Went to the local steel yard and picked up a 39"X 35"sheet of 10 or 12 gauge (cant tell, and it doesn't really matter) mild steel. I also bought a 2' 1/2 foot section of square tubing for the chimney, the two pieces together cost $30.
Here are the main tools used so far that not everyone might have in there garage. The top picture is of a Harbor Freight Flux core 90 amp welder, it only has two heating settings (min, max) which operate at 60 amps and 80 amps respectively. When I was welding the sheet metal I used the Max setting and a "7/10" wire speed. I might have had the wire speed a little high because I had a lot of excessive splatter but it got the job done.
On the bottom picture there is a Harbor freight adjustable Auto darkening mask (critical for all the tack welding involved). Next to the mask is a 4 1/2 inch cut-off wheel, which cut all of the pieces for the stove.
*Always wear at least a dust mask like the white one shown above, while using the cut off wheel (even in open air environments). I didn't wear a mask for the initial cuts and ended up coughing up black luges for 3 days.
This was my first test piece and is quite an ugly weld. It's going to be a learn as I go experience.
this is the stove tacked up and basically together. If you have a way to cut clean holes for heating tubes like more expensive heaters have, i would recommend it for efficiency purposes.
this is the top and bottom of the air duct, which allow for ideal air flow. (yes this is identical to the snorkel/scuba heater but Hey why re invent the wheel.) There is approximately 10 cubic inches of air flow possible for combustion.
- The rebar was added in to fill a large gap due to inaccuracies while cutting with the cut- off wheel.
This is almost a finished stove, the edges need to be cleaned up with a grinder, I also need fill any potential pin holes in the welds and give it a good high temperature enamel paint job to seal the water out.
the single stack was cut in half to double the displacement to 12.6 cubic inches. hopefully the smoke stack will not make the hot tubing experience too smokey, because the two are only 1' 3" inches tall.
By the end of the project, i could make a pretty good bead, but its still nothing to brag about. Flux core welding makes much uglier welds in comparison to true MIG welding.
this is the stove tacked up and basically together. If you have a way to cut clean holes for heating tubes like more expensive heaters have, i would recommend it for efficiency purposes.
this is the top and bottom of the air duct, which allow for ideal air flow. (yes this is identical to the snorkel/scuba heater but Hey why re invent the wheel.) There is approximately 10 cubic inches of air flow possible for combustion.
- The rebar was added in to fill a large gap due to inaccuracies while cutting with the cut- off wheel.
This is almost a finished stove, the edges need to be cleaned up with a grinder, I also need fill any potential pin holes in the welds and give it a good high temperature enamel paint job to seal the water out.
the single stack was cut in half to double the displacement to 12.6 cubic inches. hopefully the smoke stack will not make the hot tubing experience too smokey, because the two are only 1' 3" inches tall.
By the end of the project, i could make a pretty good bead, but its still nothing to brag about. Flux core welding makes much uglier welds in comparison to true MIG welding.
How did you attach the stove to the tub and keep it from floating? I made a similar stove and I have to keep a 100 lb piece of marble on it to keep it from floating around the tub!
ReplyDeleteHow has the stove worked out? It's an old post, but you seem to be the only person who has made a scuba stove on the internet!
ReplyDelete