Oi Des [ the hole digger]

[birdy]

Des, mate, i hava problem im thinkn you could help me with.Last year i scored a few tun of used 4 1/2" drill rod [ the sorta stuff youd be usen] im usen for posts, and everyone iv asked so far says the same bout weldn it to mild steel rails. They recon its same as railway line, just use low hyd rods and bobs ya reli.Well, it aint workn so good.Built a coupla trap yards with it last summer and the welds dont seem consistant.Iv had sum "forward store" sized critters putn sum serious amounts of energy into smashn themselves against some of the welds without incident, and in other cases somethn mearly leans onit and the weld pulls out of the post [ rod].Wot am i do"n rong with the welder?

[MilesW]

BirdyDrill pipe can be a proper ******* to weld. They are made from a wide variety of steels and some of them just don"t take kindly to welding. A lot of used drill pipe can also be magnetic which causes heaps of problems.What did the welds look like when you were welding them? Nice smooth fluid puddle or sputtery? Did you have any trouble getting the weld to stick?

[tonydenton]

yep, preheat, swearing can help preferrably while welding. and just to be on the safe side wrapp a big rag around it it let it cool slowly. leave them on and when you do move the rags on, leave the rags hot how they are.

[bosca]

One more point that needs adding is to keep these rods very dry.In many instances it is helpful to dry out in an oven just before use.

[Des Garvin]

Dave Mate, The only rods I have found to weld drill rods well is WIA 16TC on a lincon tractor pack or a DC welder. They can be a little trying to get them started but with a DC welder any self learned bloke or sheller can make the weld hold. Grinding the rust off helps to as a lot of foam is used at times with the rods drilling and it is a pack of white ants on steel. Hope this helps, Cheers The older greyer haired hole digger Des Garvin.

[dg2829]

I"d use a Grinder to clean the surfaces and a MIG rather than a Stick but that"s me

[birdy]

Hmmmm,.......... thanks???????? for the info blokes.Not wot i wanted to hear. I know the sun aint hot enuf to preheat it, but f%$#nell, ona hot day, sweat bounces off steel if you leave it on the ground ona 45c day.Ill try the rods Des, but im buggered if im byn anatha welder. Iv got one of them Boc 140A inverta welders, spoton gadget for weldn up yards, and if that dont do, [ mite try reverse pol too coz theres alota cutns stuck to the ends from the saw] well, i gess theyll just be fence posts. >

[chook]

Birdy the other way around your problem if the rods are hollow is to drill it (gas axe?) and bolt it. Hate to see those drill rods go to waste.Regards............Chook.

[Des Garvin]

Aye Daveo, That 140 inverta welda is a DC welder. I thought you posted a picy somewhere that you were usin a motorised welda building yards out in the sticks. If you use the 140 only get the 12 gauge (2.5mm for the younger ignerant generation

[birdy]

Aye Daveo, That 140 inverta welda is a DC welder.I havent used one of them ear rattln geny welders for years Des, not since i got this thing anyway. I am usen the 3.2mm LH rods, but ill do as you say n git the smaller ones.99% of the welds [ 2" mild steel rails to these drill rod post] are VD, its abit hard to tip a yard over to do a flat weld. Be a while befor i git do do"n more yards, tyrn to save me ass from fires at the moment. >

[birdy]

Just to clarify a boo boo i made above, i ment to say 99% of the weldn is VU welds, not VDs. [ thanx for pointn that out Miles.]

[asra]

Des, mate, i hava problem im thinkn you could help me with.Last year i scored a few tun of used 4 1/2" drill rod [ the sorta stuff youd be usen] im usen for posts, and everyone iv asked so far says the same bout weldn it to mild steel rails. They recon its same as railway line, just use low hyd rods and bobs ya reli.Well, it aint workn so good.Built a coupla trap yards with it last summer and the welds dont seem consistant.Iv had sum "forward store" sized critters putn sum serious amounts of energy into smashn themselves against some of the welds without incident, and in other cases somethn mearly leans onit and the weld pulls out of the post [ rod].Wot am i do"n rong with the welder?Cannot be welded as the drill rod is heat treated, and cooled in extremely tight tolerances, in fact nobody can tell you tell you exactly how they do it because it is a trade secret. The problem is the high carbon content will precipitate into the weld and create an extremely brittle area.

[asra]

I love the inverter welder, but for railway iron I get out the dodgy old shed welder that can do 180A to burn into that hard stuff. Low Hyd rods.

[willatodd]

desair6719 at drilair dot com dot au and tell me where you are confused.Cheers Des trial and error Garvin

[nunto]

I"v done a fear bit of yard building with drillrod all i used was TC16 rods never had problem.had steel with reverse polarity had to wrap my eath lead around it .