the bends. i got all the aluminum (and wheels) free from a bread rack that was hit by a car and the grocery stoor was getting rid of it. always send the wife to the stoor first.    just kidding  but i just got a set of these plans, so i hope to have one of these befor the summer is out. with an air powerd hydrolic ram from HF it should be a realy nice setup.i have been bending stuff around steel waits bolted to my welding table i could give that a try if you want to see if it will work with aluminum square tube stock. i have some of the tube left and wouldnt mind doing a little experimenting for you if you are consitering using the same type of stuff for a project. just let me know and i'll see how well it works, better i mess up my free stuff than you mess up some thing you need. Attached Images 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:That very kind you ya sir  , but i was just curious because i would like to get a bender that is really versitile and would bend a lot of different metals. But i just dont want to spend a fortune.....
Reply:i would like to get a bender that is really versitile and would bend a lot of different metals. But i just dont want to spend a fortune.....join the clube  about the only way thats going to happen is if you build one of the ones like i pictured above and use an air powerd ram. with the right dies you should be able to bend any thing you need. 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:hmmm.... very interesting. Maybe ill look into building on. I have acess to some supplies at work so that maybe a great option. I will just have to research a good layout for one...Thanks for the idea..
Reply:well i played with what to paint it with and decided to just leave it alown and move on to a new project. well as soon as i get some more gas LOLhere are the finished pic's Attached Images 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:Looks great F4N, the wood adds a tad of class to the "rugged" welder cart. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:i think thats 1/2 my problem, and why it took soo long to decide not to paint it.i needed a bag to keep my 25' water cooled torch in till i get around to making my cooler and again i had to add some thing.but it was a new design i wanted to try out. its a big part of why most of us are not speeking german now.and i think it looks real good on the case. Attached Images 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.