Tig Welding Steel Parts and Black Oxide Coating process

This Video shows TIG welding 6 carbon steel load levelers.

And after the parts were welded, I was able to film the black oxide coating process too.

(Black oxide is a popular finish for tooling because it helps prevent rusting and also does not add thickness or change dimensions)

 
I started my welding business by doing welding for small machine shops.

tig welding for machine shops

Welding for small machine shops is a decent way to build a welding business because when you are just doing welding for machine shops, there is no upfront cost to you for materials.

So if you underestimate the first few jobs, all you lose is labor...and a bit of argon and consumables...

Like anything new, there is a learning curve.

You might not make much money on the first job or two but once you learn how to price jobs, it can be a very good arrangement.

At least that is how it worked out for me.

For example, I moonlighted for a couple of years at a sheet metal fab shop for 13 dollars an hour.

But when I bought my first Miller syncrowave tig welder back around 1993, I could easily make 40 dollars an hour doing work for machine shops....and the work was much easier.

I would usually pick up the parts and take them home to my shop where I would weld them and then I would deliver the parts and get paid.

...At first it was only a few jobs a month for one small machine shop.

Then I starting getting work from a second machine shop...then a third. 3 machine shops kept me plenty busy in my off time... since I already had a full time job. 

If I was starting all over and needed to build a welding business from scratch, I would visit several small mom and pop machine shops and drop off a sample weld along with my business card.

What kind of weld sample?

maybe some box cutter blades welded together, or a small section of an aluminum butt weld with a hole drilled in one corner and a key chain ring attached..along with a sticker with contact info.

or what about a couple of 2 inch aluminum cubes made to look like dice...and tack welded together to make a cool paperweight?

What about a pen and pencil holder made from aluminum tread plate?

Something that showcases your abilities and will make a lasting impression..preferably something that will be displayed on the bosses desk.

Tig welding eye bolts

It is not always good practice to weld on eye bolts.

That is because of carbon content and because heat from welding affects properties of metal.

So there is potential to alter the design capabilities of an eye bolt.

In this case, The eye bolt is specified by an engineering drawing.

The parts being welded are a load leveler that are designed to carry a part that weighs about 100 lbs.

The Eyebolt is rated at around 4000 lbs.

I dont really know why the designer didnt drill and tap the bar stock instead of welding the eye bolts but when you are doing work like this, you just have to do what the drawing specifies....unless its just crazy.

The drawing did not specify the welding process so I chose tig welding so that I could use er70s2 filler rod and so that travel speed and cooling rate would be rather slow.

The drawing also specified a black oxide coating to be applied once parts were welded.