A bead I ran

[greywuuf]

Forgive me if this should have been posted somewhere else but it is kinda related to my Glad project. I have not been working on it lately as my welder has been at work to install a "death prevention awning" ( three story building with a metal roof and when the snow/ice comes off it comes off like a freight train)
So anyway this is a bead I ran yesterday with my alternator connected to a briggs and stratton motor using a pair of jumper cables and some 6010 rod ( 1/8")
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3927333305_cd0e39d347.jpg
not professional but passable

Dan

[Sparky]

i admire your creativity in making a welder!

and yes, that looks like it will work. actually, it looks better than alot of my welds.

a good way to test a weld is to butt weld 2 somewhat thick peices together, weld em up, and then cut it apart at the weld, to see if there are gaps or cracks.

[greywuuf]

As to cutting apart a weld ... I do that enough just cause I change my mind ... for this I just welded the whole thing together and set it on the ground and had all the guys come jump on it! It held so i put it on some posts and called it good.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2427/4059297501_583d982a6d_m.jpg

Anyway it is mostly 1/8 metal schedule 80 pipe and 10 gauge sheeting. BTW the "footprint" of the gable roof is 4'x5' and I decided to stress test my welder so I ran a continuous bead down the entire crown, no complaints and no overheating.. I don't know what kind of Duty cycle that is but it is sufficient!

Now i can bring my welder home and continue on my long ignored glad!

[trikeman]

From what I can see, it looks good, and dittos on having the creativity to build your own welder.

Usually when looking at pictures of welds to see if they look good its better if the weld has been wire brushed, because ts important to be able to see the edges of the weld to get some sense of whether it has fused at the edges. A cold weld can look good in the main body of the weld, but still be just laying on top of the base metal. I don't think the weld you posted is a cold one, but I see enough people posting hot-out-of-the-oven welds (slag and all) that its something for everyone to consider when posting weld pictures.

Super job on that safety awning.