Welding barrels together?

admin

Good evening! As I stated in my intro post, I do have some welding experience but this is a new one...my s/o asked me to weld a couple of old rusty burn barrels together to make a forge for his father (he is a blacksmith and his dad is learning also)....so I thought, 'ok I can make an attempt'..........which I did and promptly failed ...one barrel is cut in half so is thinner than the barrel it is sitting on top of...I was to tack weld the two together...the outer ridge of the bottom barrel is thicker than the upper barrel and I blew right threw it...Most of the google search about "welding 2 thicknesses together" are talking about MIG welding, I have a torch...any tips/advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance
Reply:Shouls be able to torch weld them with a smaller tip and filler. Whats the smallest tip you have? set the gas at equal PSI maybe 3-5.
Reply:Thanks for the response. I believe the tip I have is a 1? And had the gas set to 4, and o2 set to 20
Reply:Originally Posted by GazThanks for the response. I believe the tip I have is a 1? And had the gas set to 4, and o2 set to 20
Reply:You may need to drop to size 0 or 00 for stuff that thin.  I always would set the acetylene to 5 PSI and the oxygen to about 10-15 PSI when welding sheets as thin as that.
Reply:Start a weld puddle on the thicker material first. The thin stuff will heat much faster. Try flowing metal into your fill space instead of actually heating the thin material. Since its a barrel. Lay it on its side and Rotate it. It'll be much easier in  a horizontal position(you standing over it).Using Tapatalk
Reply:Welcome TexasTJJerry30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:Whether it is #1, 0, or 00 tip, keep pressures equal a 3-5 and adjust to a neutral flame.
Reply:Also, regarding equipment, I assume you are you are talking about an oxygen/acetelyene set up and you have the welding, not cutting tips.
Reply:I've got to say that I just don't see trying to build a forge out of a couple of rusty old drums as a very good idea.  I think it would be a lot of time, effort, pucking about (not to mention aggravation) for something that's not going to last very long or work all that well.  Unless you plan on pouring a pretty substantial refractory lining in it, it will just burn right up.    I think you might want to do some more research into how forges are made before starting this project.   I know there's several guys on theses forums who are into artisanal black smithing.   Hopefully some of them will chime in and maybe post pictures of the ones they've built (or bought) for themselves to use.
Reply:Use a small tip (Probably a 0 or even 00).  Concentrate your heat on the thicker piece.  Use 3-5 pounds for both settings.  Add filler as you begin to melt the thicker material and it will melt into the thinner material.
Reply:This might make a good read for you too, while on the subject of welding on barrels/drums.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...lding-on-drums
Reply:Originally Posted by 4956I've got to say that I just don't see trying to build a forge out of a couple of rusty old drums as a very good idea.  I think it would be a lot of time, effort, pucking about (not to mention aggravation) for something that's not going to last very long or work all that well.  Unless you plan on pouring a pretty substantial refractory lining in it, it will just burn right up.    I think you might want to do some more research into how forges are made before starting this project.   I know there's several guys on theses forums who are into artisanal black smithing.   Hopefully some of them will chime in and maybe post pictures of the ones they've built (or bought) for themselves to use.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWI went a different way with my coal forge and did a more traditional table and fire pot design that I detailed here.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?146321-Coal-forge
Reply:As far as the "ring" depends on the anvil. I have a Fisher that is a high quality cast anvil with a steel face plate and it rings completely different than my Trenton does. The Fisher's are considered a "quiet" anvil since they don't really ring. They are highly sought after by smiths who work in urban areas and want to keep the noise down. My Trenton sounds like you struck a bell when you hit it. My fisher has more of a "thud". I'll probably try a couple of the typical "tricks" to try and quiet the Trenton down some, wrap a chain around the base,  silicone the anvil to the stump and so on.When I test an anvil I'm listening for "sour" spots. especially with anvils with "welded" or cast in place steel faces. A noticeable change in tone often can be a sign of a loose face or a crack. I often look at rebound more than the ring, since each brand will ring a bit different, and even within the same brand, bigger sizes will ring a bit different than say smaller ones. On the ring, they check train wheels the same way for cracks. They hit the wheel with a sledge and listen for a thud rather than a ring. A thud means something isn't right with that wheel.Recesses are usually part of the manufacturing process. Not all anvils have them, but the recess can help identify between brands on similar shaped anvils. Many anvils were forge welded together at the waist. The recess may be due to the forging process. They did this very similar to how you forge weld small items, but on a much bigger scale when you start talking about 150 to 500 plus pound anvils. They would forge the two halves separate and then heat both pieces to welding temp in a large furnace and place both pieces under a huge drop hammer and beat them together in some cases. In others wrought iron bases had steel faces welded to them in a similar process. I had my small Fisher set up on a sand bucket with a wooden base for a bit. It really didn't move much if any at all. I had it set up that way while I determined exactly how high I wanted the face to be. It was easy to add/subtract sand from the bucket to adjust the height quickly. Now that I have the height pretty well set, I'll mount my new Trenton at the same height and see how it does.Plenty of good info on Iforgeiron on testing and evaluating anvils. There are guys there who have been doing this for years and know all the ins and outs of this. It's also a good place to get information on brands and quality etc. There are quite a few IFI members on here..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I thought the real way to test the ring was to put them face to face with a quarter stick and pray no one parked a prius nearby.