A quick tip to check your combo square in order to make sure it’s square. Put the slide rule out 8” or so and hold it against a flat edge and draw a line the length of the rule. Flip the square over with the flip of the wrist, and the line that you drew should still line up. Simple as a line and a flip
Man you’re awesome! Thank you, I really learned a lot from this video. I know I can buy a square that’s machined exactly to 90 degrees but I just wanted to challenge myself… I just wanted the learning experience. I believe where I messed up was actually running a bead on it…😂 If I would have tacked it like you did and kept checking to see how much it pulled I think I would have done a lot better and also I had all the mill scale off the angle iron. I soaked it in vinegar over night and it will basically wipe off the next day.. Then I used a scotch brite clean and strip XT pro disc on it with my angle grinder. So it was perfectly clean. The scotch brite disc will actually remove mill scale by itself and they don’t hardly remove any metal… But anyway thank you for the advice… I’m definitely not gonna give up… 👍🏼 I basically tacked it just like you did to begin with and then I ran a bead on it…
I am always too impatient to wait for the vinegar trick but I have heard that works well. I wish millscale wasn’t a thing 😅. I am glad you learned some things and aren’t going to give up. That’s the key to welding (and life in general) is to keep going even when it’s hard 😀
Definitely on the must buy list for me for a while. Having a solid 90 degree square will make it way easier to make square stuff. I am sure that’s 100% worth it.
Lots of great info as usual. You are a good teacher. Your wire brushes are hilarious!! "Do your best, Grind the rest" & "If you could weld you wouldn't need me"
Thanks for the kind words 😀. I have a bunch of other funny brushes around the shop, every new one I buy I put something on it 😅. I will have to bust some more of them out soon.
Challenge accepted. I found some galvanized 2"x2"x3/16" angle iron in the scrap bin. It should be possible to use stick and 6013 electrodes for the exercise, I guess. I will remove the zinc before welding. I will use a respirator to avoid breathing the bad fumes when grinding it off. Cheers.
Excellent! I learned a lot by watching this and had some questions answered too. I was aware that welding heat/cool distorts the metal, but wasn't sure how to deal with it. Spot welds make sense, and I love that you talk us through what you are thinking, approaches considered and "Conclusion". 🙂 Quick question about spot welds, is there a different technique to "spot weld" versus making a "tack"?
So regarding a spot weld vs a tack weld…. Spot welds are generally done on thin material. On super thin material it’s common to spot weld the whole thing rather than run a bead, because it reduces warping. A spot weld is often the completed weld for sheet metal, i.e. no further welding on that area will be done. A tack weld is generally a bit bigger and will be welded over with a bead. Some people (myself included) tend to somewhat use the two terms interchangeably, but I would say they actually are two different things.
What dry cut saw do you have? Just curious. I have an Evolution S380CPS, and it's pretty accurate, once you set it up properly. Thanks again for another great video
I have a northern tool dry cut (I believe it’s a klutch brand). It has served me well, I generally only buy evolution blades though. I have had better luck with their blades than most of the other stuff out there.
Feeler gauges can help getting things aligned. Once it’s built if it’s off by a bit you can use a torch to pull it to square by making little weld dots which will shrink when they cool.
Haha, it’s a temp cover for a sewer. If I could find a flywheel for a locomotive that would be awesome. The Mack trucks I work on have decent flywheels, I bet a trains would be solid as hell lol.
any experience with flame straightening. i wanna make a jig to hold two map gas burners to heat warped stuff from opposite sides to straighten. i saw a few videos on DOT contractors straightening bridge beams after accidents.
I use a oxy acetylene torch all the time to straighten things. Most of the time it’s with a “heat and beat” process. However very small changes can be made via heating small areas and allowing to cool. This is common in old school auto body and in driveshaft manufacturing. When I get around to shooting torch videos I will cover tricks for straight if bent stuff. Rarely do I use a torch to cut stuff, 95% of the time I use them to straighten something or remove a bearing race.
A quick tip to check your combo square in order to make sure it’s square. Put the slide rule out 8” or so and hold it against a flat edge and draw a line the length of the rule. Flip the square over with the flip of the wrist, and the line that you drew should still line up. Simple as a line and a flip
Yup, same principle for a spirit level.
Man you’re awesome! Thank you, I really learned a lot from this video. I know I can buy a square that’s machined exactly to 90 degrees but I just wanted to challenge myself… I just wanted the learning experience. I believe where I messed up was actually running a bead on it…😂 If I would have tacked it like you did and kept checking to see how much it pulled I think I would have done a lot better and also I had all the mill scale off the angle iron. I soaked it in vinegar over night and it will basically wipe off the next day.. Then I used a scotch brite clean and strip XT pro disc on it with my angle grinder. So it was perfectly clean. The scotch brite disc will actually remove mill scale by itself and they don’t hardly remove any metal… But anyway thank you for the advice… I’m definitely not gonna give up… 👍🏼 I basically tacked it just like you did to begin with and then I ran a bead on it…
I am always too impatient to wait for the vinegar trick but I have heard that works well. I wish millscale wasn’t a thing 😅. I am glad you learned some things and aren’t going to give up. That’s the key to welding (and life in general) is to keep going even when it’s hard 😀
I got a Fireball tool square. It’s been a game changer for stuff like this.
Definitely on the must buy list for me for a while. Having a solid 90 degree square will make it way easier to make square stuff. I am sure that’s 100% worth it.
Lots of great info as usual. You are a good teacher. Your wire brushes are hilarious!! "Do your best, Grind the rest" & "If you could weld you wouldn't need me"
Thanks for the kind words 😀. I have a bunch of other funny brushes around the shop, every new one I buy I put something on it 😅. I will have to bust some more of them out soon.
Challenge accepted. I found some galvanized 2"x2"x3/16" angle iron in the scrap bin. It should be possible to use stick and 6013 electrodes for the exercise, I guess. I will remove the zinc before welding. I will use a respirator to avoid breathing the bad fumes when grinding it off. Cheers.
Great video man 💯 keep it coming
Excellent! I learned a lot by watching this and had some questions answered too. I was aware that welding heat/cool distorts the metal, but wasn't sure how to deal with it. Spot welds make sense, and I love that you talk us through what you are thinking, approaches considered and "Conclusion". 🙂 Quick question about spot welds, is there a different technique to "spot weld" versus making a "tack"?
So regarding a spot weld vs a tack weld…. Spot welds are generally done on thin material. On super thin material it’s common to spot weld the whole thing rather than run a bead, because it reduces warping. A spot weld is often the completed weld for sheet metal, i.e. no further welding on that area will be done. A tack weld is generally a bit bigger and will be welded over with a bead. Some people (myself included) tend to somewhat use the two terms interchangeably, but I would say they actually are two different things.
Thanks man.
No problem 😀
What dry cut saw do you have? Just curious. I have an Evolution S380CPS, and it's pretty accurate, once you set it up properly. Thanks again for another great video
I have a northern tool dry cut (I believe it’s a klutch brand). It has served me well, I generally only buy evolution blades though. I have had better luck with their blades than most of the other stuff out there.
Really good job. I didn’t think you could get that close. Would using a feeler gauge have helped the process?
Thanks Greg!
Feeler gauges can help getting things aligned. Once it’s built if it’s off by a bit you can use a torch to pull it to square by making little weld dots which will shrink when they cool.
What can you use the square for if stuff will move on you never mind the effort you put into keeping it from moving?
is your bench a locomotive flywheel? ive always wanted one!
Haha, it’s a temp cover for a sewer. If I could find a flywheel for a locomotive that would be awesome. The Mack trucks I work on have decent flywheels, I bet a trains would be solid as hell lol.
any experience with flame straightening. i wanna make a jig to hold two map gas burners to heat warped stuff from opposite sides to straighten. i saw a few videos on DOT contractors straightening bridge beams after accidents.
I use a oxy acetylene torch all the time to straighten things. Most of the time it’s with a “heat and beat” process. However very small changes can be made via heating small areas and allowing to cool. This is common in old school auto body and in driveshaft manufacturing. When I get around to shooting torch videos I will cover tricks for straight if bent stuff. Rarely do I use a torch to cut stuff, 95% of the time I use them to straighten something or remove a bearing race.
nice project... 16ga angle?
1/8in, so a bit thicker 😀.