Ryan Friedlinghaus is CEO and owner of West Coast Customs (WCC), a world-renowned company that builds creative and innovative custom vehicles that stretch the imagination. In 1993 Ryan’s grandfather, Edward Cifranic, loaned him $5,000, and WCC was born as a modest car customization shop in Orange County, California, which then quickly grew into a larger enterprise. In 2004 WCC gained celebrity status when the MTV show Pimp my Ride aired, and WCC became the exclusive builder of all the vehicles for the original episodes for seasons 1-4.
Ryan then turned his attention to expanding WCC globally, franchising shops in diverse locations such as Mexico, Germany, Malaysia, Russia, and Japan.
Following this global expansion, Ryan launched a new TV show that demonstrated that WCC was in fact a creator of automotive art, not simply a custom car shop. The result was Street Customs and Street Customs Berlin, which rose to the top of the ratings on the TLC network. He then took his TV career to the next level as the producer and creator of Inside West Coast Customs, initially airing on the Discovery channel and then on the new network, Velocity. In 2013 Inside West Coast Customs moved to the Fox Sports Network.
Ryan’s life story epitomizes the tattoo across his fingers, “self made”. He is living proof that with ambition, drive, and heart you can still capture the American dream.
William L. Galvery, Jr. was for many years Professor of Welding Technology and Welding Department coordinator at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Vocational Engineering degree, has more than 30 years of industrial welding experience, and is an American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Inspector and a Certified Welding Educator. In 2003 the AWS presented him with its prestigious national teaching award, the Howard E. Adkins Memorial Instructor Award, and for the second time he was chosen AWS District 21 Educator of the Year. In the same year he was also presented with an Excellence in Education Award by the University of Texas, Austin. Bill has also served as an officer for the AWS Long Beach/Orange County Section.
The term welding conjures up a number of images—everything from rows of welders working among flying sparks on a factory floor to the single homeowner making repairs in the family garage. And they would both be right. Joining metals together through welding plays a large part in the manufacturing of thousands of products. It is also a tool used by do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists to create projects and make repairs around the home.
The Art of Welding is geared toward anyone who wants to learn the basics of welding for their own uses. One of the first things they will learn is that welding is really a range of processes that have evolved since the late nineteenth century. The earliest form, which is still in widespread use today, relies on a combination of ignited gases to produce a high-intensity flame that can melt metal; more modern versions use the heat produced by an electrical arc to melt and then fuse metal together.
This book covers the principal processes used by the home welder. They are oxyacetylene welding, or gas welding, and those that rely on electrical arcs, which include stick welding, MIG and TIG. Each has its own unique characteristics as well as specialized equipment. Chapters devoted to each cover equipment selection and use, tools, safety precautions, and welding techniques provided by Ryan Friedlinghaus and the pros at West Coast Customs. There are also chapters on the related skills of thermal cutting, and brazing and soldering. A final chapter offers welding tips and techniques for dealing with common problems found around the home welding shop.
T he term “welding” comprises a number of different processes for fusing metals. For the home hobbyist or do-it-yourselfer, oxyacetylene welding, shielded metal arc welding (also called stick welding), wire-feed welding processes (also called MIG), and nonconsumable electrode welding (also called TIG) are the most popular. This chapter also covers the basics of joint preparation and the most common types of welds. For procedures that relate to specific welding processes, see the relevant chapter.
WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR WELDING PROCESSES FOR THE DO-IT-YOURSELFER?
HOW ARE WELDING JOINTS PREPARED?
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BASIC TYPES OF WELDS?
WHAT ARE THE SPECIAL PROCEDURES FOR WELDING THICK PLATES?
WHAT ARE SOME COMMON WELDING POSITIONS?
What are the most popular welding processes for the do-it-yourselfer?
Oxyacetylene Welding
When combined in the correct proportions in the welding torch handle, oxygen and acetylene gases produce an approximately 5600°F (3100°C) flame at the torch tip. This flame melts the edges of the base metals to be joined into a common pool. Sometimes additional filler metal is added to the molten pool from a welding rod. When this common pool cools and the metal freezes solid, the joined metals are fused together and the weld complete.
Oxyacetylene welding was first used industrially in the early years of the twentieth century. Although this process makes excellent welds in steel, it is little used for welding today except for a few specialties because there are other more efficient welding processes available. However, oxyacetylene has many other important uses: cutting, hardening, tempering, bending, forming, preheating, postheating, brazing, and braze welding. Because of the precise control the welder has over heat input and its high-temperature flame, together with its low equipment cost, portability, and versatility, it remains an essential tool. As with all effective tools, using oxyacetylene carries risk. We will cover the theory and use of oxyacetylene equipment so you can use them with confidence and safety. See Figure 1-1.
Figure 1-1 Oxyacetylene setup.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding or Stick Welding
In shielded metal arc welding, an electric circuit is established between the welding power supply, the electrode, the welding arc, the work, the work connection, and back to the power supply. The arc produces heat to melt both the electrode metal and the base metal. Temperatures within the arc exceed 6,000°F (3,300°C). The arc heats both the electrode and the work beneath it. As the electrode moves away from the molten pool, the molten mixture of electrode and base metals solidifies and the weld is complete.
Arc welding machines have been used in this country since the early days of the twentieth century. Arc welding is popular for industrial, automotive, and farm repair because its equipment is relatively inexpensive and can be made portable. More welders have learned this process than any other. Although it will be around for many years, and its annual filler metal poundage continues to grow, it is declining in importance as wire feed welding processes continue to gain popularity and market share. We will cover theory, equipment, electrode rod classification and selection, and safety.