Welders and Fabricators
12-02-2005, 08:22 PM
#1
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Welders and Fabricators I'm interesting in learning how to weld and or fabricate. I know that covers alot, but for right now all I have in mind is to fab my own turbo kit. I have no welding experience, but where and or how could I go about teaching myself how to weld? Would a community college offer it? Thanks in advanced.
12-02-2005, 11:07 PM
#2
TECH Regular
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Newark, Ohio
Posts: 492
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Or you can do like I did.....buy a welder, some rod, scrap pipe and weld away!!!
Fabrication is alot of trial and error, and mostly taking your time to think thru the angles .
Fabrication is alot of trial and error, and mostly taking your time to think thru the angles .
12-03-2005, 02:06 PM
#5
Depending on how good you want it to look, stainless? MIG or TIG welded?
MIG welding is ok and mainly used for production. If you want detailed and perfection TIG is the way to go. Especially if your using stainless. Anyone can learn to TIG, I think theres videos available. Once you got the general concept its all practice. I weld high pressure (5500+) gas pipes that have to meet x-ray specs. Never went to school, just practice.
Also you can get stainless elbows and tubing from McMaster Carr. www.mcmaster.com for really cheap. 1.5" pipe schedule 10 stainless elbow for around $5 each. Tubing is different than pipe. It cost way more. Im a TIG welder by trade, but fabbing your own kit is relatively simple. Look at my link in signature. Each header I probably have about $50-75 worth of material and about 8 hours of cutting and welding.
Most people use stainless tubing. thin wall (.065) , all the elbows are $12. and up. it adds up fast. Pipe sizes are a little different and alot cheaper. 1.5" pipe will have the O.D. of almost 2" I.D. of 1.875 - (1-7/8) and the wall thickness of .120 (or close) but being stainless the thin stuff will crack under vibration and especially if its supporting weight (turbo) and was never stress releived after being welded.
So using the pipe rather than tube size i think is better. mine are made from 1.5" stainless pipe schedule 10 thickness (.120) and will hold up alot better and not disipate heat as fast.
MIG welding is ok and mainly used for production. If you want detailed and perfection TIG is the way to go. Especially if your using stainless. Anyone can learn to TIG, I think theres videos available. Once you got the general concept its all practice. I weld high pressure (5500+) gas pipes that have to meet x-ray specs. Never went to school, just practice.
Also you can get stainless elbows and tubing from McMaster Carr. www.mcmaster.com for really cheap. 1.5" pipe schedule 10 stainless elbow for around $5 each. Tubing is different than pipe. It cost way more. Im a TIG welder by trade, but fabbing your own kit is relatively simple. Look at my link in signature. Each header I probably have about $50-75 worth of material and about 8 hours of cutting and welding.
Most people use stainless tubing. thin wall (.065) , all the elbows are $12. and up. it adds up fast. Pipe sizes are a little different and alot cheaper. 1.5" pipe will have the O.D. of almost 2" I.D. of 1.875 - (1-7/8) and the wall thickness of .120 (or close) but being stainless the thin stuff will crack under vibration and especially if its supporting weight (turbo) and was never stress releived after being welded.
So using the pipe rather than tube size i think is better. mine are made from 1.5" stainless pipe schedule 10 thickness (.120) and will hold up alot better and not disipate heat as fast.