"Welding Tech"....When you don't have an extra hand.

I find that when I'm butt welding thin metal that it's easy to blow a hole when too much heat is used. And joints that have a slight gap are even worse.

It's well known that when welding up a small hole or a butt joint in thin sheet metal it's easier when backed up with a piece of copper. Flattening a piece of copper pipe and leaving a little extra for a handle is a simply made tool. If you can reach the back side of the part you're welding on......simply hold the copper flat to the back side of the hole and weld away.

My problem is that I usually can't hold the copper in position because it usually needs to be held inside a quarter panel or firewall. Welding up the holes in firewall on my F100 I had no helper(my wife) to hold the copper backup tool. I've tried a number of redneck attempts to hold the copper in position..........which I won't go into..........which usually led to to a lot of 4 letter expletives when I heard the copper backup hit the floor.

So....I picked up a fairly strong magnet from Harbor Freight.



Removed the hook which used 1/4-20 threads and cut off the end of a 1/4-20 carriage bolt to use as a stud. I drilled an extra hole near one end that would allow me to slip a nut underneath and thread another stud near the end. (this particular magnet had a channel that would allow a nut to slip in)




Next, I found some scrap metal to make a few adjustable brackets. Hopefully the photos show where I'm going with this.











Assembled together with some 1/4-20 nuts and bolts....and a flattened piece of copper pipe with some mounting holes.



Also made another bracket from some thin stainless and rolled a short bead into it to give it some strength and spring.



Assembled............Note that I have it bent to make it apply pressure when it is set flat on the metal surface.





I've found that it will adapt to a variety of situtions and I can see the need to make a few copper pieces that have varied shapes.









So if you've got a firewall that looks like it's been shot full of holes, this tool may be of some use to you.

See post #58 for a follow-up to this tech write up.

 

genius!!!!!!!

 

Good idea.

I've successfully used the magnetic base for a dial indicator to hold a piece of flattened copper pipe in place before. It was heavy enough to hold the copper and wide enough to sit on the copper and the part I was working on. Definitely not as good of a solution as what you made though.

 

damn good idea!

 

Nice ill have to make one of them


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Yeah, I've tried a number of methods that I'd be rather ashamed to describe. Some worked ok..........others failed miserably. I wanted something with some adjustments so that it could be used in most cases.

 

I gotta build one, my daughter will be so pleased...she doesn't like holding the copper for me

 

two thumbs way up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Great idea...Gotta make one of those!

 

Hey, that`s cheatin! jk I`ve come up with about 3 mag attached devises, work great.

 

...and I almost sold all that copper tube for scrap! Thanks!!!!

 

Darn handy tool. Thanks for the tip, i'm gonna build one also.

 

I use tape- by the time it gets hot and falls off I am done welding the hole anyway. I like your tool but simple masking tape works fine.

 

Looks real good.
I'll make one as well.
Thanks.

 

Nice!

 

Simple, easy to fabricate and easy to use. A winner on all counts!

 

Yep... definitely a build worthy of doing. Thanks Drewski. Great work.

 

Have you patented this yet? If not, I'm gonna steal it..

 

Badass


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Now this is what Tech Week is all about. Something we can all make and all use. Thank you!!!

 

Gonna make one or two. Good idea!

 

Great idear!

 

Thats a great idea!

 

Yep, gonna steal this one. Thanks!!

 

Good idea
Is that a coaster brake arm from a bicycle?

 

I'll join in ... Great idea !!!

 

Great idea I am going to have to make one for my shop.

 

nicely done , will need to make one for myself

 

Hey, I thought we HAD to drop tools, curse, be P.O.'d

A HAMB award winner!

 

Well done Drew....another one of your ideas I will be borrowing!