The Making of another lamp

admin

Found a how to on this lamp in a magazine and wanted to make it for some time, but no place open when I wasn't at work to get the material. So I started to make the top portion of it and it came out crooked as can be. After digging into it there was some angles that were needed that were not specified at all in the magazine. So I drew up the base in torchmate cnc software and sent it to a guy to have him cut it out. He also made the top portion out of flat steel vs the angle iron it called for. Here is everything laid outThe two base pieces slide into each other and put a tack weld on the top and bottomGetting all the sides lined up was kind of a pain in the ***. I was starting to think the way the magazine called for would have been easier to line up and tack, but nevertheless this is what I had to work with. Here is how the corners lined upIt all lined up pretty well, but wasn't exactly square. Just a slight gap to fill on two sides.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:All tacked up.Next are the tabs that lets the top rest to the base. Again kind of difficult to line up. I probably shouldn't have tacked the top plate in first; it would given me a better view.Two of the tabs were too short because of it not being perfectly square, so marked and cut them.All tacked in and then I welded them from the bottomTried a few wire speed settings and tossed the heat setting around from 3 to 4. All this was done on the hobart handler 140 mig 110v. I took more pics, but not a clue where they went.So here is how it sits now. Going to bring it to my dads house and grind all the welds down since my neighbor seems complain if I sneeze too loud and gives me dirty looks. Stay tuned for more later.........Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Holy crap, you cut stuff up nicely.Motorboating...in the Cleavage of the Tetons
Reply:I wish. It was cut on a plasma cncTorchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:CNC good tool for sure, makes life easy.Magazines have issues, everything else has problems
Reply:That's a cool idea! What magazine had that in it?!?! Colored glass for the panels? Handmade paper?200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderThat's a cool idea! What magazine had that in it?!?! Colored glass for the panels? Handmade paper?
Reply:Looking great already. Great design and build. Can't wait to see the finish product and the lights on.
Reply:Ok well I made a little mistake. I ordered the mb980 which will NOT work with the flashlight. I need the mb985, so I just ordered one of those.Anywho, I got to some grinding today.Here is how she sits right nowSo here are some questions. First the easy one. In the last picture there some pitting. Should I weld and grind or continue to grind? There is a few spots like that, hardly noticeable.3rd pic. After some grinding you can now see all 3 pieces of metal. Did I not get proper penetration?Should I weld it and grind it again?All in all so far it's coming out pretty good. Once I fix the small issues I'll fully weld the tabs on, and get something for a light difuser and shade. Stay tuned for more.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Originally Posted by Gamble3rd pic. After some grinding you can now see all 3 pieces of metal. Did I not get proper penetration?
Reply:So here are some questions. First the easy one. In the last picture there some pitting. Should I weld and grind or continue to grind? There is a few spots like that, hardly noticeable.
Reply:Originally Posted by wendellCorrect.  No penetration.  Just piled some cold wire on top of the steel.  Settings and technique could have helped but the primary culprit was joint design.  Butting the multiple plates against each other didn't give you any where for the puddle to go.  Next time fit each plate to make a fillet at the outside edges whoes height is the thickness of the plates (hopethat makes sense).  This joint design gives the puddle some where to live.
Reply:I've made a few "Japanese" style lamps and used white Stained Glass glass and hand made paper. Both work nice. Could use E-6000 to glue the glass inside the frames or double sided automotive trim tape. The thin foam type.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Who sells stained glass and hand made paper? Really prefer not to use any type of glass. Would love plastic.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:It might work......... But what has happened to me is that the bubble just propagates and pops out somewhere else in the puddle......... There may be some tricks but I haven't found one......... So........ If I see it while welding I stop right away because those dang things follow you all the way through the weld........If they are hard to see...... On the lamp....... My vote...... Not knowing any tricks....... Would be to call it good......The lamp looks good.......Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Here's a nice trick...If you're welding steel and get porosity and it just follows the tig torch around (just keeps bubbling and won't go away), flow in some stainless filler, it doesn't react to oxygen the same way (obviously), and it will usually flat out stop the bubbling. Good for covering up areas of porosity.Any any time you're doing an outside corner joint using MIG, just touch the 2 corners of the pieces together and fill in the little "corner" with weld. It makes a nice rounded fillet that's essentially full penetration. Or you can but them up as pictured and just stitch weld the inside, which is probably what I would have done.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Originally Posted by MikeGyverAny any time you're doing an outside corner joint using MIG, just touch the 2 corners of the pieces together and fill in the little "corner" with weld. It makes a nice rounded fillet that's essentially full penetration. .
Reply:If you can't get it to clean up, just use some bondo to fill in the small voids.  I'm assuming you are going to paint it, and it will not show in the end.  Nice and clean look.     That way for your next project you already know how to bevel, and fill.  I usually have to make 2 one for trial and error and one that I use.  Ha ha, nice lamp though.---No good deed goes unpunished---
Reply:So I tig welded over some holes with standard wire (not that I don't believe you guys), but wanted to see for myself and some of the holes while moving the tig torch over it showed how big and deep they really were. I got some of them pretty hot and shoved the rod in there. Mainly because of curious. Ground it all smooth and have less to fix now. Going to try the stainless on the rest and see how it compares. Decided to tack up the next lamp as Mike suggested. Well it's a million times better. Thanks!I didn't get one side tacked correctly so I used the grinding wheel to cut the tacks and try again. Used a C-clamp to hold it down and a big magnet to pull the other end while I got a solid tack on here. Also took the top piece and it was super tight so put it in at an angle and used my hammer and got it to fit how I liked it. Can't wait to start welding this one.Also went to menards and got some thin plexiglass for $2 a piece and they have a frosted look to them once you peel off the plastic. I also picked up some frosted glass paint so I'll see how that works out for the shade. Next I need to find something to use as a difuser for the spot light and haven't a clue what to use.Also if you guys saw my small lamp I made a few months back, I started to make another one today. Bought some 5" square steel 1/8" wall a long time ago and found out I can't cut it really straight so it's been sitting around. Went to a metal place today and tossed him some cash under the table and he cut it up for me. Stacked it all up to see what it will look like. (pics at the bottom)He cut them all pretty well except their bandsaw left a lot of burrs so it took me over an hour with a grinder to smooth out all the edges and the pile is what I'm left with. Should be around 40 pieces that are 3/4" tall. Made a little jig to get them to line up and tack welded on the inside. It's about 15% done right now, only have about 7 of them together (no current pics) also have to buy the parts for the lamp too. Should be about 30" tall when it's done. Attached ImagesLast edited by Gamble; 04-04-2013 at 09:35 PM.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Thanks; I will look them up.Got the second lamp welded up, did this with tig. Probably should have used 3/32 filler to avoid undercut but I didn't have any. Oh we'll.New and correct light came in and works. You have to hold the button on the remote for a second to turn it on or off but it works well. The shade are sprayed frosty white and are not dark enough to my liking yet.Next step is back to grinding both of them.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Originally Posted by GambleWho sells stained glass and hand made paper? Really prefer not to use any type of glass. Would love plastic.
Reply:Which magazine specifically, I wouldn't mind making something like this.
Reply:Handyman Club Magazine. Well it's 99% done. I bought some more acrylic and a scribe. Traced out the size I needed and snapped it. The tops snapped perfectly the straight, the sides are not perfect, but it's ok because it's going on the inside. Did a light coat with the frosted glass spray. Seems no matter what I do there is no way to not get a smudge on these things. Placed them here, but have to still glue them in place once I get rid of the smudges and need to make something for a difuser. The paint is hammered black and looks to have a texture. I got this because it will hide a lot of the imperfections. Grinding the one I tig welded was nice and easy however I really should have used a 3/32 rod because it's easier to grind the remaining away vs adding more 1/16th and could have helped avoid under cut. None the less it's almost done, still have to cut out more acrylic for the second lamp still. Attached ImagesTorchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:That looks pretty slick!  Any possible idea of an issue, or is there a way to upload the plans here.
Reply:Here you gohttp://www.handymanclub.com/digitali...diy/index.htmlIf you want them CNC cut send me a pm. I want to do one completely from hand next.I put a piece of acrylic over the light and tapped it. Couldn't find regular tape so the first thing I grapped was  medical tape and I think that medical tape alone will be a decent light difuser.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal DealerAwesome!  Thanks for the link.  I've been reading some issues and they are pretty good!
Reply:I would try to stay away from acrylic or plexi. The first time you clean it, it will scratch - guaranteed. A coloured stained glas would have hit it out of the park. Nice job on the lamp!Fire!, Fire! Oh wait, that's my torch...Lincoln PT-225 TIGLincoln 175 MIG
Reply:I may do a stained glass down the line, got to find a place first and see if I can find something I will like. I FINALLY got time to finish the other lamp. I had it all cut and welded just didn't have time to do the shade. I tried the spray on 'frosted glass' spray and I didn't like it at all. So this time I just cut it and put it on as is.I put on the 1 side and let it dry over night the other 3 I did today. I wanted to put a balloon in there to put even pressure on each side, but couldn't find one. So I used extra acrylic and pushed it in there both ways and will leave it overnight until the glue dries. So that will be removed. So now I have both lamps on my entertainment center for the time being and when both are on they do light up the room pretty well. So if the power goes out I'll be ready I should buy more of these mr beams stuff and have at least 1 lamp in each room. It's just really cool to have a wireless lamp controlled by a remote. Next week I have to continue on my other lamp and when that is done I have another one that I want to try and build. That should be a fun one. Attached ImagesTorchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer