My first welding project was custom window racks for my 1986 Chevy Silverado. My dad taught me how to weld using oxi acetylene. It got the job done but generates a lot of heat and really distorts the metal you are welding. After the racks were done for the Chevy I purchased a AC/DC stick welder from Costco that I never really got the hang of but used for modifications to the previously built rack. My next project was rolling carts to store windows in my shop and I got a little better with stick welding but not where I wanted to be with my welding ability. In 1999 I took a TIG (tungston inert gas) welding class at the College of San Mateo. This was a 4 unit class that met twice a week for 4 hours a night. Our teacher started us off welding aluminum which is one of the hardest metals to weld , some of us got it and some of us didn't. Tig welding is similar to oxi acytleen welding as far as creating a multin puddle and adding filler metal to it. The big difference is that TIG welding doesn't over heat and distort the metal and makes a stronger weld. There was a little bit of compitition among 3-4 of us on the test weld grading. I hung with the metal fab guy and auto body guy that had machines to practice between classes. Mark the auto body guy's business was a half a block away from mine and we became friends and ended camping togeather at the motorcycle enduro races where our children became friends. Durring the class or teacher kept empasizing how the sine wave of the tig machines disrupted other electronic devices and radio waves but next door was a photoshop class being taught on very latest top of the line macs. looking back I wish I would have taken the photoshop class as it would have iterduced me to web design.It was about 5 years before I purched my Miller watercooled Syncrowave 250 from cyberweld. I paid 3,700. for the welder from Cyberweld which was 2000. cheaper than any of the local welding supply shops. I also bought a MIG ( Metal Inert Gas) welder from a local shop to do faster and easyer steel welding projects. I have found that I use my 1000. MIG welder more than the tig because it is so much easier to set up and use and only use the TIG for aluminum and precise steel welding.
WELDING PROJECTS
The Jet Ski trailer was the most difficult welding projects I have done because of the cleaning of the aluminum and the slow aluminum welding process. The cutting of the aluminum was easy as I did it on my 16 inchwatercooled Sampson chop saw. I designed this trailer out of 2 x 3 aluminum rectangular tubing and completly welded the frame so no water could penatrate the interior of the tubing. The trailer frame is clamped onto a torsion axle with a vinyl berrior to keep electrolisis between the dissimmilar metals destroying itself. All the hardware on thetrailer is either stainless steel ao galvanized. The bearings are covered with bearing buddys to keep a little grease pressure on the bearings and keep the salt sater out. I have been using this trailer for three years now and after being completey submerege in salt water for extended periods of time it has been corrosion and trouble free! Oh and did I mention that it floats. Although this was a pain in the ass to weld this trailer is very light easy to manover and travels smoothly on the road pampering my SXR800 jetski.
JET SKI DOLLY-CARRIER
This is the center of the dolly to move the ski's around on the ground
800SXR on ski hauler at Pismo beach The base frame for the ski hauler
In 1999 I took a TIG (tungston inert gas) welding class at the College of San Mateo. This was a 4 unit class that met twice a week for 4 hours a night. Our teacher started us off welding aluminum which is one of the hardest metals to weld , some of us got it and some of us didn't. Tig welding is similar to oxi acytleen welding as far as creating a multin puddle and adding filler metal to it. The big difference is that TIG welding doesn't over heat and distort the metal and makes a stronger weld. There was a little bit of compitition among 3-4 of us on the test weld grading. I hung with the metal fab guy and auto body guy that had machines to practice between classes. Mark the auto body guy's business was a half a block away from mine and we became friends and ended camping togeather at the motorcycle enduro races where our children became friends. Durring the class or teacher kept empasizing how the sine wave of the tig machines disrupted other electronic devices and radio waves but next door was a photoshop class being taught on very latest top of the line macs. looking back I wish I would have taken the photoshop class as it would have iterduced me to web design.It was about 5 years before I purched my Miller watercooled Syncrowave 250 from cyberweld. I paid 3,700. for the welder from Cyberweld which was 2000. cheaper than any of the local welding supply shops. I also bought a MIG ( Metal Inert Gas) welder from a local shop to do faster and easyer steel welding projects. I have found that I use my 1000. MIG welder more than the tig because it is so much easier to set up and use and only use the TIG for aluminum and precise steel welding.
