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Submersible Build Log |
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Endcaps |
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14/08/10 |
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After lining the endcap up properly, I tacked it on from the outside in about 4 places. Next I completed the welds on the inside. The endcaps are 13mm thick at the rim so there was approximately 7mm of material sticking up when the cap and hull are together. This made it like a standard lap joint all the way around and I simply welded a root run followed by a fillet. I put plenty of weld on to provide a nice slope transition between the cap and the hull. I also preheated everything before I started to weld. Because I was welding in a closed environment, I rigged up this snorkel device so I wouldn't gas myself. Its made from 2 self clearing snorkels. These have a 1 way valve to let water out. I took the valve off one snorkel and taped it backwards to the top of the other. That way I could breath down the tube, and the exhale would go out of the water vent. I think if you just try and breath down a long tube, you cant push the exhaled breath out far enough. Anyway, it was awkward to use but I could breath fine. For once I had an assistant and my Dad rotated the hull and held the snorkel straight while I welded. |