DIY Tractor Canopy, Days 4 and 5
A few days after my last post on this project, I got a replacement argon cylinder for my TIG machine and began welding the tractor canopy together:
This is a still from a video clip that I shot. I managed to pause the video at the exact moment that the current was shut off, while both the bead and tungsten electrode were still glowing. This clip will be included in my next video about the project, which I will probably release tomorrow.
Here is a close-up of the bead that I had just made:
This was not a straight-fused joint, by the way, I did add filler to this. Because of the gap created by the large radius at the corners of the square tube, I found that I had to be extremely aggressive with feeding in the filler wire, otherwise I would blow a hole in the wall of the tube.
I had to deal with several other projects taking priority over the course of the next month, so I didn't get back to actually working on this project until yesterday, when I completed the two main sub-assemblies. Below is the first, undergoing a "validation fit" after welding was completed (I made a test fit earlier, before welding the two halves together):
The rest of these photos are of the sub-assemblies sitting on my improvised welding table, which is an old metal table saw.
Today, however, I finished the frame. You'll see pictures of today's work tomorrow, as well as, possibly, a link to another BitChute video documenting that part of the project. I need to do a bit more welding, admittedly (because I ran out of gas AGAIN before I could finish the last two beads), but I definitely don't have to worry about it falling apart. Next will be painting, capping (closing the ends of the tubes), and sewing, in that order.
Shameless self-promotion:
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https://www.shapeways.com/designer/steampunkkaja
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