rectangular tubing as heater channels

Edmond · Post by **Edmond** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 9:16 pm

Just wandering if anyone has replaced their bug heater channels with rectangular mild steel tubing. Sure it would require a bit of shaping but I'm sure they would last way longer than the poor quality ready made heater channels. I measured a piece of scrap heater channel and the closest match is a 120 x 80mm rectangular tube which is available with a 3mm wall thickness which I'm sure would be plenty strong. I could use rivnuts for the mounting holes for the floor pan. Is it feasible or am I smoking something to be thinking of the idea.

Post by **Tony Z** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:43 pm

you can probably go much thinner than 3mm. Maybe 1.2 or 1.5mm and it'll still be plenty strong enough.
If you want to save money, get some sheet metal and cut and bend them as you need. Wood can be used with G-clamps to help bending them, along with mallets or hammers.
You'll need a mig welder though, I know you were looking into this for a while.

Edmond · Post by **Edmond** » Tue Jun 26, 2018 7:18 am

Tony Z wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:43 pm you can probably go much thinner than 3mm. Maybe 1.2 or 1.5mm and it'll still be plenty strong enough.
If you want to save money, get some sheet metal and cut and bend them as you need. Wood can be used with G-clamps to help bending them, along with mallets or hammers.
You'll need a mig welder though, I know you were looking into this for a while.

Yes the mig welder is on the wish list i can borrow my friends mig welder but the gas cylinder is too heavy for one man to load up in the car it's one of those large almost 2m long gas cylinders but going to see if i can make a plan.

Post by **retrovan** » Tue Jun 26, 2018 6:17 pm

Edmond wrote: Tue Jun 26, 2018 7:18 am
Tony Z wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:43 pm you can probably go much thinner than 3mm. Maybe 1.2 or 1.5mm and it'll still be plenty strong enough.
If you want to save money, get some sheet metal and cut and bend them as you need. Wood can be used with G-clamps to help bending them, along with mallets or hammers.
You'll need a mig welder though, I know you were looking into this for a while.
Yes the mig welder is on the wish list i can borrow my friends mig welder but the gas cylinder is too heavy for one man to load up in the car it's one of those large almost 2m long gas cylinders but going to see if i can make a plan.

If you have a Porta Pak set, you can have one bottle exchanged for shield gas and when you done, exchange it back to oxygen.

Will not cost you a bottle deposit which kills the big bottle idea.

Hope this helps

Herman

Edmond · Post by **Edmond** » Tue Jun 26, 2018 8:10 pm

Thanks Herman, unfortunately I don't own a Porta pak set although my place of work has one, maybe I can work something out then, can I take it to any gas place that does shielding gas. I had a look at buying a small shielding gas cylinder but they are R3000 from Builders Warehouse, way too much for me to even think about.

Post by **retrovan** » Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:50 am

Did mine via Afrox, gave my Oxygen bottle in and they gave me the gas bottle which I only payed for the gas, when done, swoped back to the oxygen bottle, but ask 1st to make sure not that you stuck with the shield gas bottle.

Herman

73type2 · Post by **73type2** » Wed Jun 27, 2018 11:23 am

Thanks Herman!! I've got a cheap MIG welder with which I use flux core wire. I want to connect a gas bottle to it to see if my welding experience will improve, but as mentioned here, too expensive. I'll try taking one of my PortaPak bottles to Afrox to exchange it with PortaShield.

Edmond · Post by **Edmond** » Wed Jun 27, 2018 8:20 pm

73type2 wrote: Wed Jun 27, 2018 11:23 am Thanks Herman!! I've got a cheap MIG welder with which I use flux core wire. I want to connect a gas bottle to it to see if my welding experience will improve, but as mentioned here, too expensive. I'll try taking one of my PortaPak bottles to Afrox to exchange it with PortaShield.

I've had the difference between mig flux core and mig with gas is like night and day. The welds come out very clean and a person can weld thinner metal as the gas also has a cooling effect.

freddiebooysen · Post by **freddiebooysen** » Thu Jun 28, 2018 7:07 pm

Let us know if Afrox was able to swop that bottle I have a small oxygen bottle I can get hold of at a reasonable price and just thinking in case I have to take my welder and go and weld something for my father in law. Really not lus to hog that big bottle around all over

Sent using Pigeons eating mielies !

Edmond · Post by **Edmond** » Sun Jul 08, 2018 9:10 pm

Anyone had luck swapping an oxy cylinder for the portashield cylinder yet, if so I may go down this route

73type2 · Post by **73type2** » Tue Jul 10, 2018 3:46 pm

I phoned an Afrox branch today asking about exchanging an oxy/acetylene bottle for a Portashield. He says they don't do it. You have to buy a new Portashield bottle. Around R5k at Afrox or R3k at Builders Warehouse. My flux-core welding has improved a bit so I think I'll stick with it for a while.

Edmond · Post by **Edmond** » Tue Jul 10, 2018 8:42 pm

73type2 wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 3:46 pm I phoned an Afrox branch today asking about exchanging an oxy/acetylene bottle for a Portashield. He says they don't do it. You have to buy a new Portashield bottle. Around R5k at Afrox or R3k at Builders Warehouse. My flux-core welding has improved a bit so I think I'll stick with it for a while.

Thanks 73type2, so there goes that idea

Out of curiousity which flux core mig welder do you have, one of those adendorff ones or one of those like in the pic

Post by **retrovan** » Tue Jul 10, 2018 9:52 pm

Edmond wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 8:42 pm
73type2 wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 3:46 pm I phoned an Afrox branch today asking about exchanging ..............
Thanks 73type2, so there goes that idea..............

Maybe I am old school, but as I tell my kids, time after time, if you want something from someone that is out of the ordinary, you need to go see the person capable of making that discussion, in person, have a chat, explaining the logical reasoning behind you request, and 9 times out of 10, he will make it possible.

E-mails and phone calls to staff not knowing what they are doing will not get the same effect.

As this is OMO, it has however worked for me for 66 years

And with my bottle.......

Herman

73type2 · Post by **73type2** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:12 am

Thanks Herman. That makes sense. I'll go to another branch and pop the question. For now there's no urgency because I'm occupied with non-welding work on a non-aircooled project.

73type2 · Post by **73type2** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:16 am

Edmond wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 8:42 pm
Out of curiousity which flux core mig welder do you have, one of those adendorff ones or one of those like in the pic

An el cheapo MIG131 welder I bought at a welding goods importing company in Killarney Gardens, Cape Town. I have limited welding needs, so it suffices. For thickish steel I use a 200A DC inverter stick welder.

Aircooled VW South Africa