Introduction
Hello everyone,
I have been welding for more than 40 years. I am a retired steamfitter who has welded in nuclear plants, etc, etc. I have extensive experience with stick, and TIG and only a little experience with MIG. In construction, especially with welding pipes, MIG welding is never an option because it is just too difficult to get a perfect weld in position with MIG.
I have build a boiler for my home, about 35 years ago. This boiler was not pressurized because I never wanted to be concerned with relief valves or the like. I built the boiler to hold 45 gallons of water and in that (really a heat exchanger) reservoir I placed tankless-coils, one for domestic water and the other was for the baseboard. I piped it out 3 different ways: directly to the faucets, thru the boiler and from the boiler directly (normal boiler piping). This unit weighs about 2000 pounds. You would never know it was hand made, with all the stainless steel stick-welding scroll work on the outside and the tile work also on the outside. I am in the process of cutting this up to make a rocket stove, mass heater boiler now. This is because my wife is now too compromised with her asthma.
Another thing I have been welding is model antique cars. These are all heli-arc welded and sometimes take mmore than 1000 hours to make. I have had theses in Cartier's windows in New York city and also have had them displayed in Tiffany's windows (all 5 of them). Tiffany's sends you numbered photos of your works in their windows and keeps a log of everyone who has displayed there. You are only allowed in their windows once in a lifetime unless it is something in an entirely different medium and of comparable quality.
I have also designed and build custom made drum racks for drummers which removes everything on the stage except the high-hat. I have build a custom made Nautilus machine and many other things. I will post photos of the things I have made if there are any who would like to view them. The model cars have all moving parts, such as sliding windows between the seats, drawers opening beneath seats, front-ends that turn with steering wheels, cranks that turn, shift levers and advance and throttles that work, etc. There are no machines used and each spoke is welded outside the wheel and inside the hub. I also make wagons with working brake pads that engage the wheels.
I apologize for the long-winded introduction. I love to see what other craftsmen have made also.
Reply With Quote
