Scary find

Oliver 1555

Active member
Messages
25
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10
Location
On the farm
Welder
Lincoln 225 AC stick, Lincoln 140 MIG, Lincoln 256 MIG, Lincoln Squarewave 200 TIG
I picked this piece of 3” channel up off the road today. I’d say it’s probably a trailer crossmember. Notice that there is a bead on the face of the channel, but hardly any penetration. Elmer’s would probably do as well. Lucky it didn’t bounce and go through a windshield! The other end also has an equally crappy weld.
F837077A-8DA1-4F1C-8A35-5C2B48B13424.jpeg
 

MC

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San Diego
Yikes. Looks like some of my welds! If you don't know what you're doing, people can get hurt.

This reminds of a time I was driving on the freeway and a piece of metal got kicked up from the car in front of me and hit my windshield. Sent a bunch of glass dust and some crumbles into the car. By the time you see it, it's hitting your windshield.
 

Oliver 1555

Active member
Messages
25
Good Post Points
10
Location
On the farm
Welder
Lincoln 225 AC stick, Lincoln 140 MIG, Lincoln 256 MIG, Lincoln Squarewave 200 TIG
Learning to cut and etch is a very important and often overlooked step to learning about penetration.
 

Oliver 1555

Active member
Messages
25
Good Post Points
10
Location
On the farm
Welder
Lincoln 225 AC stick, Lincoln 140 MIG, Lincoln 256 MIG, Lincoln Squarewave 200 TIG
After cutting and polishing, use some naval jelly on a Q-tip and rub it around on the cross section. The weld nugget will appear. Other acidic products can be used, but naval jelly is readily available.
 

cavdweller

New member
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2
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4
Location
Maine
Welder
Lincoln 255
I've done a lot of welding for friends and family over the years but if it travels down the road I don't touch it. As far as I know I've never had anything I welded fail but, when it happens, I don't want to be responsible or face the liability of seriously hurting someone who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 

DMacLeod

New member
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4
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2
Location
Maine
Welder
Lincoln Power Mig 210 MP
I've done a lot of welding for friends and family over the years but if it travels down the road I don't touch it. As far as I know I've never had anything I welded fail but, when it happens, I don't want to be responsible or face the liability of seriously hurting someone who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Very good point, thank you.
 

Old Irish

Well-known member
Messages
82
Good Post Points
22
Location
The River Sticks
Welder
Lincoln SW200,PowerMig 180, A/C225 with rectifier, 2 Chinese plasma, stick, tig- 1-Chinese stick w/hot start&arc force and 1 Chinese 205A mig
I've done a lot of welding for friends and family over the years but if it travels down the road I don't touch it. As far as I know I've never haS
Same here but when I was young and dumber I welded long shackles on a trailer to raise the bed. I drug it through rough forest roads as fast as I could drive for 8 or ten miles and inspected the welds, nothing was cracked or deformed so I used it for 2 or 3 years before giving it to a youngster of a friend of mine to haul his boat to the farm pond with. I didn't think much of it then but it sends shutters through me now.
 
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