Kenny_McCormic
Kartless....
Man, I should have videoed arc welding the spindles on my go cart.
Found the perfect welder! #7
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Dangit... too bad aww, such a shame, they could have been unique but they decided to conform
its metal so it dissipates heat well, meaning you will only see molten metal while welding unless u use a gas torch to weld but thats completely different anyway. a good weld will glow orange for a couple secs after you've welded, and it should glow all the way through to the other side as well as around. if it doesnt, the metals aren't connected well meaning you've missed the whole point.
as a side note, the point isnt just to heat it up, thats just a byproduct and a good indicator of a decent weld. more heat will mean the metal you're welding will warp more, no good. so it's a balancing act.
one trick to check if the weld went in deep enough after the metal has cooled down (if you're using steel) is to flip the piece over to the back of the weld and look for the color change on the steel (if you heat up steel it gets a sort of rainbow effect with blue and purple and such, i think its partial oxidizing)
I have a slight rainbow effect... on the lawnmower blades you can't see it (... rusted and lots of... yeah). But since I welded that new piece of metal, on the other side... there's a slight rainbow effect. Kinda like when you see oil mixed with water.
Kenny_McCormic
Kartless....
Welding both sides is a good idea unless the back is clearly melted together.
Well, you're correct there 
I was too lazy to grind off everything little thing, so I usually just welded it hapzardly without cleaning
So, considering the welds I've pictured above, if I welded both sides (on whatever project I'm doing), could I start welding bigger things?
I was too lazy to grind off everything little thing, so I usually just welded it hapzardly without cleaning So, considering the welds I've pictured above, if I welded both sides (on whatever project I'm doing), could I start welding bigger things?
"lose", more like spend, its not a waste of money.
start welding whatever you want, just keep in mind how replacable it is, and decide how essential the welds are. if it's gonna keep you safe at up to 80mph like the trike im building, thats way different than the 25mph kart running on grass. if a weld breaks who cares, but if my weld breaks and im on the freeway thats big trouble.
start welding whatever you want, just keep in mind how replacable it is, and decide how essential the welds are. if it's gonna keep you safe at up to 80mph like the trike im building, thats way different than the 25mph kart running on grass. if a weld breaks who cares, but if my weld breaks and im on the freeway thats big trouble.
lol i lost what i was typing so here we go again:
Whats a safe weld? When it's strong enough for its purposes. An offroad kart will probably into get into a crash with another one, but maybe a tree or rock. Get a big hammer and if you cant break test welds, thats pretty much your answer. Cleanliness of welds isnt a requirements, but it happens that usually the strongest welds are also the cleanest and most efficient. Maybe the ugly weld can hold 800lb while the nice one 1500lb but either will probably be fine for your purposes.
If you wanna sell stuff you weld or weld professionally, or show your stuff in a car show or something, then the requirements change completely as people get very picky, but if its not about looks, just test the strength and if it passes youre good.
If you can break the weld, i guarantee your body and all the inertia of a moving kart will certainly be able to break it too, so test it very well.
As for where to buy steel and what to buy, it depends on the complexity of the frame. I stick to 1" square 16gauge tubing which is fine if the frame is triangulated and not just a ladder chassis but has some good vertical elements. the simpler the chassis, the thicker stuff needs to be. (i always trust the better design anyway, safety first)
Whats a safe weld? When it's strong enough for its purposes. An offroad kart will probably into get into a crash with another one, but maybe a tree or rock. Get a big hammer and if you cant break test welds, thats pretty much your answer. Cleanliness of welds isnt a requirements, but it happens that usually the strongest welds are also the cleanest and most efficient. Maybe the ugly weld can hold 800lb while the nice one 1500lb but either will probably be fine for your purposes.
If you wanna sell stuff you weld or weld professionally, or show your stuff in a car show or something, then the requirements change completely as people get very picky, but if its not about looks, just test the strength and if it passes youre good.
If you can break the weld, i guarantee your body and all the inertia of a moving kart will certainly be able to break it too, so test it very well.
As for where to buy steel and what to buy, it depends on the complexity of the frame. I stick to 1" square 16gauge tubing which is fine if the frame is triangulated and not just a ladder chassis but has some good vertical elements. the simpler the chassis, the thicker stuff needs to be. (i always trust the better design anyway, safety first)
Well... the first time's I've welded, they all broke within 10 hits with an average worker's hammer. Ever since, it was either no breaking (35+ hits on everything before giving up)...
newrider - Gotcha. I'll buy some cheap steel and start welding up parts that aren't really important (front bumpers, ect ect)
Nice shop Roy!
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