10lb spool on an HF welder?

[Flexibel_kampfe]

I just came across this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VI8ucN4XRs

Does this seem do-able...

Obviously I am a little smarter than this guy... I wont use wood, nor will I hold the spool inplace with vicegrips, but rather a flange welded on. I may also, use 2" pipe, stepped down to 3/4... (I dont have any 2" metal bits.. nor am I building this out of 5" angle...

 

[Doc Sprocket]

That's sad. A welder makes a welding cart out of... Wood? What's wrong with this guy??? I'm sure you'll do much better, Flex!

 

[Flexibel_kampfe]

Hell yea... Im not a hypocrite... scolding Blue for the idea of making a welding cart of wood, only to do it myself...

I bought a decent amount of 1in square... 48ft.. at $55 for two 24ft lengths... I had to squeeze 4x 12ft lengths into the car... because it was free to have them chopped in two... but $20 minimum to have them chopped to 6ft lengths...

Not too bad if I do say so myself.. then another $5 @ HD for a small 1.5in round pipe extender..that way I can put the roll on it... a little small I figure is better than a little big... now I just have to solder that on(its brass... they didnt have steel... or wait, they had steel... the same size.. for $10... Ill sand then solder it(its chrome plated...)

 

[Flexibel_kampfe]

I did end up really working on it... but I am trying now to calculate how high the welder should be off the ground, yet not have it tip...

The spool, thats 8" diametre? Or Radius?

I also learned that cutting with a sawzall sux, since it throws blades like a freaking ninja... I think its time for Oxy-Fuel... but unlikely... too dam expensive.. to setup anyway..

 

[Bluethunder3320]

doesnt need to be that high off the ground. i saw a mini acetylene torch at home depot for 150... ya expensive, and gas is pretty dangerous i avoid it.

oh do you have anyhting to say about the cooling fan in the welder? i heard some people say they needed to upgrade it.

 

[Flexibel_kampfe]

Works fine for me... I dont pay too much attention to the Duty Cycle... I just occasionally look over to see if it tripped... not yet, and I have had to do some pretty long welds...

The reason i want it moderately high, is so I can throw a few things under it... as well as keeping the spool off the ground... also, so I can sling my leads, although i might make a riser for that...


Gas is not all that dangerous. It just requires proper protocols... Its no more dangerous than soldering... only with bigger more powerful tanks...

Besides.. I dont want acetylene... too expensive... I'd go with O2+LPG... perfect for cutting, not so much for welding, good for brazing...

 

[Doc Sprocket]

8" Diameter. And I do all my cutting with abrasive wheels on an angle grinder. FWIW, I think my welding cart sits the machine about 24" off the ground.

 

[Flexibel_kampfe]

Well Ill post some pics later. I did it a tad different than his. Instead of making it straight across, I made it on a crook(this was a "happy accident"), with a small piece that will be tack welded onto the end(just enough so I can Bash it off with a hammer... yet not fall off)...

Now the trick is to watch how it unspools. I fear it may move left to right a bit, due to the winding. Dam, I should have gotten the wire yesterday.. so for now I am guessing at certain tings...

It is made out of 3/4-1in(I bought 1in yesteday, because 90% of it is for the go-kart... I doubt it would be good to build it out of 3/4.. And the spool will sit on a piece of 1.5in Pipe extender... it was a PITA to weld on, since its brass, Chrome Plated... I managed to tho, with a quick tack here and there...

 

[Doc Sprocket]

I dont pay too much attention to the Duty Cycle... I just occasionally look over to see if it tripped

Just thought I'd point out that what "trips" has absolutely nothing to do with the duty cycle- it's a circuit breaker.

These machines will far exceed their duty cycles, but it will significantly shorten the lifespan of the machine. Try to keep mental tabs on how long you're burning at a stretch.

 

[r97]

my lincoln shuts down and a little light turns on when it over heats, only happens when i'm going crazy with like 20 4" welds one after another, or when i got it on max with the wfs set low (so i'm going really slow). when mine over heats i put my ventilation fan so its pointing twards the welder, then move it back while i'm welding (in a garage)

 

[Flexibel_kampfe]

I again must have used the wrong phrasing.... When I said "trip" I meant that the light turned on.. that the sensor was tripped..

 

[T-man]

hey Flex ... this is what I did with mine. I took one of those 2lb spools and broke off one side and then inserted that into the 10lb spool ... has been working great.

might be an option.

 

[Flexibel_kampfe]

I dont have the room under the actual panel... else I would..

 

[Bluethunder3320]

ya the HF welders are small... good for carrying but small space inside them. at least there is enough room for a wire brush and slag hammer to fit inside for carrying.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Great idea, Tman! The Lincoln spool adapter runs about $10 around here... If i didn't already have one, I'd be outside right now using your idea!

 

[Flexibel_kampfe]

I with I had the room, or I would be too... rather than trying to reinvent Harbor Freights "Wheel".... Free is slightly cheaper than $10 ...

 

[Bluethunder3320]

what if you expanded the body upward? or take the cover off and make a arch holding the reel?

 

[Flexibel_kampfe]

Nope... Not enough room between the spindle and the feed assembly... it would require more fabrication than its worth...

 

[Bluethunder3320]

oh, but what if you made an upside down fork on the cover and it feeds into the back? kind of hard to explain, but it would be simple in real life.

EDIT: nevermind, it would bend the wire too much.