Finally got to give welding a try!!!

[Shawn]

I borrowed a 20 amp, 110 volt gasless Mig welder from my brother and finally got to do some welding. I did a couple practice beads and then couldn't help myself! This is a beta version of a cyclic gimbal, the final version will be slimmed down a bit. I'm quite happy with the feel of the gimbal, I will add the control stick tonight and Hall effect sensors (when they arrive in the mail), they will be connected to a bodnar board. Welding was actually easier than I thought it might be, my welds aren't good but I couldn't seperate the pieces with a hammer no matter how hard I tried! Welding is definately within the DIY range for most home builders. The welder was bought new at a garage sale for $90.00 and seems quite capable of welding the 1" tubular steel.

[737NUT]

Nice Job! I have always wanted to learn myself but with so much time being spent elsewhere it has been tough. Keep up the good work!

[Shawn]

I had an absolute blast yesterday with the welder, it certainly opens up some new doors in regards to building materials. I have been reading tutorials and learning about different welding methods/techniques for months now and it seemed rather complicated. Once I started actually trying to weld it wasn't nearly as difficult as I had thought, a steady hand and some experimenting with heat settings (I only have 2) and feed rates was all it took. It's not really nice to look at yet but in time I'm sure things will improve, for now I"ll just grind things down a bit and cover it with paint. : ) I'm going to go buy a cut-off saw today at Princess auto, they have a basic 15 amp on sale for $79.00, that should save some energy in the arms for holding the welding gun.

[Shawn]

Got the stick attached and will hopefully find some springs to use as a temorary centering system. The framework for the seat, pedals and collective will start this weekend. I'm gonna use 1/2 inch square tube.