Welding but PROTECTING the paint/Update to OMG, My Door Is Going To Fall Off.

[Dave Siegel]

Well we made it home from our weekend adventure and the door did not fall off. (Hooray!!) Of course we babied the door and limited our entry passes as much as possible. When I got home I opened the door and really took a good look. Someone had mentioned that Tig welding would be a way to fix the hinge. That concerned me because I was worried it would ruin the paint in the nearby area. Well upon close examination it seems I would ruin the paint in that area also by taking the door loose and trying to replace the hinge, so that takes me back to the welding suggestion and my question.

I don't know much about tig welding and I don't know what kind of flame (if any) that type of welding creates, so my question is if I tried to have the hinge welded (in place) how could I protect the painted area close by while the welding was going on. The broken portion of the hinge is still there and in place the door could be gently jacked into position and the hinge squeezed back into position for welding. (Would pictures help?)

Thanks,

Dave Siegel

[Ace]

Dave when it comes to welding, any type, you really can't save the paint. Even tig won't help save the paint. In fact it would have to ground clean in Piercer to do any good weld in order to get good penetration. If you feel like bringing it to Lakeland, I know a guy that can fix it pretty cheap, and he's a great welder and fabricatorbut again, the paint cannot be saved!

[artvonne]

  I imagine the hinge part thats breaking has a pin inside? You need to take it all off and get the pin out, or you'll have bigger problems when the hinge gets welded to the pin.

  If the broken part stays on the Bus, wet blankets, wet towels, etc., can be placed around the weld so you dont cook anything except the hinge. Tig has a much more focused point, you might get away with only the hinge being cooked and everything else will be fine. Then run a drill through to clearance the pin and your back in biz?

[robertglines1]

Your weld shop will know.  I would weld in short spurts with my mig set up while protecting surrounding metal as suggested plus welding blanket/cloth to protect from sparks.  Slow and easy let  area stay cool as possible ----protect from sparks: to prevent fire and damage to paint.   Ace is probably the guy that knows people in your area.   Bob

[muldoonman]

Like Bob said. You can have them duct tape around area and that will protect from paint from sparks and splatter. You can see how hot area is getting when tape starts to boil. Clean up sticky stuff from tape with wd40. Make sure machine, regardless of what kind (mig/tig or stick) is hot enough to penetrate metal. No matter what kind of precautions you use, that arc is hot.

glen

[Ace]

I haven't seen to many cases where the paint was saved when welding around or even near it regardless of what precautions you take!
Using duct tape will only cause what's under it to get even hotter and if it starts to boil then you can bet the paint is gone or blistered. Besides have you tried seeing tape boil under a welding hood? By the time you catch it boiling, done deal!

Her its your call but my honest opinion is, look for some touch up paint to match because what's there will definitely be ruined!

[muldoonman]

Ace, have your helper watch arc and tape without hood, He's expendable.

[Ace]

I don't have a helper. The guy doing the work knows what he's doing all on his own!

[robertglines1]

Lot easier to do than explain: most guys don't have patients to keep area cool--just keep throwing metal at weld. Clean, rite rod/wire ,temp,and time=good job. Good luck.   Bob

[Bussman84]

Coldshield Thermal paste, I haven't personally tried it but might be something to consider eastwood.com sells it I would also bet a local welding supply shop would also sell it or something of the sorts. I  have looked at it several times but never actually been to the point where I needed it, if you happen to try it please let me know how it works. HTH

           Billy

[kyle4501]

Saving the paint means different things to different people. Since you have to melt metal to weld, it follows that the paint at the weld site will not survive. If you are welding Aluminum, it may not get as hot as steel, but since aluminum transfers heat so fast, it may burn off more paint anyway. So the question becomes one concerning how to minimize lost paint in obvious areas. Oh, to weld aluminum, you have to have it really clean, otherwise you will have a weak weld - if you get it to weld at all.
TIG won't have the splatter MIG & stick welding create - But wet rags around the part to be welded will take care of splatter & reduce the heat affected area.
If you weld it in place, you will know it is properly aligned.

If you are lucky, you will be able to find a welder who can figure out why it broke & fix that while he is at it so the repair will last longer. 

[gumpy]

Well, I'm the one who suggested TIG welding it, but I must have taken too much for granted. I never intended that it be welded on the bus. I thought you said the barrel was worn
out. That means it will most likely need to be rebuilt, probably by inserting a piece of pipe in and welding in place, following by reaming to the proper size to accept the pin.
If the barrel is not worn and just needs the cracks and splits welded, I still think you'll need to remove it. You'll need the pin removed, and then you'll need to squeeze it together
after cleaning the crack out. Then, it's entirely likely that once it's welded, the pin may not fit and it will still need to be drilled out to accept the pin.

Take the hinge off the bus, and take both pieces and the pin to the welder. And check the bottom hinge while you're at it.