Welding

So where has Reg been?  Reg has been off learning new skills.  Gas welding has come along, but it became apparent that I needed to add TIG (Tungston Inert Gas) welding to my bag of tricks.

After much research and agonizing I broke open the bank account and purchased a TIG welder.

The old timers, and those with deep pockets, will tell you that you MUST purchase a Miller, Lincoln or Hobart welder.  That the Chinese welders (which all the other brands are) are pure junk and not worth the price.

The folks who are actually using the Chinese units have a different perspective.  It is true that some, even many, of the Chinese welders are junk and should be avoided.  However, there are a handful of brands that are very decent units.   Some of the them are designed and engineered domestically and manufactured in China.

Eastwood is one such company.  Eastman has been around for a long time, and the reviews show very few units with problems and excellent customer service when one does develop  a problem.  Their welders come with a three-year warranty.

Obviously, the rub is price. A Miller unit with comparable capabilities and features to the Eastwood that I purchased raids the bank account for just shy of $2,000.  And that is with a one year warranty on the "the box" only.  My Eastwood was $900 (OK, $899.99) including shipping and that aforementioned three year warranty on all components.  The Miller may be a better machine, but it is not over twice as good. I prefer to buy "Made in the USA", but I am not going to cut off my nose to spite my face.

Surprisingly, I have read almost nothing but good reviews about the Harbor Freight TIG welder.  It doesn't have quite all the features of the Eastman, but it is even a few hundred dollars less.  So one can get into TIG relatively inexpensively.

So far the Eastwood has performed flawlessly. The only problems being due to my inexperience. I am constantly having to stop and regrind my tungsten due to touching either the work or the filler rod.

In addition to the welder, you will need a cart, a bottle of argon gas, and a good welding helmet. I bought the cart and a welding helmet from Harbor Freight.  The cart is completely satisfactory.  The helmet not so much.  Buried in the instruction manual it states that the helmet is not suited to TIG welding.  You would think they could put that on the box. All is not lost. It is suited to gas welding and the instant dark feature is pretty handy.  I purchased the argon bottle, filled with gas, from my local welding supply.

And thus started an extended period of practice. Which is why this blog has not been updated lately.  But I am back on track actually fabricating airplane parts.

Today I started the final welding on the compression struts.  The welds are not pretty, but they are structurally sound and getting prettier.

Here are the first four compression struts all welded up and ready to be primed and painted.  It takes about an hour to final weld each strut. Please do not blow this photo up and look closely at the welds. They are not exactly the "stack of dimes" appearance for which everyone strives.  But, as said before, they are structurally sound.

Once the remaining struts (8) are final welded and painted, it will be on to the next step.  Which is fabricating the aileron hinges.  Those will be a lot more complex than the compression struts.