Can I weld this?

[user53]

Alright, so here's the deal. If I could use this, I'd like to.

A while back, while doing some work on the road, they pulled up several street signs, and put them off to the side, which happen to be in my back woods. Well, when they were done, they replaced the signs with new ones, and after they sat there for a while, I figured they were free game, and nabbed them.

So, I would like to use the sign posts for parts of the frame, at least the sides, possibly more. What I'm wondering is, will this weld up nice? I'm not sure what type of metal it is, but it is 1/8" thick. I only have a 130 amp 110v volt welder, and was wondering if anybody knew if I could weld this fine. I'm worried this won't weld well, and I don't want to have other critical parts...snap off...

I can weld pretty well, so, what do you think? Can I weld this fine with my welder, and will it be fine? I've got several of these (12ft long) and would love to be able to use them.

Here's some pictures, so you know what I'm talking about...also, they look wet/dirty in the post, because they have been sitting outside for some time, and I sprayed it down with the hose before taking the pictures. Obviously I will be cleaning them up more/grinding the areas where the welds will be, if I use it.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1313-1.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1314-1.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1315-1.jpg

Thoughts?

Thanks for the input!

[kibble]

Looks like it may be galvanized, which would make the fumes really bad, but other than that, I don't think it should be an issue. Just make sure you have proper ventilation.

[user53]

Alright, that's what I had been thinking.

Don't worry, I always weld in a well ventilated area. ..or at least, almost always:sifone:

Thanks!

I'm still going to do a practice weld on the end of one of them before using them, make sure it seems strong. Can't be too cautious.

[robertdjung]

They're certainly galvanized, and ZINC FUMES CAN KILL. Other than that, they won't be as strong as a round or square tube, but you might be able to find some use. Of course, being weaker, you'll use more... meaning heavier... meaning you need more power... meaning you need more frame.

I don't have any experience with them, just my $.02

[user53]

Well, I'm not sure if I will be using them or not. Time will tell.

I just did a test weld on them. I used some .75" square tube that I had in my scrap metal pile. It's a piece I've used for setting the wire feed rate. Since it had several beads on it, I couldn't lay it down flush, but I gave it a try anyway, since I had nothing better to do:rolleyes3:

I welded it on at the end (lengthwise), and threw a small bead down, about an inch or so. Since the square tube I was putting on the end didn't lay flush (about 1/32" gap), I couldn't get a good bead down, and the square tube wasn't grounding the best. My really sh*tty and really quick bead (if you want to call it a bead:mad2: ) was strong enough that I could lift the 12' post with it. After I beat on it for a while, I was able to break it, but since the weld was..horrible... it's understandable I was able to break it.

So, my conclusion: If I actually am welding it properly, it should work out fine.

Given the weight of the metal, I haven't decided if I'm going to use it yet. I'm going to weigh it, and then see how much 12' of square tubing weighs, and see if the difference is worth using square tubing. I'm honestly not sure which weighs more, since I've never lifted a 12' piece of square tubing.

[fluxcored]

Grind to clean metal surface up to an inch away from your joints and your weld bead will be better.

I've had zinc fever - it's a drag. Be careful.

[user53]

Yeah, thats what I usually do, I just didn't feel like busting out the grinder for my test:rolleyes:

[robertdjung]

Seriously, don't breathe it.

[user53]

Just out of curiosity, how cheap are you all finding steel for frames? Cheapest I've been able to find is...
(all prices per inch)

.19 for 1 square, .0625 thick
.36 for 1 square, .120 thick
.31 for 1.25 square, .0625 thick
.55 for 1.25 square, .125 thick
.42 for 1.5 square, .0825 thick
.54 for 1.5 square, .120 thick

Given the cost of these materials, and figuring that I will need a absolute minimum of 20ft, it looks like the frame itself (assuming it were a totally bare bones frame, basically a square..) would cost in the range of $100-$150, and that hasn't even touched the steering components, axles, ect. that also need to be fabricated from steel.

Are these prices actually average? It seems quite high. I would like a light frame, but if I can use this stuff, and save in the neighborhood of $120, I might just do that. Plus, I still haven't weighted this stuff and calculated how much more the frame would weight if I were to use this vs square tubing.