Clamp and Tack Lesson..

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We all "know" how to weld..But do you know how to clamp..tack..and weld and keep everything from moving..twisting..warping?Well heres a little example of the method..heres the parts..The holes were drilled and tapped beforehand so there is cutting oil still in the threads..so a acetone bath is in order..if not? the oil will make a b-line for your weld puddle... The print calls for the long piece and the ends to be "in the middle"..so a 3/4"spacer was under the long piece at both ends and clamped to the table..now you get a angle block and clamp that to the table and use "Vice Grips to hole the end pieces to the angle block..Now is where you make it "stay there"..tacking in the right places is the key..(keep them small you'll see why later..)first you do the bottom and top in the middle..and we will continue next post.....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:As we continue.. then tack the part on each side of the clamps..then flip it over and do the other end..the side opposite of the Vice Grips dont have to be clamped down before tacking..just get the puddle going and count to 3 before adding the tack..the heat will straighten out the .010 diffrence from side to side..I've always stated not to start and stop on corners.. so heres what we do in this case..you start the weld 1/4" from the corner..weld around the corner..top..and back down the other side by 1/4"..thats how you get the wald "wrapped" around the top and bottom..now notice where the "tie off" or weld ends..about 1/4" from the top...that was the whole plan from the start..and you start the other side where you stopped and continue to the other side and repeat..remember about the small tacks? there is a reason for that..can you tell me where the tacks were located after finish weld?..nope..and thats the point of it all..keep'em small and weld over them so it looks as if there were none.. and there you have it..i get all the fun jobs.. ...zap!Last edited by zapster; 01-05-2007 at 04:12 PM.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 job on the TIG welds
Reply:thats how it's done good job zap  ChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:Excellent info again.  Thanks zapVarious 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:OMG....those tig welds are disgusting Zap....I've never seen something so gross in my whole life!!!!  JK. Nice job...as usualMiller blue star 2eLincoln 175
Reply:nice job zap what kind of welder do you tig weld with? and what will the stuff your welding there be used for?thanksJason
Reply:As usual beautiful work and great information.
Reply:Thanks, you taught me two things I did not know. (Small tacs, don't stop on corners)Thermal Arc 185 TigHTP 200 MigCraftsman O/A1942 Bridgeport Mill12 Ton Hyd PressConsew Walking Foot
Reply:Originally Posted by RoosterBoynice job zap what kind of welder do you tig weld with? and what will the stuff your welding there be used for?thanksJason
Reply:Originally Posted by wojeepsterThanks, you taught me two things I did not know. (Small tacs, don't stop on corners)
Reply:Nice Job Zap! MIG follows the same process? running over tacks?My Babies: HF Drill pressHF Pipe Bender3   4.5" Black and Decker angle grindersLincoln Electric PROMIG 175that´s it!
Reply:MIG follows the same process? running over tacks?
Reply:Originally Posted by elvergonNice Job Zap! MIG follows the same process? running over tacks?
Reply:ZAP, does your bossman pay the hour or job. everything you do looks great, but it's all tig. now granted, alot of your stuff is small so i guess tig is fine, but dang it's time consuming. do ya'll ever have to break out the big stuff. i wanna see zap burning some 1/4" 7018's. stuff looks good and thanks for all the info."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:between the spatter from 7018..and the time it takes to clean that mess off..its allmost a trade off as to wich one is "better"and i dont need every door and fan going because of the fumes..saves big time on gas heat...and as far as time goes..the two weldmets took 1 hr 10 min..from cleaning to finish weld..i spend more time with the camera....my boss would rather have everything tigged..we're trying to get the "best welding in the area" reputation..and its working like a charm!!...zap!Last edited by zapster; 01-06-2007 at 12:28 PM.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:i know what ya mean, but that water cooled drum musta taken awhile. it looked like 18" diameter or so."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:Originally Posted by backuprolleri know what ya mean, but that water cooled drum musta taken awhile. it looked like 18" diameter or so.
Reply:looks good ZAP, i'll have to remember to not start on the corners on my next trip out to play in the shop.FWIW if ya TIG a lot ya get faster, not me yet for shore . but the fella down the street spits out an auminum TIG bead like you would'nt believe. he said lots of heat and keep it moveing, his filler hand looked like a junkie in need of a fix. realy cool to watch but its going to be a long time befor i hit that speed. 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 hear ya FUN4NOW, seat time does lead to speed. but guys like me who work for a heavy equipment shop don't really get alot of time to tig. most of my tig is small stuff i do at the house. i wouldn't want to tig new shanks onto a bucket, too many passes. but we spend alot of time on stick and mig. 1/3 of my is spent fabricating, 1/3 is spent stick/ mig, 1/3 spent hardfacing and gouging. ZAP, i was wanting to know in the first post if ya'll ever do stick. or do you just let wog do it?"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:Last time I welded was at Zaps class
Reply:ZAP, i was wanting to know in the first post if ya'll ever do stick. or do you just let wog do it?
Reply:i dont get near enough seet time eather, about 1 tank of argon scence i got it, i figured the time out for an 80 tank once but it comes down to just plane needing more time to get it right and fast. i would guess ZAP TIG's as fast or faster then i MIG. but then agin i dont do that much eather as i dont have a job (fun4now) i do have a few projects to get done but am concentraiting on covers for now as they feed the kids and help with the bills, where my welding is just for artsy stuff i have no place to sell or on things that need fixed of built because we dont have the $$ to buy them. i do have a cat converter i am about to put some pipe reducers on so i can stick it on my truck to get her threw inspection, i supose i could TIG thatjust for the seat time.  but i want to build my TIG cart out of aluminum and it would suck to run out of gas in the middle because i did a pipe job its also got a zink coating on it so that would have to be realy wel removed first. i did get in a cool tank for my cooler project so maybee a lil time on that would be a good idea, but i am changing pumps and dont have the new pump here yet so thers is another stoping block. next comes the question should i build the tig cart then try to build the cooler to fit on it or build the cooler first then the cart so it all fits nice???  i guess i'll just have a few more of these  and think about it, again no seat time.  oh well off to the frige then the shop. 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:your lucky zap, my boss can't even turn my welder on. i bought a spoolgun last week, then drug in an old high freq box i aquired this week. boss comes by and makes some comment like "i sure hope he knows how to use all this". i was in the middle of repairing an ali tailgate for a dumptruck. so i make the comment back to him, "that's why i'm rebuilding this instead of sending it next door" he just says hmph and walks off. i had to stay over a few hours, but the driver was in the truck in the a.m. of saturday.you can take the smartest person in the world and put them in a dump body and their iq's fall to 10(sorry to you rock haulers out there). i understand slamming the tailgate, especially with asphalt, but to back into the pile you just dumped and pull off without the gate."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:your lucky zap, my boss can't even turn my welder on.always good to have a boss who is a frend, that way when he is being an azz you can tell him and he will think about it insted of just fireing you, every one is an azz at some point but not every one can take being told he isnothing against your boss ZAP! sounds like you injoy your job and the people you work with, thats always a good thing, especily if the $$ is good.man i miss working 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 have known my employers pretty much since grade schoolgrew up in the same town...i started working for them in '78we go back a long way..not just as boss and employee...i used to drag race my boss all the time back in the late 70's...on the street..yes we were stupid...and do not try this now!!!!..those was the "good 'ol days" in my book...drag racing on an interstate highway..from a dead start no less...on any given night...you are not doing that now my friends... there was a "transaction" period between the late 70'S and early 80'S where you could actually get away with stuff like that...but not now...not by anyone anywhere...enough nostalgia... but if you like where you work now...stay there.....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.