Challenges

I had several goes at joining the two aluminium plates I cut the other day. Than Heavens I have more where that came from as I didn't half make a mess.

I started with the 1/8 rods that are too thick and a Bernzomatic torch with MAPP gas and found the flux from the rod made a nasty mess. In the end I could not produce a weld like they showed online on the YouTube videos. That was not too welcome!

Next I pulled out my welder and set it to the recommended DCEP and could strike and ark but couldn't hold it despite the rods claiming to be 50-80A and my welder being set at its maximum of 75A. If it says 50A then it should work at 50A right the way through to 80A.  

The mess produced was a very blobby, weak weld that did nothing to improve my morale. The plate fell off my bench and broke.

So, having queried Hobart about what's going on, I had another go with the Bernzomatic. This time I knocked the flux off a welding rod. Heating the work substantially I did manage to get the two plates to stick together. As it was thick aluminium I wanted to weld the other side as well just to make sure. That went fine until the weld on the first side must have melted as the now unsupported side fell on the ground. That was rather frustrating.

So, to recap - the 1/8 welding rods won't work with my welder. The 3/32 welding rods that are in spec for my welder don't work with my welder either. That leaves 1/16th welding rods so I ordered some from eBay. That means another in a long series of delays. I really do regret that South Carolina has little of anything in any of the stores. They stock the main lines of things but few if any of the more specialist things. 

The alternative to using welding rods and aluminium is reasonably attractive. If I fitted a metal receiver for a 1/2" PVC pipe then then I could use commonly available PVC pipe for the camera mount. That would have the advantage of being break-off  event of and encounter with a particularly vicious tree branch and of course easily replaceable. 

Right now, welding has thrown a problem at me and I want to defeat that problem whether or not I go on to use PVC pipes as my ultimate solution. The problem with PVC pipes is in having a base for them to attach to. They can be glued or screwed on and I really don't think it matters which. 

At the moment I do not have a way of attaching the replacement camera that is foolproof. If the thinner welding rods do the trick then I will be able to weld my downward pointing camera arm and the camera holder. 

What I suspect the problem is with welding is one of two things. First I suspect the humidity could be an issue and secondly I wonder whether the amperage given on the welding rod packet is for a higher voltage welder. Mine is probably low voltage but high amperage, given that it runs off 20A 120V.

While I was out yesterday, I bought the Bernomatic torch and the 3/32 aluminium welding rod I tried using.  That wasn't the focus of my trip though. My driver's license was set to expire in about a month and so had to be renewed. Now was a good time being a longish gap in work. Looking at the DMV website it said bookings only. I booked and had to book several days in advance. 

Arriving at the DMV I was amazed to find they had turn up and go as well as bookings. That was a little irritating as it meant I could have been and gone days ago. Onward with things anyway and I now have the coveted gold star on the corner of my license. I like gold stars! The one downside is my license has a restriction noted that was not noted on the previous license - that I can't drive commercial class B with a manual gearbox. Why they did that, I don't know because a stick shift bus works just like a stick shift car and I can drive stick shift cars. I learned on a stick shift and passed my test on a stick shift. Interestingly my last license was valid for 5 years. This one is valid for 8 years.

Well, no more work on the camera mount until my next lot of welding rods arrives. If that fails then I can try brazing rods. If that all fails then I can go to my fallback of putting some kind of mount for a plastic tube for the camera. The plastic tube has the advantage of being easily replaceable.