You Can't Always Get What You Want.

Why is Welding so Hard?

In one of my previous entries, I wrote about the pattern of waking, working and researching. This has worked well for some aspects of TheSuperCamp. Notably my understanding and subsequent diagnosis of a duff regulator which, I am pleased to say, has now been replaced for £10 and has solved my battery charging issues. 


Confident in my faith in the internet and it's ability to teach me almost anything, I applied this to welding. A quick browse through some tutorials, a bit of theory, some forum tips and I thought I was ready to wield the welder. This quickly proved to be at best naive and at worst slightly dangerous.

Ideal setting for FirstWeld vs My setting for FirstWeld

Today I embark on my first weld. I enrolled in college a few weeks ago and after a week of introduction to welding fundamentals which include health and safety, explanation of equipment, demonstrations and understanding the right materials to use, I am now ready- under the tutelage of my highly experienced tutor- to weld my first piece.  

How lucky I am to be in this ideal setting. A lovely, warm, clean workshop; a high quality MIG welder in my gloved hands; a quality welding mask over my face; my brand new piece of thick mild steel in the vice in front of me and the encouraging eye of my tutor to guide me through these first steps. I feel a hand on my shoulder and he whispers "it's time". 

I lean in towards the steel, confident on the preparation of the material and the welder, excited at the prospect of putting into practice all I had learnt up to now. I hold the welder tip the correct 10mm away from the steel, bring the mask down over my eyes and 'CZZzzzzz!!!' the trigger sends the arc of electricity to the metal and melts it before my eyes. I remember my training and slowly move the tip along in a slight weaving motion so as not to 'blow holes' in the metal. Before I can catch my breath it's over and I have done it. I remove the mask and see a 20cm long, hardening weld along the sheet of metal. I here a slight sob and see my tutor wiping his eyes, "this is what's it all about son...." he manages....

Jesus, I can't believe it's raining. What a shitty day. Why am I even doing this? I could be at home right now instead of here- cold, dirty and increasingly wet. Well, I suppose now's a good time as any to give it a go. How hard can it be? the guy in the video made it look easy enough.

I think I've chosen the right place to start welding. It's hidden so if it goes wrong it won't be too bad. But then again, it's hidden because it's right in the back corner which actually looks quite difficult to get to now, what with the wheel arch in the way...ah well, if I lie down on my side on the frame and...sort of hang my legs out the back as a counter balance... it kind of works....

I wish I could have found the gloves and it's a bit annoying that this helmet doesn't have a a headstrap- I could really do with having both hands free. Jesus, my legs are getting wet. I've grinded away as much of the rust and dirt as I could, but some of it's still there. And to be honest I'm a bit worried that this patching piece is not much thicker than tin foil. Oh well, here goes.

What?! I can't see anything through this mask! where the hell is anything? I hope the welder is alright out in the rain. Oh well, just squeeze the trigger....'Czzzz!! SPlutTer CCzz!' Fuck!, i've blown a hole right through the panel! I wasn't even aiming for that panel. Calm... try again.....'Czz!! sPluttEr, CCzz! SHIT!!

And so on....It seems I have found something that the internet can't teach you. So plan B is some good old fashioned practice. Perhaps it was hasty of me to jump straight on to TheSuperCamp and a few hours of doing straight welds on a clean, flat piece would be a better strategy.

Whilst I recover from the WeldingDentInMyPride, I have been working on the rear panels. I have ground away all rust, applied a few layers of red oxide and have filled in the scarily big holes.

I hate this tool

Untouched

Rust removed, red-oxide added

1st layer of Filler!

A Diversion

So, six days in and I've had my first bad day. The spectre of having to weld TheSuperCamp, nay, learn to weld TheSuperCamp has hung over me from the first instance. Today it arrived.

When you go to view a vehicle there is a certain amount of bravado and shrewd performance. You and the seller have to size each other up. From the walk up the drive, to the handshake and polite small talk, you set about working out how much the other knows about vehicle valuation. As the buyer, you are also wary of someone knowingly trying to offload a banger.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the "Shall we have a look then" is the signal for the vehicle walkaround to begin. Under the watchful gaze of the seller, it is now your time to shine.  

Rule number 1- Never give away the fact you have fallen desperately in love with the vehicle from the moment you saw it on eBay.

You must appear cool, unimpressed, casual. Each gesture is designed to deflate the seller's confidence in his asking price. You must tap the chassis with a wince, squeeze a rubber pipe with a look of disappointment, you must go out of your way to find a patch of rust and scratch it. At this point you may take the liberty of glancing at the seller, not for too long! careful, don't ham it up too much. Just long enough for him to know that you know he knows. (of course neither of you know what there is to know, but you start to suspect that the other knows something you don't ah..the battle has begun)

Buyer: Alright mate Oh god, oily overalls...this is a bad sign

Seller: How you doing? I think the overalls have worked. Hope I haven't overdone the oil

Buyer: Not bad, not bad. Took me a while to find it, but....  where the hell am I?

Seller: You got a TomTom?  It's quite hard to find

Buyer: Nah, just checked the map.   How did I still get lost with TomTom??

....and so on.....

Seller: Shall we have a look then? Here we go. I am a powerful, confident man, repeat...

Buyer: Yeah, let's see it. I am a powerful, confident man, repeat...

Seller: She's a great runner  Nice work on the 'she', I sound like a ship's captain

Buyer: Mmm (non-commital) My god, how could man create such a thing of beauty!

Seller: Low mileage I've really got no idea what that would constitute

Buyer: Mmm (unconviced) Sweet metal Adonis, where for have thou been!?

Seller: No rust Please don't see the rust

Buyer: Oh no, here's a bit YES! here we go, scratch it and....LOOK! got him!

So where does TheSuperCamp come in? Luckily JennyFromHatfield was lovely and I'm still in contact with her. The point is I saw how much welding had to be done when I first went to see it. Today I tried my first weld and now the amount of work ahead of me has grown substantially in my mind.

Before

After

 P.S TheRegulator arrived in the post today, we shall see on Sunday if it works.

Down with TheRegulator

What is an Alternator?

Since I bought TheSuperCamp, my days have followed this pattern-

Waking up early, thinking about which part I am going to work on.

Going and working on her, applying what I have learnt from the internet the previous night.
Coming home when it gets too dark to work. 

Researching what I will need for tomorrow.

The main focus of this pattern so far has been to understand how an engine recharges it's battery and consequently, why mine doesn't. I am not an engineer by education or practice but I am starting to appreciate how an engineering problem gets solved in a logical, sequential nature.

1. Understand how the system as a whole works

2. Understand how each separate part performs it's function as part of the whole

3. Interpret the systems behaviour (or misbehaviour) as interaction of the parts.

4. Make a supposition of the misbehaviour based on this understanding

5. Isolate functions to narrow down influencing factors

6. Prove or disprove your supposition

So, in front of TheSuperCamp I try to demonstrate this logical behaviour- for I don't want her to think [know] she is at the hands of a ham-fisted anti-mechanic. However behind her back I squirrel my way through the internet, frantically assembling little bits of information from every source I can find. But each bit of information references an unknown, so you research that unknown but that also references a different unknown and so you follow the trail until you circle yourself enough to start to recognise where you are.

And this is exactly what I have done with TheAlternator. What follows is what I have learnt, so skip the blue passage if you  

a. already know the workings of TheAlternator.

b. don't think you will be excited by the workings of TheAlternator.

Essentially, TheAlternator converts rotational energy provided by the engine into electricity.

This electricity is what charges the car battery and powers all electrical components of TheSuperCamp whilst the engine is in motion. However, the voltage of the electricity made by TheAlternator must be regulated, otherwise it would increase as the engine gathered speed. This would cause inconsistency in the electrical supply and possible overheating. Most alternators now have inbuilt regulators, however TheSuperCamp, being a child from the 70's, has an external one. So...bear with me...TheAlternator has four connections 

B+   D+   D-   DF

B+ and D+ are exactly the same. They output electricity generated by TheAlternator

The difference is that B+ goes to the battery to recharge it, D+ goes to the regulator. I like to think of D+ as bit of a snitch, running to TheRegulator to inform on TheAlternator. TheRegulator wants TheAlternator to consistently put out out 14.4 volts, however TheAlternator, being a sort of renegade will just keep putting out as much as it can. 

Best diagram I can find

This is the clever bit though and where TheRegulator has TheAlternator by the balls....TheAlternator can only produce current from the combination of rotational motion + current. And though it is itself that is producing the current, it is going through that dirty little snitch D+ to TheRegulator. TheRegulator then rations out TheAlternators own current back to it through DF to control the amount produced (through B+ and D+). TheAlternator is being middled! D- is ground, finds the whole situation rather unpleasant and would rather keep it's distance.

There is an extra loop which affects TheBatteryWarningLight but I think that is more than enough rambling-vehicular-personification for now.

 So, what it come down to is that I now realise TheRegulator is broken...serves it right.

And so I can shoe horn a picture in, here is a grinded, buffed and red oxide-ed tail.