Making Racks

[atcmatt]

Hi,
When I rolled over my bigred the racks were tweeked....alot.
Im now in the process of making new ones.
Im using 1 inch square gal tube that has a guage of 2mm. I only have a stick welder and i have tried using that but it looks untidy and crap. I have all the steel cut up for the front rack and its ready to be welded. But
I have a few questions to ask......

What type of welder would be best to weld the racks???
What is the diffrence between a gasless mig and a gas mig???
What is jb welding???

Also I want professional looking welds.....not crapy lumpy welds!

Thanks for any replies,

Matt

[Clioboy1200]

Hey, I know about bent racks on a big red. I bent mine back so many times with a sledge hammer that I ended up cracking them. I've never tried to fabricate any though.

Im guessing that your problem with the lumpy welds may be due to the Galv box. Galv is messy to weld without a good cleaning, and it stinks. Also your choice of stick my be causing problems, Im not sure what gauge you use, but ask for an appropriate stick when your buying a few.

I use nothing but the stick welder- long gone are the days of lumpy welding. After a bit of practice you can be an artist.

As for mig, it works with a torch that feeds a wire. I guess the no gas one doesn't need any gas can hooked up to melt/braze the wire, and the gas one does. The thing about mig is, its alot easier to weld thinner metal. A mate of mine can weld exhaust metal with his mig. You try doing that with a stick, and it'll be holes galore!

Anyroads, thats my 0.02, im sure someone on the site will be able to give you a more accurate rundown. ;)

[ATC crazy]

What is jb welding???

You dont want to use JB Weld for things like this. JB Weld is actually a paste that you would put over small things to "weld" them back together. It does not melt the metal together like any other welding would.

[Mobular]

I tried to repair a bent rack once.......just once! Figuring the time and frustration put into trying to revive the old piece, I just bought a new shiney one. Much better!

[Mobular]

I tried to repair a bent rack once.......just once! Figuring the time and frustration put into trying to revive the old piece, you'd be much better off buying a new shiny one. Much better!

[Crash104936221]

i belive that with a gasless mig the wire carrys a cemical that help promote a cleaner burn

where as thats what the gas is for

i dont know much bout migs only tried one once and i hated it went back to stick

as for Galvanized steel i think its generaly a PITA to weld

buy the way whats 2mm steel equivalent to in inches?
Joe

[Kook]

2mm = .08 inches, Crash.

[Crash104936221]

2mm = .08 inches, Crash.
thanks
Joe

[nate b]

if your worried about ugly looking beads then i would use JB and a 1" putty knife.

he he

[Lots_Of_Nothing]

do not use j&b weld on racks, that is the dumbest thing i have heard in awhile......maybe if you just want the racks for looks and dont want to use them then i would use it, but if you plan on actually using the racks, then dont use j&b, its not even a real weld, its just an epoxy

[honda200]

MIG weld, use a gas MIG, I know all bout weldin now! i am top of my class in my welding course, so ask away your questions.

So you dont get lumpy welds, use small little swirls, they look professional and are strong, also, if your using a wire fed welder (MIG) then hold it fairly close, if its too far away, its just goin to spurt the wire around and it looks bad, you could also fusion weld which is Oxy-Acetylene torches using a neutral flame, melt the base metal and the metal rod together, it forms a very strong, very proffesinal looking weld job

Curtis,

need any more help? PM me

Curtis

[atcmatt]

So you all think I should stick with the stick welder and get thinner rods (im using 2.5 ones now) And practice practice practice.

Also what type of pipe bender do I need to bend square tube???

[samster143]

Cut up the square tubing so that it makes nice 90 degree joints. Cut each corner on a 45 and they will make nice right angles. As for the gas, I believe it is a inert gas (meaning it does not burn) this gas is laid down next to the fresh weld and kinda flushes away the oxygen so the material being welded stops burning. hope this clears things a little.

[atcmatt]

Cut up the square tubing so that it makes nice 90 degree joints.

Yep thats what i have done..........the rack looks awesome, but it aint welded up yet............hmmmmmmmm :?

[renotrikeguy]

How bout a picture of your engineering Matt?

[atcmatt]

Tomorrow Chris, Ill also send ya some of my bike.........its together and running. yay. btw the rack isnt together, and its a front one.

Later

[Bumb]

OMG I just had the greatest idea for ya. Duct tape. LOL. I bent my rack in the front. Just heated it up and slowly bent it back to make it look a little bit better. Also did this to a brake handle too from when my friend rolled.