bed rail

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On another note, how is bed railing to weld. I know it is painted and all but how would it be to weld. I have welded it before arc welding but not wire. It is kinda springy. I have an old bed frame, was wondering if it can be welded.
Reply:Not a problem welding it with mig. just don't use it for anything critical and make sure you grind to bare metal.They throw everything in the melting pot. I've built several welding carts from bed frames.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:As jb said don't use it where it will be subject to vibration or high stress. It will probably crack next to the weld.                                    MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:I was thinking of making a lawn cart for my tractor with it. Do you think it be good enough to weld with regular steel?
Reply:Lot of people use it but its high carbon steel and is hard on hacksaw blades and drills.It is subject to cracking near welds.I buy new steel.Projects built with scrap always look like scrap.I give to a friend.He uses it for small projects and knows its limitations.
Reply:Projects built with scrap always look like scrap
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammerI must respectfully disagree with this statement.
Reply:it aint the steel that makes the project..if you cant make scrap look good, buy new stuff i guess.
Reply:@WeldingMachine: Holy crap, that's awesome!  Any chance of you starting a thread on how you built it?  Great detail!
Reply:I am glad that this thread was started as I have some bed rails sitting in my scrap metal pile that I figured I'd use for one project or another.. I learned a lot from this discussion... thanks guys. That motorcycle...... is just sic.... I mean Wow.... just Wow!! That is some serious attention to detail, to say nothing of the skill required to put it together. Two thumbs up!!Qualified & experienced at welding scrap metal
Reply:Originally Posted by thorshammeri must respectfully disagree with this statement.
Reply:nice motorcycle, i want one
Reply:Working with bed rail is not worth the aggravation.  It like working with material that fights back.
Reply:Don't want to influence the folks taking advantage of free metal. Something falls in your lap and you have to take for sure, but if you need to acquire some angle for some little project you should consider buying a chunk of new stuff every now and then. I'll bet you'd be surprised at how little a 20' stick of inch and a half angle actually costs. Go to a supplier and check it out. Cheaper than a pizza. What I do is pick up a piece of steel I don't need when I go in to get steel for a project. Next thing you know you have this little pile of steel laying around."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyDon't want to influence the folks taking advantage of free metal. Something falls in your lap and you have to take for sure, but if you need to acquire some angle for some little project you should consider buying a chunk of new stuff every now and then. I'll bet you'd be surprised at how little a 20' stick of inch and a half angle actually costs. Go to a supplier and check it out. Cheaper than a pizza. What I do is pick up a piece of steel I don't need when I go in to get steel for a project. Next thing you know you have this little pile of steel laying around.
Reply:The local steel supplier has a "scrap" section for ten cents per pound. I stop by and rummage around, putting my picks on the scale, then settle up with the man.  They have aluminum and stainless scrap too, but that's beyond my scope at this time.  It's nice having some steel on hand for small projects.
Reply:Thank you to everyone for the input.Old LIncoln 225Millermatic
Reply:This one is a no brainer. Not a matter for personal opinions, "do you think" and all the opinionists have used bed rail steel that was made from different heat lots with different composition, so their experiences are irrelevant. Prep a coupon, weld it 1G, bend it manually in your bench vise by slipping a 4' pipe over the coupon. You will know if the material is weldable. Whole process takes 15 minutes. Bed rail is usuaually high chrome, so I would use ER9018 and preheat.
Reply:From my experience, bed rail steel is hardened and will crack at the edge of the weld quite easily. It usually welds ok, but it breaks very easily too.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:dfgdgfgWelding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com