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Old 10-30-2018, 08:07 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Default welding Flat Work with bound/bordered/confined edges

Think of:
bread pan bottoms
firewalls
floors
dash panels
hoods
Okay, on the topic of welding up holes, cracks, patches in these flat pieces....
One can get warpage and oil cans in payment (retribution) for one's gentle fitting, tacking and welding efforts.
(I still remember my first firewall welding job, on a '29 Chrysler Coupe, steel, all holes and crax welded up. File-finished after two long weeks of sweaty arm-and-hammer heatn'beat workouts.)


Aluminum panel from an early Luscombe (1930's airplane) needs HELP:
P1010511.jpg
8 holes filled, 3 cracks welded, large patch installed.

P1010520.jpg
tig tacks, tig welds w/ both skips and long runs.

P1010532.jpg
skip weld, chase cracks, weld both sides, dress off welds - both sides
P1010535.jpg
1st hammer-out, light sand w/180 to reveal


So, 8 holes filled, 3 cracks welded, one lg patch in - on this small end panel.

Left to do: Large hole to fill and small hole to fill - then on to other end panel to do the same all over again.
Miller Synchro 250, 1981
5356 filler
Rockmount filler


I will go over the whole inst. panel at the end to level up and finish file.
(Never know when hail happens during a job...)

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Last edited by crystallographic; 10-30-2018 at 08:11 PM.
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  #2  
Old 10-30-2018, 10:50 PM
BTromblay BTromblay is offline
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Default

Hi,

Nice save of the original Luscolme instrument panel. Did they have radios in the opening or a clove box? So many get cut up or changed out to a modern 1/8" thick flat panel.

B
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  #3  
Old 10-30-2018, 11:12 PM
Metlmodr Metlmodr is offline
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Default Luscombe

Good save Kent, now if you can just find the original Budd die to make the firewall, it would make this year a beauty for me!
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Old 11-01-2018, 11:30 AM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Metlmodr View Post
Good save Kent, now if you can just find the original Budd die to make the firewall, it would make this year a beauty for me!

Thanks.
No luck on firewall dies. This bird is a very early model and is getting the full resto treatment.
P1010536.jpg
P1010539.jpg
P1010543.jpg
Now, on to the other end...
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"All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919.

Last edited by crystallographic; 11-01-2018 at 01:31 PM.
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  #5  
Old 11-03-2018, 02:15 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Default #2

As promised the other end got patched, same way -

P1010562.jpg
ready for weld dressing, hammering, filing.

Panel is set up for standing hand work, "handworking at the bench."

P1010564.jpg
Bright lights enhance visibility one thousand percent.
As Bob Davids would tell me, "Do this or fail!" (bright illumination, reflecting off of surface = critical lighting. He is an old Art Center graduate, so ...)
Note: stuff shown on bench, under panel =
quick check spray
machinist spray blue,
Super Shear file
rigid hard sanding block
marlinspike
spring steel spoon
asst'd weight/face contour hammers

P1010566.jpg
"Spooning" with the forged spring steel spoon, to fine-level the surface with the marlin spike held under as "dolly." (both tools mfg'd by TM Tech)
P1010569.jpg
"Check file" the surface, using modified Super Shear file (source:TM Tech)
P1010560.jpg
filed surface - might want to compare this with my first/intro post.
I am removing .002" material (demo measured during my "metal finishing classes) to simply "check" the surface, hence "check filing," a term used by pre-1960's metal guys who knew how to file, what files were available, and how to care for files. Files are one of the two fundamental hand tools. Good idea to know how to use one.


- and so on to completion ...
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Last edited by crystallographic; 11-03-2018 at 02:38 PM.
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  #6  
Old 11-03-2018, 03:08 PM
Jaroslav Jaroslav is offline
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Kent. Because of such work, a payment was do made to the account. Because he could not recalculate metal money when was paying him, when his hand still knocked after work .....

Amazing work. Admiration.

I will now test the aluminum bonnet on Mercedes without welding. I'm already scared.
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Old 11-06-2018, 01:05 PM
sblack sblack is offline
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Hiw did you avoid oil canning? Love the airplane restoration projects.
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Old 11-07-2018, 12:33 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Default avoiding oil cans

Quote:
Originally Posted by sblack View Post
How did you avoid oil canning?


Scott, I keep count of the number of hits I make per a given area, knowing that I am smacking the weld area to remove distortion, increase the hardness/strength, reduce the weld bead volume, and reverse the weld-shrinkage. Accuracy is vital for this, both in targeting the hits and in keeping numberical count.
So many times I've arrived at the final leveling and filing pass to find a "loose" panel that quickly turns into an oil can. ... ... ... (sigh, and here we go again, I am saying to myself ...)

So I keep the panel tight, all the way, with frugal hammer blows. And the last leveling pass leaves it nice and flat and tight.
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Old 11-07-2018, 02:28 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Default the next step

Continuing onwards with my last pass of light corrective planishing and check filing -
P1010621.jpg
The worked area slowly spreads out across the panel....
P1010626.jpg
A very light sanding shows the surface more clearly ...
I have one or two weld bead sinks that could use a bit of fill, upper area. Gas welding avoids these sinks, completely. Having to weld both sides using the tiggy makes the sinks a predictable risk when trying to use minimal filler.
The dull contrasted surface in the 2nd photo now shows the unworked weld area very clearly. Remember that all of the welds were first dressed off and then hammered, so this remaining "lumpy-ness" is what the last pass is removing/smoothing. I left this area "down front" to be worked last so the contrast between "before and after" would be super clear and really evident!
(Note: this is a "paint-grade" finish, and is not for going to a polished finish.)

(In contrast - this is a typical gas weld, welded from one side and has been lightly planished with zero weld dressing (sanding/filing), below:
C195 Wheelpant back side, welds showing.jpg

top side, polished finish, below:
C195 wp done 3-4.jpg
Attached Images
File Type: jpg GT wh arch R.jpg (49.2 KB, 7 views)
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"All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919.

Last edited by crystallographic; 11-07-2018 at 03:05 PM.
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  #10  
Old 11-07-2018, 03:59 PM
dwmh dwmh is offline
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Beautiful work as ever Kent. Can you tell me why you used TIG instead of gas, was it to keep the HAZ as small as possible?
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