Anything welding

Small request from @musicisevil

Former member used to make these but then stopped, closed his website, and checked out of the forum so here's my attempt

3rd Gen center console cover (rear)



It would only be appropriate if I purchased the recommended first aid pouch normally used; this is how it'll sit on the rear cover



Quick cardboard mock up



Quick CAD work turned to quick cut work



After two short bends on the press brake, I attached the rear panel to the new template



Angles look to be damn near perfect; just need to remove 1 to 2 degrees from the bottom bend



Tested the tear-away action of the pouch; held on strong



I want to say not bad for a first attempt



Even though this is just a prototype, and the size of this allows 16 gauge to be an acceptable solution, I may want to do this in 14 or 12 gauge

Undecided as this gets mounted to the rear cover and I want as little excess weight as possible

Thoughts?

 

Sigh, it's just money, right?

I'm interested.

Before the Makerspace I belong to moved into storage, I was in the process of prototyping this same panel in plywood.

I was thinking aluminum rather than steel for the weight savings.

 

Thought about aluminum but it would be quite an investment in a single sheet just to cut a few of these out

 

I've got a plasma cutter operation-y question if anyone might know.
I recently inherited a bunch of metal working equip from my late father. One of the items is a Hypertherm Powermax800 plasma cutter, it's an old model that's been discontinued. I'm not entirely sure if it's operational, it supposedly has the retrofit torch from hypertherm so I'm curious to see if this thing works.

Anyways getting to the point, I need an air compressor and since I need to buy one anyways it'd be nice to get one that can run this thing. The operators manual states 320 scfh/5.3 scfm at 90 psi gas flow. Now I'm just a hobbyist so I was looking at cheaper air compressors like Husky for my garage but they're a bit weak, the one I'm looking at says 4 SCFM @ 90PSI. So 28% less than recommended, is that a deal breaker or does it mean it might have a shorter duty cycle or less power? How important is it to match the recommended scfm? Also will I be ok with an inline filter on the hose or do these need to run the air through a dryer also?

 

You can easily use a smaller CFM compressor, but you will be limited on the time duration of cutting.

Small items a square foot or smaller, you can use a pancake compressor.

The nice thing about cnc plasma cutting, the program will tell you how long your cutting will take.

Obviously, I'm simplifying, but there are many variables that dictate the amount of CFM , but I want to give you an idea.

 

Consider your long-term, intended use.

I too am a hobbyist so I opted to purchase myself a budget-friendly plasma cutter - it's a Chinese-made model that I've had for just shy of 3 years now.

I ran my plasma cutter for the longest time on an old 90's air compressor that was not only small, but under-powered per my plasma cutter's requirements; it still held its own whether I did cutting via hand torch or on CNC (which requires consistent air supply).



So what I'm saying is, even an air compressor that's rated a bit lower than required can still work. The issues that stem from a smaller and weaker air compressor are -

Noise since it will constantly run

Moisture, which will be attributed to the heat generated from an air compressor that's constantly running

Interrupted cuts, which can occur if the compressor can't supply enough CFM in its running state and your air tank runs dry

Even then, I never had these issues and I cut a lot with just a hand torch. Since I do CNC work though, I am able to better track my consumable life and found it absolutely necessary to get my air as dry as possible so I added an air dryer.



Sure it's a bit costly for some, but it doesn't inhibit air supply as much as a custom setup with a long run of copper tubing. The copper tubing method works very well but it will severely choke your air supply.

Here's an example of the moisture it's removed in just 2-3 months time.



I did upgrade my air compressor last year though, and even that thing barely meets the requirements of my plasma cutter but still works wonderfully well.



But I do retain some extra filtering in place to help with moisture.



So again, consider what your long term goal is and buy yourself the best air compressor you can get.

If you have the wiring for it, you should opt for a 240 unit over 110 - at 240 it will run a lot cooler and you'll end up with a pump that'll easily push 8 - 12cfm versus a similarly priced 110 unit that only puts out 5 - 6cfm.

Consider getting your air as dry as possible, and although you don't need to go as far as getting a refrigerated air dryer or something, the more you add the longer your consumables will last.

Since you mentioned retrofit, I'm betting your torch has a Duramax head on it?

 

You guys are fast I appreciate the tips!

I've been scrolling through this thread today so I've seen a few pics of your garage setup Kwikvette it's really nice, you make great use of your space. When I used to have a shop I had a really nice compressor and dryer setup but space is a big factor for me since I'm just in my garage now, probably similar sqft to you but I have a weird layout.

For the last several years I've been doing 3d printing so getting back into metal work after almost a decade away has been a lot of fun, but I doubt I'll get good enough again to do any paid work so I'm trying to keep my budget and expectations in check.

And yep it is the duramax h rt2 torch.

 

@MagicToolbox
@musicisevil

More I mess with this, the more I consider 16 gauge an acceptable solution

If you grab a 12" x 18" piece of 16 gauge, it'll have some flex but at this size it is absolutely rigid

Not only that, it weighs more than the cover itself





I'm confident that this thickness will suffice, easily

 

This looks amazing my guy!

 

Oh, same piece from earlier.

You're just seeing the front side versus the back

 

Well I didn’t say anything earlier. Don’t want to clutter up the welding thread with my unskilled labor ass. Cork is popped now…

 

Oh dude I'm a novice compared to many here, don't even trip

Doesn't keep me from posting though!

 

Made two more, but that's all the 16 gauge I've got left.









Now they're outside while the primer dries.

 

Sick

 

Can you tell from the part you have if there are screws that hold that plastic back panel on? I'd like to pop it off, but I dunno if it is a pop off unit or if there are screws holding it on.

 

No screw holes or anything

 

i made a bunch of suspension arm mounts.

maybe some day i'll be able to use them!

 

Nah just pulls off

These are looking slick! Primer and paint?? What a guy!

 

Naw just primer on the two.

The black one you see there isn't painted, but instead I used a quick-drying sort of primer (rust inhibitor) since I'm keeping it for myself. It scratches easily unlike real primer.

If I think I'll make more than 3 or 4 of anything for multiple people, I like to keep a "master" around. But if this was a one and done deal (for you and @MagicToolbox ) I wouldn't have decided to keep one for myself.

 

So rad! Those look great!