Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Very Low Cost Sheet Metal Spot Welder (Portable & Convenient)
by mrjohngoh on December 27, 2009
Table of Contents
Intro: Very Low Cost Sheet Metal Spot Welder (Portable & Convenient) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
step 4: Electrodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
step 6: Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/
License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa)
Intro: Very Low Cost Sheet Metal Spot Welder (Portable & Convenient)
UPDATE: VOTE FOR MY INSTRUCTABLE PLEASE, MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO VOTE FOR MY BEST FRIEND'S CONTEST ENTRIES AT
www.instructables.com/id/Zero-Cost-Laptop-Cooler-Stand-No-Glue-No-Drill/ AND
www.instructables.com/id/Zero-Cost-Aluminum-Furnace-No-Propane-No-Glue-/
NOTE: THIS SPOT WELDER CAN BE USED TO BUILD SHEET METAL GIFTS FOR ANY HOLIDAY!
This instructable is a how-to guide on transforming a spoilt microwave, a plank of wood, some 3-pin plugs, T-brackets and wiring into a Very Low Cost Sheet Metal Spot
Welder that is also Portable & Convenient
Please note that as the label of the transformer in my picture states "DANGER, HIGH VOLTAGE", kindly take the necessary precautions and not electrocute yourself in
due course of this instructable
step 1: Materials
The low cost of this spot welder can be further reduced to nothing if the following items can be salvaged instead of bought, most of the time i settle for a trade off between
the two.
3. T-brackets X 1pair
(L-brackets are fine too, but i just had T-brackets handy)
4. Screws X A LOT
(you'll never know when you need these little fellas)
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/
step 2: Stripping The Microwave Transformer
This step describes how to obtain the transformer from the microwave
2. Look for the high voltage capacitor, it should be attached to the transformer and looks like a pistol magazine with 2 wires coming out of 1 end.
3. Proceed to short out the capacitor with a screwdriver, DO NOT LOOK AT IT, cos the spark is very bright.
4. PURELY OPTIONAL (SAFETY): take a fistful of used staple bullets and sprinkle them all over the exposed connections of the circuit board, this should render any
dangerous voltages nullified
5. Remove the transformer (as seen in the picture) and leave it aside, you may also want to keep the magnetron as it contains some awfully strong magnets, but is hell to
take apart (for another time)
1. As seen from the picture, the 2 average pieces form the base which the transformer screws onto, in between them is the PSU power connector.
2.Attached onto the front are the 2 long pieces connected by the T-brackets (do not tighten the top screws,as it should be a flexible joint for use).
3.At the front end, just shy of the 2 electrodes, on the underside of the bottom long piece, attach on the short piece for added stability and support.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/
step 4: Electrodes
Anyone and everyone who has dealt with welding knows that at such extreme temperatures, electrodes get eaten away like no one's business, thus i brain-stormed over
it and realized that the ground pin of 3-pin plugs could be used as electrodes, they are widely available and cost next to nothing, next i devised a way of attaching them
to the spot welder such that they could be changed out as easily as a drill bit of a drill. Below is how to build your own electrodes for this welder.
1. Take apart 2 3-pin plugs and retrieve the ground pins (the longest pin)
2. Take apart the 2 terminal strip pieces and reassemble the metal parts
3. Screw a ground pin onto a piece of copper scrap and insert that scrap copper into the terminal strip's metal pin, screw down the metal pin to tighten.
4. Screw the terminal strip's metal pin onto the wooden plank with the free end pointing towards the transformer, as these will be attached to the ends of the 1cm
diameter cable
However, the secondary winding of a microwave transformer is designed to do the direct opposite, it is designed to greatly increase the voltage of mains electricity at the
expense of decreasing the current, thus has to be modified if the spot welder is to work, stated below is how to do so
1. Remove the secondary windings of the microwave transformer (it is the winding which has no connection to the mains, has smaller diameter wire and more windings),
to do this i used an angle grinder with a cut-off blade to slice through the entire chunk, however i would advice caution as the primary windings cannot be damaged in any
way if the spot welder is to work.
2. Using the 1cm diameter cable, make as many loops as possible through the space where the secondary windings used to be (in my case that's 3), then extend the rest
of the cable to the front where the electrodes are and attach them on, after screwing the finished transformer onto the structural skeleton base plate
3. Some of you may notice the PC PSU power connector under the transformer, i salvaged that from a spoilt PSU and added it on for convenience and portability (just
imagine a spot welder with a long trailing cable), it connects to the primary coil as seen in the next step
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/
step 6: Others
Notice how i used the metal chain to secure the middle piece of wood, i added this for structure strength as you will not believe how heavy that microwave transformer is
The Brown and Blue wires that are attached onto the primary coil are connected to the PSU power connector mentioned in the previous step
An improvement that can be made would be to encase the transformer and to add a fan to the encasement, for safety and prolonged usage as it does heat up with use,
however i personally prefer the raw steampunk look of the spot welder as it is now
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/
Related Instructables
Homemade Convert A Wire Zero Cost Cheap Welding Zero Cost How to Weld -
Feed Welder To Laptop Cooler / for Punks by Aluminum MIG Welding by
Spot Welder by A Stick Welder Stand (No Glue, Furnace (No
TimAnderson noahw
jds1969 by EmmettO No Drilling, No Propane, No
Nuts & Bolts, Glue / Epoxy,
No Screws) by No Welding,
quickshadow_2 Individually
Replaceable
Parts) by
quickshadow_2
Advertisements
Comments
32 comments Add Comment
By placing your breaker on-board, you're no longer relying on the buildings breaker to do the work of protecting. you can set it to trip at 30 amp, instead of,
well, one of my breakers in the house is a 500 amp(for the electric kiln)!
Plus, if you trip it, it's a lot easier to reach up, and throw the toggle, instead of having to go to the electric service panel to find the tripped breaker.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/
mrjohngoh says: Dec 29, 2009. 1:05 AM REPLY
NICE! i love that idea, guess i kinda wasn't considering about the safety aspect of this spot welder when i was building it, that tends to happen to me a
lot, when i get into a build i end up with a single minded intent of making it work and nothing else.
But come to think of it those breakers don't come cheap, as it stands i have only invested only 2 bucks into the above working model (most of the
materials were salvaged), excluding the electricity consumed while in operation, but if you're willing to spend some money, a breaker is definitely a
worthwhile investment.
Unless the Fuse blew ini the microwave, leadinig to it's discard, it should still be good. You could salvage it, and slap it in-line wih one of the AC
poles. Not as nice as a breaker, but the first time it blows(though it may never) you'll appreciate it.
But, i know those 3-pin plugs i salvaged the ground pins from for my electrodes, each have an in-built fuse rated for 5A, so if i'm looking for a 30A
rating, i'll just rig 6 of these in parallel, solution found, cost nothing, what do you think ?
Can you weld galvanized sheet (iron sheet, coated with zinc ) with this spot welder?
Personally i haven't tried any stock material over 1mm thick, but from my experience this spot welder should be able to handle stock material up to 2mm,
you may want to push it to about 3mm, but i am certain i won't do more than that.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/
bloomautomatic says: Jan 4, 2010. 9:12 AM REPLY
We spot weld galvanized steel on a regular basis in our plant. The galvanizing does not need to be removed. The heat of the weld will vaporize the
zinc and allow the steel to weld. The remaining zinc will around the weld nugget will help to give some corrosion protection to the spot weld.
Welding galvanized requires higher amperage than welding carbon steel. The main variables in spot welding are weld current, weld time, tip
diameter, and tip pressure. The weld current doesn't appear to be adjustable. The weld time and tip pressure are dependent on how hard and how
long you hold the tips down. The tip diameter is adjustable only by modifying the tips.
If you are getting cold welds, you could try using a smaller tip. This will concentrate the current through a smaller area and produce more heat.
I would also recommend some sort of handle on this to multiply your torque to provide more pressure at the tips.
Based on the size of the transformer, I would suspect that 1mm would be the limit for this machine. Do you know how many watts or amps it is rated
for?
1 mm is enough for me! I want make an dehydrator for fruits, vegetables and foods in general.
I speak Spanish, and use on line translators. Sometimes I forget to review the outcome...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/
stephenniall says: Dec 28, 2009. 3:17 PM REPLY
I use the same conecpt but without the transformer and i use it as a soldering Iron
But come to think of it, what benefit does a dual tipped soldering iron provide?
However, if somehow you're able to make them more cost-effective and usable, i wouldn't mind building one and giving it a go, in summary give
your idea a go!
Either way i know its kinda late, but good job photozz (the author of the linked instructable), and stephenniall if you could build it better or
build upon to improve it, go ahead cos tools are a staple for any DIY-er and the soldering iron could be the most important yet.
Cold heat soldering irons, like spot welders make use of the inherent resistance in materials (in this case the graphite tips),
coupled with extremely high currents to generate lots of heat, the trade of being a very low voltage
In short, a stun gun has the total opposite operating characteristic to cold heat soldering iron or a spot weld, thus will never switch
jobs
http://www.instructables.com/id/Very-Low-Cost-Sheet-Metal-Spot-Welder-Portable-/