MetalCraftSolved
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2010
- Location
- NC
I thought this was a nice opportunity to share some simple fab tips with the off road DIY community, and up coming fabsters.... Or anyone who is interested in this little tech article, based on sanding and welding. This is a simple "do it yourself" beadlock kit, and some wheels that one of my customers bought, and here it is.... Ready to be set up, and welded. As I started this little project I was quick to notice, it did not come with instructions. This may be normal for weld on kits. I'm not sure, this is the first one I've done.
The main reason for this article is to point out some simple fabrication steps that many don't take into consideration when they are welding. I know guys that can run good beads all day on a tight and clean weld joint, but they wonder what happened after they welded through powder coat. Like their so focused on their puddle, or their technique, but they are over looking the real problems. So, I'm going to show you what I ran into, and what I did about it.
First I used just about anything I could get my hands on to remove the powder coat from my future weld seam. When you weld through paint, it causes your weld arc to skip, breath bad air, make bubbles, etc. These bubbles and holes could actually make the tire lose air pressure, and go flat. The paint has got to go, if your looking to make the best weld possible.... I actually removed the powder coat from the inside of the wheel also.
Then I centered up the inner ring and made sure the incoming bolts did not interfere with the placement of the valve stem hole.
Rather than quickly welding my inner ring to the wheel, and then grinding my weld off? I decided to sand off the excess material first, and then weld. The goal is to not sand my weld at all.... This particular ring is there for strength, and I want it as strong as it can be.
My weapon of choice was a 5 inch x 7/8 inch - 40 grit flapper wheel.
If you look at the trajectory of the sparks, you can see that they are not flying straight out in front. This type of sanding wheel has a sweet spot. You can also see that I am not applying any more pressure than the weight of the grinder. Simply just holding it in the sweet spot where it wants to eat.
I have a lot of luck with this technique, because it makes the flap discs last a really long time. I started the project with a brand new disc, and it was still in great shape when I was done with all of these wheels.
So back to the weld seam. You can see, after I made the edge flush with the ring, I took another step to sand a chamfer almost all the way to center of my weld. I want to lay this weld down smooth, where it looks like it is rolling across the top of the wheel.
Then I took an 80 grit, dual action sanding pad to my product, and finished it off by blowing all the dust away with the air hose. All the dust down in that crack will play games with your weld.
I made sure my tungsten were clean and sharp, with 100 grit.
All the mess is basically in one spot for easy clean up.
You want to do your best not to warp anything so, weld from one side to the other, staying in the cooler areas. This will also help the looks of your welds. If it's too hot, your going to far.
Rotate your wheels, and start preparing something else to work on.
Thought I'd share. Have fun....
David
The main reason for this article is to point out some simple fabrication steps that many don't take into consideration when they are welding. I know guys that can run good beads all day on a tight and clean weld joint, but they wonder what happened after they welded through powder coat. Like their so focused on their puddle, or their technique, but they are over looking the real problems. So, I'm going to show you what I ran into, and what I did about it.
First I used just about anything I could get my hands on to remove the powder coat from my future weld seam. When you weld through paint, it causes your weld arc to skip, breath bad air, make bubbles, etc. These bubbles and holes could actually make the tire lose air pressure, and go flat. The paint has got to go, if your looking to make the best weld possible.... I actually removed the powder coat from the inside of the wheel also.
Then I centered up the inner ring and made sure the incoming bolts did not interfere with the placement of the valve stem hole.
Rather than quickly welding my inner ring to the wheel, and then grinding my weld off? I decided to sand off the excess material first, and then weld. The goal is to not sand my weld at all.... This particular ring is there for strength, and I want it as strong as it can be.
My weapon of choice was a 5 inch x 7/8 inch - 40 grit flapper wheel.
If you look at the trajectory of the sparks, you can see that they are not flying straight out in front. This type of sanding wheel has a sweet spot. You can also see that I am not applying any more pressure than the weight of the grinder. Simply just holding it in the sweet spot where it wants to eat.
I have a lot of luck with this technique, because it makes the flap discs last a really long time. I started the project with a brand new disc, and it was still in great shape when I was done with all of these wheels.
So back to the weld seam. You can see, after I made the edge flush with the ring, I took another step to sand a chamfer almost all the way to center of my weld. I want to lay this weld down smooth, where it looks like it is rolling across the top of the wheel.
Then I took an 80 grit, dual action sanding pad to my product, and finished it off by blowing all the dust away with the air hose. All the dust down in that crack will play games with your weld.
I made sure my tungsten were clean and sharp, with 100 grit.
All the mess is basically in one spot for easy clean up.
You want to do your best not to warp anything so, weld from one side to the other, staying in the cooler areas. This will also help the looks of your welds. If it's too hot, your going to far.
Rotate your wheels, and start preparing something else to work on.
Thought I'd share. Have fun....
David
