Machinists Corner

[THE411]

Some very good info above! But, just to clear a few this up, MMAW (stick), GMAW (mig) and GTAW (tig) all use shielding gases, but MMAW gets its shielding gas by burning the electrode covering and converting it into a gas to shield the weld pool. Hence why they weld like crap when the coating comes off.

GMAW and GTAW use gases direct from bottles to aid the welding process. There is also a difference between "flux cored" wires and "inner shielded" wires. A pure "wire feeder" machine will only support the use of inner shield wires and they weld like crap too, where as a proper GMAW machine will use both solid core and flux cored wires along with gas to produce the right weld. A GMAW machine will run innershielded wires too, just dont bother hooking the gas up.

GTAW would be you best bet if you have a steady hand and some patience as they require very little in the way of grinding after welding, are very precise, so theres big big ugly weld on your rig. Theres also no spatter.......so no fires! And the best part is they are clean and quiet! Good for late night building without upsetting the neighbours / wife.

[trwelds]

Originally Posted by THE411

Some very good info above! But, just to clear a few this up, MMAW (stick), GMAW (mig) and GTAW (tig) all use shielding gases, but MMAW gets its shielding gas by burning the electrode covering and converting it into a gas to shield the weld pool. Hence why they weld like crap when the coating comes off.

GMAW and GTAW use gases direct from bottles to aid the welding process. There is also a difference between "flux cored" wires and "inner shielded" wires. A pure "wire feeder" machine will only support the use of inner shield wires and they weld like crap too, where as a proper GMAW machine will use both solid core and flux cored wires along with gas to produce the right weld. A GMAW machine will run innershielded wires too, just dont bother hooking the gas up.

GTAW would be you best bet if you have a steady hand and some patience as they require very little in the way of grinding after welding, are very precise, so theres big big ugly weld on your rig. Theres also no spatter.......so no fires! And the best part is they are clean and quiet! Good for late night building without upsetting the neighbours / wife.

I've never heard of SMAW being called MMAW had to look it up lol. I suppose there is something else to be mentioned here and that would be that also using GTAW and GMAW outdoors or in a drafty shop can be a problem as your shielding gas would blow away in a slight breeze (this can even happen with just a shop door open) and SMAW or MMAW :P would be better then or using a Flux Core machine with self shielding wire and gas to get a duel shielding effect.

Also you should be safe about what gasses you are using and in what position some will be heavier than air and some lights and some can act like both!

[THE411]

LOL! when i saw your SMAW. l was like wtf, i had never heard that before. Must be an american thing. lol

As far as the gas goes, Argon is the gas of choice for tig welding for 99% of the users on here and will cover most steel types. And Argoshield 51 for mig welding of carbon steels, with stainless steel and aluminium requiring different gases.

[Charlie-III]

Excellent info guys, answers a lot of my questions.

Thank you.

[I knew we had welders here, thus why I asked.]

[trwelds]

Originally Posted by THE411

LOL! when i saw your SMAW. l was like wtf, i had never heard that before. Must be an american thing. lol

As far as the gas goes, Argon is the gas of choice for tig welding for 99% of the users on here and will cover most steel types. And Argoshield 51 for mig welding of carbon steels, with stainless steel and aluminium requiring different gases.

Canadian close though. Argon is all I use on my TIG too and then for 0.35 i use argon / co2 / o2 mix. I only use the mig on bigger jobs thus the oxygen.

If anyone here is trying to mig RC stuff i suggest not using oxygen in your gas as it will make the arc really hot and "wet" the edges more which on thin material causes it to melt through and gives a hole.

[THE411]

Im actually a Welding Inspector.... As well as a qualified boilermaker / Pressure welder.

[donhd04]

I didn't have time to read all 19 pages and searching didn't turn up anything that I could use so Im asking. If this has been asked before feel free to link me back to it.
Im having trouble making links from 8/32 all thread and 1/4" stainless steel tubing. They keep coming up slightly off from one another, so my question is = Can I use a tap and die set on solid stainless rod to thread a end down to 8/32"? That way I could put the bends in it via a home made tubing bender THEN cut and thread then ends at the lengths I want instead of bending them after cutting and mounting the REVO rod ends. Not sure how Im coming up different everytime, but I am.

Thanks in advance.

Don

[SMR 510RR]

Originally Posted by donhd04

I didn't have time to read all 19 pages and searching didn't turn up anything that I could use so Im asking. If this has been asked before feel free to link me back to it.
Im having trouble making links from 8/32 all thread and 1/4" stainless steel tubing. They keep coming up slightly off from one another, so my question is = Can I use a tap and die set on solid stainless rod to thread a end down to 8/32"? That way I could put the bends in it via a home made tubing bender THEN cut and thread then ends at the lengths I want instead of bending them after cutting and mounting the REVO rod ends. Not sure how Im coming up different everytime, but I am.

Thanks in advance.

Don

You would probably be better off using 4mm rod and a 4mm die if you dont have a lathe. Its roughly the same size as 8/32 so you could probably use a 8/32 die on 4mm rod. The problem is that there is no standard rod that is the right size to thread 8/32.

On the other hand I have a much simpler solution for you. I use revo rod ends on one side and the longer Traxxas rod ends (Jato I believe) on the other. Make the links about 1/8" longer than you really want them and then trim the long rod ends to get to the right length and even them up. I also bent mine with the tubing long and trimmed it back with a dremel, worked quite well and they were just about perfectly even when I was done.

[rlockwood]

Originally Posted by SMR 510RR

You would probably be better off using 4mm rod and a 4mm die if you dont have a lathe. Its roughly the same size as 8/32 so you could probably use a 8/32 die on 4mm rod. The problem is that there is no standard rod that is the right size to thread 8/32.

On the other hand I have a much simpler solution for you. I use revo rod ends on one side and the longer Traxxas rod ends (Jato I believe) on the other. Make the links about 1/8" longer than you really want them and then trim the long rod ends to get to the right length and even them up. I also bent mine with the tubing long and trimmed it back with a dremel, worked quite well and they were just about perfectly even when I was done.

5/32" is on the low end of acceptable major diameter for a #8-32 screw, but i'd bet it would function just fine... no?

and mcmaster has 303 stainless in 5/32" for $6.44/6ft..

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-st...l-rods/=jrhjtl

[SMR 510RR]

Originally Posted by rlockwood

5/32" is on the low end of acceptable major diameter for a #8-32 screw, but i'd bet it would function just fine... no?

and mcmaster has 303 stainless in 5/32" for $6.44/6ft..

McMaster-Carr

Yea that would work, didnt check into the 32nths haha. Looked at the chart, didnt recognize any numbers and ran my mouth too soon.

[dkf]

If you want stainless tube and plan to weld it go with with 304 or 316. You can weld 303 (have done it several times myself) but it craters easily and is not as strong at the weld joint. Free machining steels and stainless steels usually do not weld good. I bought some 304 tube from McMaster to build some sliders and bumpers with. Going to TIG them together.

[TEDROCKZ]

Anyone here watch any of the Keith Fenner videos on YouTube? He really walks through a lot of the processes he uses doing different jobs. Mostly old school machines and and knowledge mixed with some modern stuff.

[mtdriver]

Originally Posted by TEDROCKZ

Anyone here watch any of the Keith Fenner videos on YouTube? He really walks through a lot of the processes he uses doing different jobs. Mostly old school machines and and knowledge mixed with some modern stuff.

Yup. Im a subscriber. Working my way back to the beginning. I watch his videos a couple times a week. Great guy.

[tarmo120]

Same here. Mr Keith Fenner and also Mr Pete who is known in the videos as Tubalcain.
They really know their stuff.

[donhd04]

Originally Posted by SMR 510RR

You would probably be better off using 4mm rod and a 4mm die if you dont have a lathe. Its roughly the same size as 8/32 so you could probably use a 8/32 die on 4mm rod. The problem is that there is no standard rod that is the right size to thread 8/32.

On the other hand I have a much simpler solution for you. I use revo rod ends on one side and the longer Traxxas rod ends (Jato I believe) on the other. Make the links about 1/8" longer than you really want them and then trim the long rod ends to get to the right length and even them up. I also bent mine with the tubing long and trimmed it back with a dremel, worked quite well and they were just about perfectly even when I was done.

Well I found a set of bent rod ends from RC4WD that are aluminum but being that the have exactly the right degree bend in them that means I only have to make straight links. Now the problem is the rod ends are 4mm and I have 8/32 all thread. Can I put the ends in a vise and use a 8/32 tap in them so the all thread will thread correctly? I don't wanna drop 20$ plus shipping on these rod ends just to destroy them in the process of making them work. Ive been know to do that often.

[Duuuuuuuude]

So here's a helpful tip: if you leave your drawbar wrench laying on the belts while you are changing bits/collets, don't forget to remove it before switching the machine on.

I did that very thing last night. Twice.

On the first time, it sucked the wrench into the pulley and spit it out (thankfully) towards the wall. Knocked a bunch of crap off of the pegboard and the shelf above it. Had to dig the wrench out from behind some shelves. Didn't hurt the machine at all, but there is a nice black skid mark on the wrench.

Chalked it up to a stupid mistake. Lesson learned. Or so I thought.

On the second time, it sucked the wrench into the pulley again, only this time it spit it out over my head (just barely) and threw it into the garage door. Its a good thing I was stooped over when I flipped the switch, which, by the way, got snapped off as the wrench was going through the pulley (lucky it didn't get my hand too...). I found the broken end on the other side of the garage.

Chalked it up to me being tired and a dumbass and made it my final tool change of the night.

[SlickRockSpider]

Originally Posted by Duuuuuuuude

So here's a helpful tip: if you leave your drawbar wrench laying on the belts while you are changing bits/collets, don't forget to remove it before switching the machine on.

I did that very thing last night. Twice.

On the first time, it sucked the wrench into the pulley and spit it out (thankfully) towards the wall. Knocked a bunch of crap off of the pegboard and the shelf above it. Had to dig the wrench out from behind some shelves. Didn't hurt the machine at all, but there is a nice black skid mark on the wrench.

Chalked it up to a stupid mistake. Lesson learned. Or so I thought.

On the second time, it sucked the wrench into the pulley again, only this time it spit it out over my head (just barely) and threw it into the garage door. Its a good thing I was stooped over when I flipped the switch, which, by the way, got snapped off as the wrench was going through the pulley (lucky it didn't get my hand too...). I found the broken end on the other side of the garage.

Chalked it up to me being tired and a dumbass and made it my final tool change of the night.

When I was in HS I was taking a machine tool class. I left the chuck key for the lathe in the three jaw. I did not turn it on but the teacher saw it and came right over and duct taped the chuck key to my hand for the rest of the class. lol

I learned my lesson. 15 years of machine tool work and I still remember. .


Evan

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by Duuuuuuuude

So here's a helpful tip: if you leave your drawbar wrench laying on the belts while you are changing bits/collets, don't forget to remove it before switching the machine on.

I did that very thing last night. Twice.

On the first time, it sucked the wrench into the pulley and spit it out (thankfully) towards the wall. Knocked a bunch of crap off of the pegboard and the shelf above it. Had to dig the wrench out from behind some shelves. Didn't hurt the machine at all, but there is a nice black skid mark on the wrench.

Chalked it up to a stupid mistake. Lesson learned. Or so I thought.

On the second time, it sucked the wrench into the pulley again, only this time it spit it out over my head (just barely) and threw it into the garage door. Its a good thing I was stooped over when I flipped the switch, which, by the way, got snapped off as the wrench was going through the pulley (lucky it didn't get my hand too...). I found the broken end on the other side of the garage.

Chalked it up to me being tired and a dumbass and made it my final tool change of the night.

Tired and "dangerous jobs" don't mix, I guess you know that. Glad you lucked out twice, third time would likely have been a charm (for the machine).

Originally Posted by SlickRockSpider

When I was in HS I was taking a machine tool class. I left the chuck key for the lathe in the three jaw. I did not turn it on but the teacher saw it and came right over and duct taped the chuck key to my hand for the rest of the class. lol

I learned my lesson. 15 years of machine tool work and I still remember. .


Evan

I almost did this once, had my hand on the switch when a little voice said, "What are you missing here??"
Same for chuck keys in a drill press.

I spent 20+ years working on production machines, I still have all my fingers & toes (although I have a few scars as well.)

PS....duct taped key to hand....

[Slowkrawl]

So, where does an IDIOT like myself start when thinking about buying a milling/drilling/lathe combo? I ran a lathe in highschool but basically remember nothing from it, other than don't leave the damn chuck key in the chuck lol. Kinda what I am looking for is a handbook designed for people like myself. I need to know simple things like terminology before I can start doing anything...

[SlickRockSpider]

Go to a college/city library and look for machining books. Most of the terminology and technique are old. So you should find some instruction there.

The Machinery's hand book has everything you have ever wanted to know about machining. From simple lathe turning, cutting gears, and grinding tools.

When looking most people say buy the biggest you can afford. Keep in mind that tooling is a very important part of your machine. Don't spend your self dry before buying tooling.

Evan