small piece of welding

[nicky79]

Hi hoping to get two standard windows welded up and was wondering if anyone could recommend anyone near Thatcham area . Please TIA

[blackrose]

Windows welded up? Could you elaborate?

 

[nicky79]

Sorry Two windows welded up so that at a later date we can put smaller ones in .

[blackrose]

I'm still unclear. You mean you want to take the existing windows out and have steel plate welded over the apertures? 

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, nicky79 said:

Sorry Two windows welded up so that at a later date we can put smaller ones in .

 

Welding a steel panel in invisibly to replace a window is near-impossible. Better just bolt a flat panel of steel over the top without even trying to make it invisible. Looks better than distorted welding.

 

Another option is recessed panels bolted in, with or without a porthole, as made by Kedian Engineering. They look really good! 

 

http://www.kedianengineering.co.uk/gallery.html

 

 

[nicky79]

46 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I'm still unclear. You mean you want to take the existing windows out and have steel plate welded over the apertures? 

Yes thats it in the apertures. We have inserts at the moment if that makes a difference.

[David Mack]

As well as boatyards, you could look for a mobile welder in your area who can come out with a generator (assuming you have no mains supply) and welding set.

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, David Mack said:

As well as boatyards, you could look for a mobile welder in your area who can come out with a generator (assuming you have no mains supply) and welding set.

 

 

As is often the case, finding a suitable piece of steel bout the right size and the right thickness, then cutting and dressing it to shape will be more work than the actual welding of it in.

[BEngo]

18 hours ago, nicky79 said:

Yes thats it in the apertures. We have inserts at the moment if that makes a difference.

A very difficult job to do well.  The heat of welding almost invariably distorts the boat and/or the insert plate.

Very short weld runs are essential, but getting the stops and starts to join well and not leak is then a challenge.  A MIG or TIG welder helps a lot, but they do not like being used outdoors as any breeze blows the gas shield away.

 

N

[waterworks]

7 hours ago, BEngo said:

A very difficult job to do well.  The heat of welding almost invariably distorts the boat and/or the insert plate.

Very short weld runs are essential, but getting the stops and starts to join well and not leak is then a challenge.  A MIG or TIG welder helps a lot, but they do not like being used outdoors as any breeze blows the gas shield away.

 

N

Never welded anything have you?

 

TIG on outside steel work 😂

[dmr]

Its only a guess, but I suspect that very few boat repair welders are competent TIG welders. On a more general level I know loads of people who can MIG weld, a lot who can stick weld, a handfull who can gas weld, and one who can TIG weld.

[MtB]

Just now, dmr said:

a lot who can stick weld

 

 

Ah yes. Stick welding must be so called because the rod keeps sticking to the workpiece, as devastatingly observed by Starcoaster after we both had a nice weldy lesson from a professional.  

[dmr]

7 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

Ah yes. Stick welding must be so called because the rod keeps sticking to the workpiece, as devastatingly observed by Starcoaster after we both had a nice weldy lesson from a professional.  

 

I have access to a top notch Stick/MIG/TIG welder here. Its full of those microprocessor thingies. You just tell it how thick the steel is and it does all the MIG settings for you etc. Its also has cleverness that stops the sticks from sticking. It don't work, they still stick and glow red hot 😀

[MtB]

1 minute ago, dmr said:

I have access to a top notch Stick/MIG/TIG welder here. Its full of those microprocessor thingies. You just tell it how thick the steel is and it does all the MIG settings for you etc.

 

My spot welder is a bit like that....

 

AWESOME things, spotty welders......

 

You must come and have a play with it! 

[jupiter1124]

I understand different people have different tastes but this seems like a lot of trouble to go to to turn a nice bright boat into a dingy room. If it were from scratch and you liked the porthole look because it is more trad or whatever, then fair enough. But to take windows that presumably look fine and bodge them into portholes (at "a later date" an ol) don't really make sense to me...

[nicky79]

The Window we were hoping to move is back black one , we were hoping to move it to change layout

[Tracy D'arth]

Well, you couldn't make it look any worse! 

What are the black spectacle plate horrors?

Have you bought this boat off Apollo Duck are are you just considering it?

[nicky79]

I agree with you but inside she is great got her for a bargain price and took her out for five weeks with no major issues ( apart from getting stuck in lock) had her out of the water and she looks great with recent overplating so hopefully she just needs  TLC

Yes windows are awful but hopefully new windows will help.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, nicky79 said:

I agree with you but inside she is great got her for a bargain price and took her out for five weeks with no major issues ( apart from getting stuck in lock) had her out of the water and she looks great with recent overplating so hopefully she just needs  TLC

Yes windows are awful but hopefully new windows will help.

Did you have a survey by any chance?

[nicky79]

yes

 

[nicky79]

shes not as bad as picture looks but I couldn't unstretch it and get a good photo

[MtB]

2 hours ago, nicky79 said:

The Window we were hoping to move is back black one , we were hoping to move it to change layout

 

 

As already explained, the way to do anything with this window is to chop it out into a big rectangle and fit a recessed panel like your two pairs of 'spectacles' windows are fitted into. 

 

Cutting and welding in a flat piece of steel to invisibly remove that window is anything but the "small piece of welding" your thread title suggests you are thinking of it as. 

 

 

[nicky79]

ok thanks we will have to come up with a plan

 

[harrybsmith]

Having just had a play at DIY ing this very problem (will eventually make its way onto my build thread) then I stand by everyone's comments that you need to go careful to combat distortion.  It is however significantly easier than combating distortion when doing car body work, so any competent welder would be able to to it. 

 

What insulation have you got and how much fitout will need to be removed to stop it catching fire?

Edited July 22, 2022 by harrybsmith

[nicky79]

Thank you for your advice, we have changed our minds now and are doing things differently.