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Butt welding steel rods

I'd appreciate a detailed description of O/A butt welding, end to end of mild steel rod. I use 3/16" and 1/4" mild steeel welding rod. I have been using a HF ring roller to put arcs and curves in the rod. Now I'd like to join the curves on multiple planes. Emmo (from this NG) has mentioned it several times. Do you precision fit the ends, hold the rods together and add filler rod? Or do you puddle up the ends and then push together? Pushing them together at puddled temp seems like I might need an extra set of hands. Also,holding the work on the correct plane has proven to be a real challenge. Any advice on holding or clamping devices would also be appreciated. I will be using the joined rods to form a sculpture. I use a Meco Midget torch. Thanks!

-Mike

Reply to
mclorson
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Best way I've found to fit stuff like this is to push it down in a sandbox and work it into position. Try fitting with just a little gap, put a drop of filler on each side of the joint or just one drop and carry the heat across.

John

Reply to
JohnM

Hi Mike,

I have responded via email, but essentially, I use Oxy-fuel, a lot of heat, no filler, no jigs or clamps, holding one piece in my left hand and the other in a vise. Lots of practice, grinding when necessary.

Good luck!

Reply to
Emmo

Weld up a simple clamping jig.

Take a short piece of angle iron, weld a U made of rod to it. Then saw about a 1/4" gap in the angleiron. Clamp the rods in the V of the angle with visegrips or whatever with a little gap between them (no precision necessary) over the gap in the angle, and weld 'em together with a bit of filler rod.

Reply to
Don Foreman

My Meco Midget just arrived yesterday with #1 thru #4 tips. That is one sweet little torch! I was amazed to discover that I could butt-weld 1/4" round with the #1 tip and .060" aluminum sheetmetal with the #2.

Reply to
Don Foreman

Yes Don, it is sweet. I got the ultra lite hoses and I am very pleased. It weighs practically nothing. I 've been using a #2 tip to weld 3/16" rod. Found I got better results with a #3 ..for now anyway. I need a lot more practice. The Tinman says the torch gets hot using a #4. I didn't have that problem with the #3 tip. Thanks for the advice on the clamp by the way. Its a little difficult to visualize, but I think i got it. I may need further description. I am actually going to cut

4"angle iron into 2- 2" pieces then attach a light guage "U" across the split. Clamp the rods to be welded to the angle and more or less bend the "U" rod to line up the rods to the proper alignment. Make sense? The "U" rod will have to be replaced when it fatigues or breaks.

-Mike

Reply to
mclorson

Whatever works. Soft copper tubingmight work well for your bendable part. It'll work harden after a number of uses, but you could anneal it by heating it with your torch.

I thought John M's sandbox idea was good too.

Reply to
Don Foreman

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