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Got a call this week from son Brink M.E. that a friend of his needed a little welding project done for a navigation exercise coming up with the Boy Scouts group his friend works with.  The "military style" exercise involves using a topographical map to find their way from one clue point to another.  Game clues are going to be placed in ammo boxes mounted to stakes (the welding project) throughout the woods.Brink M.E. dropped the materials off to the shop while Judy and I were in San Antonio this past week and today I went to work and got them done so he can pick them up tomorrow to get them set out in the woods on Monday.  Never worked with surplus ammo boxes before and found out right quick how thin they are.  Made to be lightweight so you're carrying ammo (the important stuff) and not a heavy metal box to boot.Boxes came to me painted (over a little surface rust) along with the stakes and formed angle that I cut to length to mount the boxes.  Being as thin as they are they couldn't take much grinding to clean them up.  They're thin enough as it is and of the 104 spot welds used to mount them all, I burnt thru about a dozen and had quite the time welding them closed.  Had to sneak up on them a little at a time so to speak.  I just tacked them to the angles so they'll be easier to remove should that be desired down the road.  The boxes are  little "bouncy" on the stakes and will have to be supported when driving in the ground but the design was approved by the "customer" upon building the first two.A total of 13 units all together.  11-13 are a little smaller than 1-10.Tilted downward slightly to allow the lid to clear the stake when opened.Many of the tacks were porous due to contamination from the surface rust and paint I couldn't get and some got ground down and redone as a result.  Not these though.Angle to stake example.. . . and one more in Post #2 . . .Last edited by duaneb55; 10-12-2013 at 11:37 PM.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:. . . showing MM200 settings including the Spot Weld timer and Burn-Back settings.  Main settings were left the same for tacking and continuous beads.Nothing earthshaking but fun just the same.Thanks for looking.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:You did good. Those T posts can be iffy from one brand to another too."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:Don't know why, but this project reminded me of when I did Land Navigation in the Marines. They set us loose out on Camp Pendleton with a topographical map, a compass, and a "Good Luck!" Had to find about a half dozen T-posts out in the middle of nowhere with dog tags on them. Then, when we had found our assigned posts, we got to do it all over again at night. Oh the good times... Ok. Back on track. Good work Duane! Gotta help out the Boy Scouts.
Reply:Thanks for the kind words guys. Originally Posted by SandyThose T posts can be iffy from one brand to another too.
Reply:Good on ya man.  Love helping the Boy Scouts. Defiantly reminds me of land nav courses from my Army days. I have an up coming project to help my oldest get his Eagle scout. He is rebuilding a small playground and the teeter totter is in serious need of repair. I just got the pipe the other day. Since it is HIS project, guess who is going to do the grinding and welding.  I guess ol' dad may help a bit with the cutting and fitting. If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55Actually musicbc, that's probably because that's exactly what the exercise is fashioned after.  Brink M.E.'s friend was an active Marine in the past and that's how it works as he explained it to me.