Brazing/welding jigs

[Tiger]

Recently I had a couple of things I wanted to do. First was a wing nut that needed to be brazed onto a bolt. Secondly I wanted to braze a bit of steel rod onto a drill bit to lengthen it. After much stuffing around, got both jobs done but wasn't happy with the results. The wing nut moved slightly off the bolt so it didn't line up as I had hoped. The second job saw the drill bit move so it didn't line up with the rod. Question is how would you have set these jobs up ie what aids would you have used to guarantee that everything lined up and stayed that way during the welding or brazing?

[Article99]

The drill bit would involve brazing a larger diameter of steel to the shank and then grinding it true to the original shank. Otherwise, she won't run true, it'll drill out of round holes and it'll go dull quicker. :wink:

I'd have drilled and tapped a small hole down the top of the bolt, then slapped a washer and screw into the hole to hold the wingnut exactly where I'd want it. :2tsup:

[durwood]

The normal method for welding two pieces of round material aligned with each other is to place them in a V block of some sort.

Machinests use proper steel blocks with a 90 degree V in them and place them a short distance apart on a flat surface. A piece of angle iron with a section cut out in the middle may do the trick.

A slightly different version to Article99's suggestion would be to drill a hole for a piece of rod or thread in the centre of the bolt to keep it in place.

[Tiger]

Thanks Article and Durwood for the ideas. I had hoped to do both jobs quickly and should have thought through the preparation more.

[Grahame Collins]

Hi Tiger
There are a couple of ways to attach the drill to the rod.
For accuracy I have used a lathe to counter bore the rodand step a male shank on the drill bit Then assemble and braze .

The other way when a lathe was not available was the vee block with appropriate shim under the small diameter.

My welding vee is at work but the drill jig is along the same lines.

Grahame

[Grahame Collins]

Hi Tiger,
This one is easy to make.
The picture tells the story.

Grahame

[Grahame Collins]

Sorry about that chief
Pressed the button too quick

Didn I ?

Also included a picture of a pipe or rod alignment jig.Better than mine cos its in aluminium and no spatter stiks

Grahame

[joe greiner]

Wing nut on bolt: If you're just after a wing bolt, use threaded rod instead, extend slightly proud of the nut (between the wings), and fillet weld or braze. Adding a temporary jam nut will assure square construction.

Joe

[Grahame Collins]

Hi Tiger
Getting back to where we were ,before the crash.
Using the vee block for alignment one can pack or sleeve uneven diameters to match one another.

The gap in the aluminium one shown above allows for tacking with out moving or unscrewing the hold downs.

Grahame

[MrFixIt]

Hi

Recently I had a couple of things I wanted to do. First was a wing nut that needed to be brazed onto a bolt.
Screw the wing nut on to the bolt first OR drill the wing nut for a good fit over the bolt to slide it up under the bolt head and braze. You may of course need to use a slightly longer bolt :)


Secondly I wanted to braze a bit of steel rod onto a drill bit to lengthen it.

If the rod to be brazed to the drill bit is smaller diam than the drill bit then drill a hole in some suitable NON round material such that the drilled hole is close to the edge of the material and leaves just enough of the material to raise it central to the diameter of the rod.

If the rod diam is smaller then use the same principle but drill the hole in the material to suite the rod.

This will allow you to clamp both items in position for brazing.


Question is how would you have set these jobs up ie what aids would you have used to guarantee that everything lined up and stayed that way during the welding or brazing?

Personally being a bit lazy, unless really good accuracy was required for the rod & drill bit, I would have just used some packing to raise one item to the centre height of the other and visually lined them up "in line" clamped and brazed.

Here is one I prepared earlier :) about 10 years earlier. As you can see it has been gathering some rust since then.

Now this drill may not have the same accuracy that YOU need, but it still had to rotate smoothly and on centre, especially at 1 METRE LONG which it does :)

Anyway, I made this in the same way I described, with packing to lift the rebar up to the centre height of the drill. In my case, I was able to arc weld the rod and the drill together. I also had to hand grind the other end of the rebar to a reasonably accurate 1/2" round to fit the drill chuck.

I used this to drill a hole down into an internal brick wall to allow me to install some flouro lights a metre down on the INTERNAL study wall. In my situation, I did not have to be too concerned with waste removal as most of the holes in the internal bricks were in line so it was a matter of ensuring the ONE long hole I needed was able to accept a conduit for the electrical cable.

It worked for me :D

Good luck with your future projects :D

[MrFixIt]

Hi

The photos didn't make it the first time round :)

[Tiger]

Thanks, guys, I'd been hoping that there was some sort of jig around to help me do these sort of tasks as I'll be doing more of them over the next few months.

Graham, the pipe/rod alignment jig looks familiar, is there a standard name for it? Also, how well does it hold up, in other words is there a danger that it could move if slight accidental contact was made? Was it a home made job or did you buy it and do you know of any instructions on making one?

[Grahame Collins]

Hi Tiger,
A vee block is all I have have ever called them.The ali one came off the AWS (American Welding Society ) website under the Tricks of the Trade thread.

Not hard to make at all.You should have done in an hour.

A good start is a bit of suitable dimension equal angle section (angle iron eg 30 x 30 ,40 x 40 or 50 x 50, get the picture ) .The length is up to you.
Lay the angle section vee upwards on the bench.

Take four flats say
50 long x 25 wide x 6 th (millimeters ) and tack weld one at each end of your angle sitting them 25 width along the straight edge of the vee. What ever flat length you choose make them all exactly that length.

Choose a bit of flat bar say 50 x 6 and draw or scribe a center line down the middle. Align the un tacked edges of the 50 x 6 pieces on to the flat bar on center line .

Mark out a suitable gap in the middle of the angle iron (this is hack sawed out later ). Tack in the remaining 2 flats and check angles are both 45 degrees to flat. Add further tacks on opposite sides.

If hat isn't crude enough than see the photo of my drawing ( My scanner is on the fritz, hence the photo of a drawing)

For hold downs ,just use some roll threads or bolts welded to round bar say 6mm .

howzat?

Grahame

[Tiger]

Hi Grahame, I was actually referring to the jig next to the v-block. It is holding a circular object onto a bit of pipe.

[Grahame Collins]

Tiger,
After another rush of sxxt to the brain and a cuppa, I have thought about some more hold down detail.

Probably for hold down for tacking look closely at the detail of the hold downs of the ali jig picture. I see some coach bolts (see the rounded heads )
Really cool to hold down as bugger all pressure is needed .It is to position ,that's all. If you can,t help yourself and want to over build, see the pictures attached.

I am partial to using roll threads topped off with joiner nuts cut down to suit.

Grahame

[Grahame Collins]

Tiger,

They are called the welders finger.

use 5 or 6mm round and a block of steel to screw on to the shaft to put the weight in the right place. Make a few long and short versions.

They are great when "she who must" gets sick of being zapped or burn't and won't hold stuff any more.

Make the legs 50 long and the body 300 or so to start. don't forget to slide the weights on first before bending the right angle or so,head.

Grahame

[Tiger]

That's great Grahame, thanks.

[Tiger]

Wanted another look at this Grahame, but no pictures, where are they gone?

[Grahame Collins]

hi Tiger

I deleted them in order to put up other pics.I think the forum had a limit on how many pics one could load,this was at one time anyhow,it seems ok now.

Can't remember if its the same one ,but their all similar
You want the finger, here it is
Grahame

[Tiger]

Thanks Grahame, did you have a picture of a hold down as well? If you do could you post that as well?

[Grahame Collins]

Tiger
Is this is what you are looking for.?

Grahame

[Tiger]

Yes, thanks Grahame.