LE-U-19 plans have arrived! Help!

[scottiniowa]

FYI: I heat and bend the tube with a welding tip not a torch.

914Pete,
  You do know that "heating the tubes" to bend, is more than just putting heat on them?  I presume so, but not sure.  By using the welding torch (the same one your going to gas weld your frame with) you can get these areas to proper color for bending. Not just warmed up. 

And while it may already be answered, Yes- you can bend up and in to fire wall, and basically the same on the aft section, up and in to tail post. 

Best of success

[914pete]

FYI: I heat and bend the tube with a welding tip not a torch.

914Pete,
  You do know that "heating the tubes" to bend, is more than just putting heat on them?  I presume so, but not sure.  By using the welding torch (the same one your going to gas weld your frame with) you can get these areas to proper color for bending. Not just warmed up.

And while it may already be answered, Yes- you can bend up and in to fire wall, and basically the same on the aft section, up and in to tail post.

Best of success

Hi Scott, yes, although I have no experience, I assumed you have to get the 4130 glowing to bend it.  I do all my home pipe sweating with a MAPP gas torch and was wondering if it could get 4130 to the right "color" to bend it properly.  I don't have the tubing yet to try it and I have yet to invest in a Oxy/Acetylene welding kit.  I guess I'll wait until I get the tubing and try it.  Thanks!  Pete

[Dan_]

I have yet to invest in a Oxy/Acetylene welding kit.  I guess I'll wait until I get the tubing and try it.  Thanks!  Pete

I did my bending with a propane plumbers torch.  I don't know if propane is hotter than  mapp gas or not.  It dint seem to take a whole whole lot of heat...

Grab up the tube and start it toward the way it needs to go and when it balks, start applying heat.  

You will feel it relax and start bending.  

Play the heat over a larger area than the bend and don't heat the inside as much as the outside.  

Don't try to do it all at once or be in a hurry.  

Start bending, when it gets harder to move --add heat... Repeat until you get there.  Only add as much heat as it takes to keep it bending.  

Leonard says if the inside of the bend folds over, just weld it.

[914pete]

I have yet to invest in a Oxy/Acetylene welding kit.  I guess I'll wait until I get the tubing and try it.  Thanks!  Pete

I did my bending with a propane plumbers torch.  I don't know if propane is hotter than  mapp gas or not.  It dint seem to take a whole whole lot of heat...

Grab up the tube and start it toward the way it needs to go and when it balks, start applying heat.  

You will feel it relax and start bending.  

Play the heat over a larger area than the bend and don't heat the inside as much as the outside.  

Don't try to do it all at once or be in a hurry.  

Start bending, when it gets harder to move --add heat... Repeat until you get there.  Only add as much heat as it takes to keep it bending.  

Leonard says If the inside of the bend folds over, just weld it.

Thanks for the info Dan.  I believe the MAPP gas torch is a lot hotter then the blue can propane torches.  Roughly 1200F hotter.  Just curious to know if what I already have will work.  I need to spread out the new tool expenses a bit but am eager to get started with the build.

[mkj1928]

@914 Pete

Where do you live? Would you like to borrow my Meco torch?

[mkj1928]

I use MAPP gas daily and I'm sure it's fine. It just doesn't make sense because without a welder your not doing welding. I bend with a welding torch because I have it out already, just throttle down the Oxy. 

I have a couple Victor torches and a set of hoses I never use that you could use. I also have a Meco with ultralight hoses you can borrow. 

Mike

[914pete]

I use MAPP gas daily and I'm sure it's fine. It just doesn't make sense because without a welder your not doing welding. I bend with a welding torch because I have it out already, just throttle down the Oxy.

I have a couple Victor torches and a set of hoses I never use that you could use. I also have a Meco with ultralight hoses you can borrow.

Mike

Mike, that would be a huge help. I'm in NJ.  If you could box them I can give you my UPS account # or just create UPS labels and email them to you.  I also have a Fedex account if that is more convenient.  Once labeled, if its not too inconvenient, you could just drop it at a UPS store.

Pete

[mkj1928]

I use MAPP gas daily and I'm sure it's fine. It just doesn't make sense because without a welder your not doing welding. I bend with a welding torch because I have it out already, just throttle down the Oxy.

I have a couple Victor torches and a set of hoses I never use that you could use. I also have a Meco with ultralight hoses you can borrow.

Mike

Mike, that would be a huge help. I'm in NJ.  If you could box them I can give you my UPS account # or just create UPS labels and email them to you.  I also have a Fedex account if that is more convenient.  Once labeled, if its not too inconvenient, you could just drop it at a UPS store.

Pete

Do you have tanks?

[914pete]

I use MAPP gas daily and I'm sure it's fine. It just doesn't make sense because without a welder your not doing welding. I bend with a welding torch because I have it out already, just throttle down the Oxy.

I have a couple Victor torches and a set of hoses I never use that you could use. I also have a Meco with ultralight hoses you can borrow.

Mike

Mike, that would be a huge help. I'm in NJ.  If you could box them I can give you my UPS account # or just create UPS labels and email them to you.  I also have a Fedex account if that is more convenient.  Once labeled, if its not too inconvenient, you could just drop it at a UPS store.

Pete

Do you have tanks?

I'm going to rent them from the gas supply where I buy C25 for my mig.  They require $200 security deposit for each tank.  Ridiculous.

[scottiniowa]

I'm going to rent them from the gas supply where I buy C25 for my mig.  They require $200 security deposit for each tank.  Ridiculous.

I am not sure how ridiculous this is, for if you consider what the tanks cost them, why would they risk loosing them forever for less than what it cost them to purchase new ones.  I do the same thing, if someone wants to borrow, I simply "sell them" with a offered buy back price.  Now that price can be the same or perhaps less - say 90%  but the 1st price is always what I think I could get on a auction or at least what I think I could re-buy the tool for.

Lots of things-especially books never come back.   Without the agreement, often friends are lost too.   With the agreement, money in hand, a new "anything" to the lender  can always happen.

[ParQld]

Hey Mike thanks for the reply, good to see you are still around. I appreciated where you are coming from as I am in the same boat. My project is taking longer than I want but when you have a business to attend to.... you get it.

Appreciate your tips and I will be ensuring I weld a lot of scraps before i take the project. I have started to re qatch you vids again to get my head more around it.

thanks again

regards Paul

Hey Mike,

are you still building and doing videos? or has life moved in a different direction. I am building a DE and have Zero welding experience. Your vids are great. I kind hope you do more of them as it really help me understand the construction better

regards Paul

Absolutely, it's just not a priority compared to other things like my family and my plumbing business. This year I built a new shop / retail center so it consumed most of my time. That's just about settled so I'll be building again shortly.

As far as welding is concerned.....

Remember, your job as a welder is to manage heat. That's it. That's your focus. If you feed filler rod in slowly heat rises. Feed it quickly heat sinks. Welding is HEAT MANAGEMENT. Period! So as you practice your beginning skills keep your mind focused on heat management, watch as the heat changes and learn from that.

Second. When you feel your ready to weld the actual parts it's smart to have 2 - 6" scrap pieces right next to  your location so you can practice quick and adjust your brain then immediately after the practice piece is welded just keep that flame lit and jump right in to the real airplane part. Otherwise what happens is you go to weld the real part and your starting fresh with no "warm up" exercise to get you in the groove. Try and think in those terms because unless you weld every day it takes a little bit to get warmed up.

Mike

[914pete]

I'm going to rent them from the gas supply where I buy C25 for my mig.  They require $200 security deposit for each tank.  Ridiculous.

I am not sure how ridiculous this is, for if you consider what the tanks cost them, why would they risk loosing them forever for less than what it cost them to purchase new ones.  I do the same thing, if someone wants to borrow, I simply "sell them" with a offered buy back price.  Now that price can be the same or perhaps less - say 90%  but the 1st price is always what I think I could get on a auction or at least what I think I could re-buy the tool for.

Lots of things-especially books never come back.   Without the agreement, often friends are lost too.   With the agreement, money in hand, a new "anything" to the lender  can always happen.

Your right Scott.  I guess there are unscrupulous people out there.  I will research buying them as well.