Pelican Parts Forums - Learning to Weld (and 2 projects)

So over the winter I decided I wanted to learn to weld. I took a few classes and learned both MIG & TIG. I decided to focus on TIG because it welds much cleaner.

The first project I attempted was a battery holder. It ain't that pretty but it's strong enough:

http://idisk.mac.com/cmazzola/Public...s/Welding4.jpg

Today's project was a rolling tire rack. I had decide when I first ordered my trailer that I didn't want wall mounted tire racks, because its a pain to bring each tire in/out of the trailer. Instead I had envisioned a rolling rack that I could just wheel in & out at the races. I had drawn up a diagram several months ago and TNG had one built for himself. I finally got around to building one myself. The end post are 1.5" x 0.125" aluminum, with the 1.25 x 0.125" tubes to hold the tires. Here's the final result:
http://idisk.mac.com/cmazzola/Public...s/Welding1.jpg

Here's some of my TIG welds. They are hardly perfect, but not too bad for a beginner with ~4 hours of total welding time.
http://idisk.mac.com/cmazzola/Public...s/Welding2.jpg

This was easier than the battery tray because the pieces are larger and thicker. Aluminum if far harder to weld than steel because the heat dissipates so rapidly. Its quite easy to burn thru the metal. Its also easy to get a "dirty pool" at which point you have to grind the material out. I only had to do that once on this whole project, so that's not too bad.
http://idisk.mac.com/cmazzola/Public...s/Welding3.jpg

Anyway, it was fun to learn and a useful skill to have. I am looking to buy my own TIG setup now (200 amp range) so I can make some repairs at the track if required. The machine I am looking at is a Miller and is pretty portable.