Happy Holidays from CCMW

     We want to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season! We're off this week, but we're getting ready to hit it hard in 2013. There are a lot of upgrades to the shop and to the site ready to launch. Thank you for your support thus far! See you soon. Cheers!

Follow us on Instagram! @calculatedcustom #mannmonday

Metallurgy for Welders

     Lets face it, if you wield a welding torch for a living like I do, you probably don't have a degree in Metallurgical Engineering. People like us rely on experience and destructive testing as a form higher education. I came across this article from The-Fabricator.com that takes a no-nonsense approach to basic metallurgy for welders. Check it out here, Metallurgy for Welders
     Also I've heard good reviews on the book Metallurgy for the non-Metallurgist from Amazon.com.
Its a bit pricey though, it goes for two bills.

Tube Coping Calculator

     Without the right tools, coping tubing can be confusing to layout by hand especially when offsets are involved. I came across this calculator in a dark corner of the internet. I printed out a few of these and they're pretty accurate. You're welcome. Cope tubing manually.

Stainless Steel Donuts

     I was turned on to these parts from a follower on Instagram, @bobmillerleile. They're an awesome solution for exhaust and bodywork. They come in stainless, steel and aluminum! Check it out, they come from Pro-Werks

E3 Results: Transformer Machine

     Transformer type machines on AC are the most demanding on tungsten electrodes. This is because the AC balance and frequency are fixed, 60Hz or sixty cycles per second. I wanted to put the E3 to the test by welding about 85 feet of 1/8" aluminum. The fuel tanks I welded were corner to corner to make fillet welds.
     I sharpened the tungsten to a point and then tapped it on the grinding wheel, putting about a .030" flat spot on it.

Radnor's E3 tungsten, 3/32"

     The first thing I noticed was the ease of arc starting, sometimes with the older machines the mechanical high frequency causes problems. This tungsten minimized this problem, fewer than 10 out of 300 times I had to double tap to start the arc. The most noticeable advantage was the size of the ball at the tip. It was slightly smaller than the diameter of the tungsten, which as you know allows for a tighter arc and a smaller weld. Compare that to the 2%Th which creates a ball almost 2X the diameter.

2%Th at the top. E3 on the bottom. After 85' of weld at approximately 150 amps.

      In conclusion: If you're still using a transformer machine, switch to E3 now! There are zero advantages to using traditional 2%Th, even the cost. Not to mention the there is no risk of radiation. Try em, you definitely will like them. Also, I didn't get paid to say that.
     Next I'm going to try them with an inverter machine on both DC and AC
    

Radnor's New E3™ Tungsten

     Radnor's new E3™ claims some pretty great advantages over 2% Thoriated (red) tungsten, perhaps the most important is that there is zero radiation risk. Though the radiation risk with  Th-1 and Th-2 is not apparent when the torch is lit; a common miss conception, the risk comes from ingesting dust or particles of the material (sharpening the tungsten on a grinding wheel).
     I bought a couple sticks to try with a transformer machine and the inverter in my shop. Ill post the results when the shop is finished. Heres a better description from Radnor. E3™

Purple Power!

I'm going to put them to the test, I have about 100' of aluminum fillets to do on some tool boxes this week. Ill let you know how it pans out.

Road to Valhalla 2012

     I want to thank everyone who came out to The Road to Valhalla, we had a pretty good turnout for a first year event, over 125 bikes throughout the day. We raised $600 for Rose's Rescue thanks to the T-shirt sales (artwork by Jon J. Russel) and the raffle sponsored by Lowbrow Customs, Speed Merchant, Death Science, Gorgeous George, Hate City Customs, Old Familiar Barber Shop and us at CCMW. Big thanks to Linda and Chris at Iron Horse Saloon for facilitating us hooligans! It was great to meet some Instagram friends in person, most of those crazy bastards stayed the night, eeek. But we appreciate them coming out and partying with us. There are a ton more pictures on Facebook from the Iron Horse staff. Check it out!

Thanks Jon! @jonjrussel

foreverthechaoslife.blogspot.com

Stolen from foreverchaoslife.blogspot.com, a much better photographer than I.

Josh and Poncho Loco go at it

Road to Valhalla, Rose's Rescue Benefit!

     I apologize for keeping you readers in suspense for so long. Contrary to the action on this blog lately, we have some cool things happening. First of which is a Biker Rally Benefit for Rose's Rescue. We're honored to help out by co-sponsoring the event that goes by the moniker, Road to Valhalla. Organized by Spuddies Riding Club of Mantua, all money from the raffle and proceeds from T-shirts go to Rose. The event is held at The Iron Horse Saloon in Troy, Ohio. Meet us there and hit us up for some swag! Heres the scoop:

CCMW is now on Facebook and Instagram!

     About time, wrapped up in construction and legal crap, I've found a few to make the Facebook and Instagram pages. Thanks wifey for the help. Lol.

The Road Rash Bash 2012

     Thanks to Kevin and Hadley for hosting the 2012 Road Rash Bash! The collection of kick ass cars are accredited to The Spinners, Howland Road Hounds, Sacred Pistons, Slick Devils, Choppers, The Rats, Road Rockets, Head Hunters, Motor Psychos, Drifters and Rumblers CCs. Entertainment for the invite only event was provided by Lords of the Highway, Lost State of Franklin, DJ New York Bobby, and 45 Spider. 

     Take a look at what you missed!

Gorgeous.

 A V-Dub the only way I like em, fenderless with an altered wheelbase.

The Rats CC.

 

Maxwell's Back

     Today at 5:30 am, my boy Maxwell hosted his new radio show. Even though he's broadcasting from Chicago, I was ready with the TuneIn app on my OneX rocking the Suburban. Find him on the Fatchbook and on TuneIn, 97.9 The Loop.

GoPro Hero 2

     I got a hold of one of these bad boys; 1080p, fish eye lens, waterproof, shockproof, only 3.88 cu. in! But its not just for fun. I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve with this thing. All I need is a computer that will handle editing HD video, heh. I'll keep you posted.

So darn cute.

The Shop Part II

     Time to do some demolition. Dale at Cornerstone Construction got the three walls up and rough framed two windows in the back building. The back wall on the old garage was still attached so Bret and I smacked that thing with some hammers. The old half was built pretty shady. The mezzanine was barely nailed to the studs and was basically hanging from the ceiling. (Shouldn't have put those motors up there, ooops.) There is a bit of a sag in the old roof line so that needs some attention. We did find the remnants of a squirrel, I think its a squirrel. That was pretty sweet.
     I plan on replacing the studs because they are 1x3, they need to match depths inside and out with the new side which are 2x4. The wood siding underneath the aluminum siding is coming off this week and we'll sheath it with OSB and Tyvek wrap. Ill snap some pics of the finished shell before Mike from Mike's Electric puts the juice to it.
     Side note: The CNC Plasma is ordered. A fully loaded Plasma Cam will be on its way soon!
     

 

Scott the squirrel.

    

Lowbrow Getdown 2012

     A big thanks to the fellas at Lowbrow for the Getdown 2012. The event was held at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Nelson, Ohio. It was a laid back atmosphere just dudes, bikes and beer. Lowbrow had the big grill cooking grub and a couple kegs of cold Hobgoblin Ale. We got lucky, at least in north east ohio, the forecast called for rain and it didn't rain a drop. Thanks guys!

ledsledcustoms.com

Home sweet home baby.

Tig Welding Cast Aluminum

     There seems to be a stigma around the word "cast" when it comes to welding repairs. When people hear "cast" they think, "Crap, it has to be preheated, welded with a special rod, peened, posted heated and cooled in a particular way". While that is true with cast iron, castings can be made with any material, aluminum, stainless, brass, steel, etc. Iron can be difficult to weld regardless of its form because of the high amount of carbon.
      Here I'm going to walk you through an aluminum repair that seems pretty common.The mounting ear on this TH-350 has snapped off and needs to be built back up and then match drilled. I have no idea what grade these transmission cases are made of but I haven't run across a trans case that is impossible to weld.

You can see there should be a little more flange here, oops.

Perhaps the most important step, the case was ground clean with a grinding wheel dedicated to aluminum then brushed with a stainless brush then wiped down with acetone. NO BRAKE CLEANER! I cleaned about a two inch perimeter so the dirty aluminum wont bleed into the clean stuff.

I cut a piece of .25"x1"  6061 aluminum bar to back the welds and provide good starter to absorb some of the heat.

No preheat required here, it was welded with a transformer based machine on AC, continuous high frequency. Somewhere around 130 amps, it welded great with 5356 filler rod. I use 5356 over 4043 because its less sensitive to contamination and has a harder face.

More is more in this situation. The customer will grind the flange flat and match drill the housing.

Voila. Its not a beauty queen but its better than digging through the yard for a good case.

      If you have any questions, comments or concerns let me know with the comment link.

The Shop Part I

     Hell yes. That really sums it up. This business has been a long time coming and it is finally coming together. I hired Cornerstone Construction to handle the addition. My humble 2.5 car garage is being transformed into the Calculated Custom Metal Works HQ.
     First things first, Vic and I stripped the aluminum siding to reveal an even more ugly '50s wood siding. Sorry neighbors, but hey, soon it'll be nice new vinyl.

 

 

 

 

     Dale dug the trenches for the footers with the mini excavator. I stole it when he left, shhh. I think I made my yard look a little shitty but I had fun doing it.

Dale can operate it a little better than I can.

Footers poured.

Block done!

          I plan on documenting the shop build more in depth on Garage Journal, an Atomic Industry website, the best place to talk shop, tools and technique. 

Fellow Fabricator Spotlight

     The PT-17 was a private venture built by the Stearman Aircraft Company later bought by Boeing in 1934. The two seat biplane was built with many materials. The wings were made of wood with a fabric covering while the fuselage had tough steel welded frame work, also covered in fabric. The plane was easy to fly and relatively forgiving for new pilots. It gained a reputation as a rugged plane and a great teaching implement. Though officially named the Boeing Model 75, the Stearman PT-17 was the name given to the aircraft by the army. More than 10,000 were built by the end of 1945. An estimated 800 are still flying today.
     John at Chardon Welding built a scale model of the PT-17 for a customer. The fabricated steel airplane will be used as a wind vane atop the customer's barn. Seen here unpainted, the plane is over four feet long and five feet wide.