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I "tack" welded (small weld to hold pieces together) the 3rd and final piece of the frame (x2). This wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be. I measured the length of one of the pieces incorrectly, and had this huge gap I needed to weld together.
So I set it up and tried to MIG weld a huge "weld bridge" across the gap. Suffice to say it didn't work; the metal caved in and I was left with a larger hole than I started with.
As I was scratching my head, my metal instructor dropped by. He laughed and said "Good luck with that!" Not what I wanted to hear at that moment of vulnerability, but he did offer a solution I had thought of before but didn't use: put a small piece to further bridge the two pieces.
This solution worked, as seen below. With some grinding and precise cleaning, this large mountain of metal will clean up rather nicely.
I am somewhat disillusioned about the actual quality and "value" of this prototype though (like if I was to sell it and donate the money to a non-profit cause). The welding, since I'm trying out the MIG welder for the first time, will be mediocre. The design is also being worked out in the process, so I'm not sure how similar the final chair will be to the one I originally set up to make.
This is my idea: make four prototypes (which exempts them from perfection) and pitch those chair ideas. The best chair (from ergonomics to form), I could remake with more precision, as a craftsman would (to the best of my ability, with more attention paid to detail rather than overall look). Thoughts on this idea? If I continue at this rate, I will be able to pull off four prototypes and one "masterpiece," we shall call it!
Please comment on posts you enjoy or dislike, and send me feedback at djosephgoteiner@gmail.com!
Best,
David
Dj, these are looking awesome. here are some thoughts and inquiries:
ReplyDelete1] Chair2 doesn't look like one of your sketches posted on 'Chair 1, Post 6' Did you change the design? I really really liked the original design.
2] Are you going to continue using street signs for these chairs? I personally hope you do.
3] and sometimes I do not understand those esoteric terms such as MIG,TIG, etc.... It would be very nice of you if you give some brief explanation of those terms for under-educated readers like me :)
Yubi,
ReplyDelete1) You are clearly following the blog if you noticed my change of design. I really liked the design you mentioned, but the support system wasn't working. Notice that this chair has a second reinforcement on the back. It was my problem solving to that issue.
2) Yes, I will use traffic signs for most, if not all, of the signs. I'm waiting for more signs so I can color code and get picky with which signs I use where.
3) Good point. I'll direct you to the "Welding" Wikipedia page to learn more about MIG and TIG welding.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welding
If you read that page, you'll get a conceptual idea of what I'm using. Ask me details questions if you have them, as they arise.
Thanks for reading. I really appreciate your feedback.
DJ