Best way to store/hold/rack TIG wire?

Ive got about 300 lbs of TIG welding wires of all types. Stainless, phos/bronze, sil/bronze, mild steel etc etc. Probably 12 different types/sizes. Much of it came came in 2" PVC open topped tubes made up by the company I got it from , a fair amount of it is in 1 1/4 PVC screw top tubes made up by me.

Anyone got any neat racking ideas for my shop?

Im getting tired of both sorting through the tubes for what Im needing at the moment and having them piled up and getting dusty and whatnot.

Any suggestions, pictures etc etc would be marvelous.

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch
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I use plastic buckets and a rubber tiedown to keep the tubes together when not in use.

Picture is right here

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Reply to
Ignoramus12281

Don't have pictures but years ago the welders at Barksdale AFB built a rod holder which I believe would work. The made a stand, about a foot high which supported a round table that would rotate - think Lazy Susan. On this table they mounted a ring of vertical tubes, As the tubes were touching each other and were welded in a few spots there was no need for further bracing. A ring of vertical 2.5 inch tubes mounted on a spindle so that it rotated easily.

Each "holder" was installed next to a TIG welding table so if you wanted a different rod you could simply reach over, spin the holder and pick your rod.

Say a 24 inch circle then there would be about 27 2.5 inch tubes. Of course you need to re-load occasionally but in the Air Force case it was mainly 1/16" rod so a tube full lasted for a while.

Cheers,

Schweik (goodsoldierschweikatgmaildorcom)

Reply to
Schweik

Wine rack .

Reply to
Snag

Gunner -

Think of the carts that tote Milling tool holders. Some are a slight angle and two or three rows. Need to find a CNC plasma guy to cut some panels for you - then mount them between tools or behind or around...

Maybe it would be like two wide and 4 deep - between benches - 2 wide between.

If you can't find someone there - or find some scrap box - let me know. Maybe I can cut your top trays and then you build the box...

Mart> Ive got about 300 lbs of TIG welding wires of all types. Stainless,

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

The one issue I have with that..is that my welding area is outside. Covered, but open to the sides.

Summer months is not an issue..it averages 110F here..but the foggy winter months....anything open and exposed to the fog...

Ill have to give this a bit more thought. I suppose I could use a cabinet and drill matching holes in two of the bottom shelves and simply stand em up. Thats what they did where I got the new stuff from.

Hummm..now where out there can I put yet another cabinet...

Thanks! for the offer btw.

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Now that..is a very good idea! I could build a box around it to protect it from the winter fog as well.

Thanks!!

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

The problem with a wine rack is that the media is 36" long so it needs a minumum of 37" of horizontal clearance.

Something to ponder though. Id thought of building a rack Under the welding table I tig on and hold them "almost" horizontal...but...that would be a bit of a pain coming up with a labeling system.

And I clamp all around the edges of the table at times, so they would have to be a decent distance below the actual table top.

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

What I use at school for my collection of TIG rods is a tiered system of steel pipes on a heavy steel plate with casters. Picture 5 rows of 4 tubes each for a total of 20 tubes. Each tube is about 16 inches tall and holds a plastic rod storage tube. Each row of 4 is welded 2 inches higher that the row in front of it. This way I can see the tops of every tube. Each tube it marked clearly around the top. Think choral riser and you have the idea.

My rack in my home shop was much more elaborate. I used a large plan file for blue prints and filled most of the 2" x 2" tubes with nicely categorized rods by size and alloy. At it's height I had around 64 varieties.

Then ...bad things happened. The cardboard tubes didn't like holding all that horizontal weight in my slightly damp basement so the entire center section collapsed under the weight of the upper tubes.

Eventually I have to extract all the rods, try to sort them out again, and then replace the cardboard tubes with some thin walled PVC.

Major headache.

My smaller vertical rack at school is very functional. I made mine to hold the 36" blue screw top storage tubes from the welding stores.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Thanks Ernie. Something to consider indeed.

My welding shop..such as it is... is under a 16'x16' open sided roof..simply something to keep off the slight rain in winter and the sun off in summer.

Its dirt floored but for some plywood runners to walk on and is quite crowded with a 4x9 welding table, a 5x5 welding table (for tig) and a couple benders, 4 welders, the Miller 2050 a pair of 6' service cabinets, lockers for rod, a decent sized Trico sand blaster cabinet and so forth. And of course..the two horizontal band saws....

A rolling cart is out, simply because I dont have any place to put it when its not in use and running it around on dirt..can be an issue. Im building a new cart for the Miller 2050..because it has small wheels suitable for concrete and Ive already nearly tipped it over...cringe. Better wheels..and lower..much lower.

The gentleman who suggested the lazy susan type holder has given me several ideas that Ill ponder for a couple days and then see what I can do about making something up. Having an enclosed lazy susan would also give me a place to put the consumables cabinet on as well. Tips, cups, electrodes etc etc etc. Ive got a fair amount of them...plus of course the mig stuff.

Humm..if I make it out of 3/4" ply..make it 6 sided..with hooks and whatnot mounted on the sides, it would also make a pretty good holder for clamps, squares, igniters and so forth, with a doorway to get the rods out of, after spinning the lazy susan to the type I want for the task. And it would protect the rods from the fog and other moisture we get in the winter time. I suppose I could also wire it for a 25 watt light bulb for the rainy times with a decent door on it to keep moisture out of the stuff from corroding away on me.

A side note...Ive got probably 35 lbs of some sort of brass/bronze rod..but not marking code. Is there any way to determine what the rod might be? Its in a box..but only the suppliers name is on it.

Thanks Sir

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

How about a shopping cart with a grid tack-welded across the basket.

Reply to
Buerste

Or caps. Say the tubes are 34 inches long with a cap about 3 inches long made from the next size of tub. Just drop then on top when you aren't using that rod.

Cheers,

Schweik (goodsoldierschweikatgmaildorcom)

Reply to
Schweik

37" lengths of PVC solvent glued to PVC cleats. The piece of plastic that closes the back end, and the hinge on the Lexan door at the front, are fastened to the cleats. I have it set up on blocks so there's a place underneath for misc rods, etc., but it could just as easily hang below a bench.
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Reply to
Ned Simmons

3/4" plywood ends, 2x2 frame, PVC pipes, spade bit, assorted screws......it really is just that easy. label the shit with masking tape and a sharpie

just be sure you put rods back where you got 'em when yer done with 'em...

-- Big Ben BS266 the "aint sure if my irritability is due to age, fatigue or both....." Slug

Reply to
Big Ben

[ ... ]

Perhaps for magnums of champagne? :-)

What I've done for my collection of drill rod and similar length stuff is a collection of 2" PVC pipes mounted horizontally and glued together with the solvent/cement used for attaching fittings. Make one layer on a flat tabletop, adding one at a time, then make a second layer with the tubes staggered. Perhaps make two or three two-layer setups and glue the rest of them to the first. (And try not to get high from the glue fumes. :-)

The only problem here is that the caps are larger in diameter than the pipes so you would have to machine your own plugs which you could label as to what was behind them. Or perhaps fit thermos caps if they are close enough in size if you want an airtight seal?

But -- you could write on the edges of the pipes (white PVC and black marker pen would make good contrast).

Good Luck, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

Gunner -

Think - Yellow cabinets that normally held dangerous chemicals or rags.....

Got a building you need to scrap out - might be a taker.

Mart> >

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Now thats neat as hell..but how do you label the various alloys and whatnot?

Btw...I have the same welder out on loan at the moment. Is yours a SquareWave verson? I couldnt make out the lable. Ive used it and its very nice. My main shop welder is the big Airco 300 Squarewave

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Oh indeedy. Dont find very many of those for Outside use though around here..but thats a very good idea.

Thanks!

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Hum - plastic front cover that lifts up and keeps them clean.

How about rub on letters. Onto the plastic - then get some artist crystal clear protective spray to overcoat the letters.

Dymo writer could do it - and likely as well and repeatable.

Maybe just 1,2,3,4,5 and a sheet that has

1 304-L 1/16 2 8344 3/16

etc.

The numbers could be street numbers in foil and sticky backs. (small mailbox )

Mart> >

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Now theres a few good ideas. Though to be fair...here in the desert..Dymo lables dont seem to last very long.. high heat and lack of humitity dries the glue out pretty badly. But the chart..thats a pretty good idea.

Thanks!

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

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