Anything welding

Appreciate the input. Unfortunately, I need to keep the tires under the main deck for the raft, and I can't make sense of a 34" tire under there.

I'll have to see how big of tires I can reasonably fit.

 

Another slow day.

Measured up the stool, marked where to cut, and chopped off part of the leadscrew for my desired sit height.



With that out of the way, I got the stool mount painted up next.





Someone elsewhere asked me how the finish compares to that of the hammered finish I use on some of my signs.

Here's the VHT Wrinkle Plus.





And here's Rustoleum Hammered Finish.



Quite a bit difference, but even the VHT still has a smooth top finish.

 

Of course, the shop didn't finish my footrest.

Thinking I'll skip painting the base for awhile and just assemble it and I gotta say I'm glad I added a brake on one of the casters.



This thing glides way too easy, but overall it feels really supportive.

The backrest pad and footrest are gonna make it so much better once it's all done.

 

I was able to get the 2-4-6 blocks welded up today.





These should prove to be an useful addition to the fixture table.

 

3500 pound axles are the easiest to come by i had gotten mine from northern tool, but it looks like they dropped support for them since.

my parents ended up having major issues with the 3,450-factory-shipped-dry-weight camper on a 3,500 pound axle. after bending the axle going down mostly-smooth highways, they paid a local shop to upgrade it to a 7,000 pound axle only so they can have a little more tolerance on being able to do insane things like leave sleeping bags in the camper, and food in the camper fridge.

project bloat is a question you can only answer-- the main issue with running a larger spec axle is that the springs are rated to the bigger weight. so if you leaf-sprung it, and are only running it empty or 1-2k pounds(don't forget the weight of the trailer!), the air in the tires might be more suspension than the suspension itself. that's how i ended up airbagging my (never-ending) trailer-- i wanted to be able to adjust it to ride smoothly loaded or empty. but it's definitely not even close to cheap-- i'll be somewhere nearing $8k into it by the time i'm done. for a 8x12 flat decked utility trailer...

if you're at all near northern indiana, i've got the majority of the camper frame that started my (mistake) trailer project. i re-used the hitch, and scrapped the springs, but still have most of the rest of the metal and the ultra-narrow axle (with new self-greasing hubs, and an extension tube to widen it), which is somewhere near 14-18ga rolled sheet, and is all still in moderate shape--it's all surface rusted, but not rotted through anywhere(which is why i can't bear to scrap it). i've got $150 into the new hubs, the rest i can walk away from..

 

Nowhere near there, but appreciate the offer!

I ordered all the parts last night. Had to piece it together to get what I wanted. Went with a 3,500lb axle, but found some 925lb springs. All the kits would've included way too stiff of springs.

Now to pick up some steel and get working on it.

 

I remove a leaf from 3.5k springs to make it ride better. But it's prolly too late to mention this. Sorry.

Just don't have the time to comment these days.

 

OPPOSITE of what we all normally try to do in this thread, but anyone have some thoughts on trying to get some steel to rust faster?

building a table for one of my clients. they have a very artistic handmade railing going up their front stairs of their home that was made by a local blacksmith that was on that forged in fire TV show. it's rusted over the years to a point hey liked the aesthetic of, and then it was clear-coated to freeze the process and keep your hands clean. they're wanting a similar finish on the steel components to this table.

I've sprayed it with a vinegar/hydrogen-peroxide/salt mixture. about to hook up some electricity to it to try to aid in the oxidization. if that doesn't work, my only other thought is to go down the road and literally dunk it in the ocean and let it bake in the sunlight.

 

https://graindesigns.com/rusted-metal-in-minutes-not-years/

 

yep, that's exactly what I'm doing... maybe i should have used Chinese steel on this project

Edit: it's working similar to your link on the plate, regardless of areas with and without mill scale. it's the tubing that's giving me trouble.

 

Try "The Works" toilet bowel cleaner. It takes off the oil and some of the mill scale. Then rinse with water.

It does create a fume, so do this in driveway and wear a mask.

 

thanks, it's very well cleaned of oil. i liberally cleaned it with a degreaser and then acetone, then torched it to see if anything else would bake off. got it to the point that you could wipe it with a paper towel and it'd come up clean. but something that can etch a bit harder than this vinegar mixture may be the ticket.

 

If you try it, you will be able watch it rust while you watch.

I've been using for years to clean iron so it's ready for primering.

 

that's quite the endorsement. looks like home depot has it. i'll grab some this afternoon!

 

Grab a spray bottle, too. I mix it 50/50 with water. I like spray a thin coat, let it sit for 10 minutes, then pressure wash it off of the iron.

The hcl will eat the spring in the spray bottle eventually. Grab a couple.

 

Finished up the rusty table. the mixture i was using ended up working pretty well with the added electricity, however i have a couple more tables in the build que for these folks, so i grabbed some the the toilet bowl cleaner to use next.
thanks for the help, guys.

Not my typical style of table, but the clients knew what they wanted.

lever action is an old/sentimental family rifle from their cattle ranch.

rolled with the firearm theme, and the bottom plate is AR-500, so if you ever needed to, you could flip the table and have some bulletproof cover. not that some 65 year old retired ranchers should ever need that, but it makes for a fun conversation.

 

Only a few days late.



This is 1" diameter tube, rolled to 18" diameter.

Rather than have one tube overlap to complete a circle (and fight twisting it), this was done on an automated setup for a matched set.

Chop each half and weld them together.

You can see the measurements match my table.



And to keep with the "Overbuilt' theme, this is 0.12" wall.

 

So this is how tables are built in the movies not my style but a fucking rad piece!

 

Come on, IKEA tables are definitely bulletproof!

Thanks, but yeah, it's very far from my usual style too. However, when a repeat client that's easy to work with asks for rustic, they get rustic. Tried to put a bit of flair in the angles on the wood top and the legs, but could only push it so far.

Most of my designs fall somewhere between contemporary and modern.

 

Yup that is more my style as well. Those are some incredible pieces!