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Welding? I’d like to see Lady Ada wearing a welder’s face mask. (Maybe on Halloween?) Any hackers out there do serious welding? (Wimpy spot welding doesn’t count!)
I’m toying with trying to do something a bit “heavier” than that, casting Aluminum! (How about a “Foundary” patch?) I need to reproduce some custom front panels for a pair of Niles amps I repaired, and it’s either make sand molds from the one I have and cast new ones, or machine some out of solid bars of aluminum.
Comment by K Scharf — February 8, 2012 @ 3:58 pm
@k scharf – ladyada welds, it would not be a halloween costume.
Comment by adafruit — February 8, 2012 @ 4:01 pm
@KScharf: I weld too, and I know many hackers who do ‘serious welding’.
Regarding your faceplate, unless you’ve got experience doing casting, you might be in for disappointment. Sand casting is something it takes a lot of time to become good at, and nearly all castings require some machining to finish.
To match the finish of something like a Niles you’d be better off just having the panel machined and finished by a professional shop. Provided you’re drawing is correct, it would save you considerable time and heartbreak in the long run.
Comment by johngineer — February 8, 2012 @ 7:56 pm
@K Scharf – I also weld, and I’m not just a ‘buggar artist’. It’s a good skill to have.
Comment by Jeremy Saglimbeni — February 8, 2012 @ 9:01 pm
I know that the quality of a sand cast depends on a lot of things and that the casting must be machined to remove excess metal and the surface must be finished. I’ve been reading some of Lindsay’s books on casting metal (especially Gingery). I think reproducing the extruded front plates are doable and that fine sanding and several coats of paint will make for a useable panel. Won’t look as good as the factory, but will be functional.
As for welding, I once helped a friend weld chrome alloy tubing for a home built aircraft fuselage, that was fun!
Comment by K Scharf — February 9, 2012 @ 8:48 am
Yes! Great SMAW welding sticker; now we need Oxy/acetylene, MIG, TIG, and Plasma!
Comment by superUnknown — February 11, 2012 @ 2:40 pm