How hard/expensive would it be for a welder to cut an olympic barbell in two? I want to have one modified to have parellel grips, which means 4 cuts, then rotating two small pieces 90 degrees, then welding some thick rings to the long pieces and putting the parallel grips inside the thick rings. Do you think it could be done well for under $200? What type of shop could do it dependably enough? I want it to be trustable with $250 pounds and not fatigue in the first 2-3 years.
any welders here?
- Thread starter CCS
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My guess is I'd go to a metal shop of some kind. Not sure where I'd get the metal rings though. Any ideas where I could get steal metal rings, round or square shaped, about 1/2 to 1 inch thick, and 4-6 inches across? Maybe it would be easier to just get one long thick slab and have them cut it into pieces and weld the pieces into squares. They would probably have to saw the pieces to get them straight, then use a file to take off sharp edges, then weld them together. I guess all I can do is call around and ask. I'll get a cheap used olympic barbell off craigslist.
Yeah, muffler shop can't do all that. Muffler shop does not even have to make stuff strong.
Yeah, muffler shop can't do all that. Muffler shop does not even have to make stuff strong.
I found someone who can do it for $60, though I upped it to $100 if he does a really good job.
OK, so my quesition is, can a welder solidly weld a two solid 1 inch bars together, so that they are in total contact and not just attached at the outside edges of the weld? Or does that take an arc welding machine?
OK, so my quesition is, can a welder solidly weld a two solid 1 inch bars together, so that they are in total contact and not just attached at the outside edges of the weld? Or does that take an arc welding machine?
Lucky_UK
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Someone who makes metal railings or gates could do this.
The type of welding machine would depend on the type of metal, steel would be welded using an arc or mig welder, aluminium would need a tig welder and brass / copper would have to be brazed using an Oxygen Acetylene torch.
$60 sounds like a good price.
One thing to think about is cleaning the metal once it has been welded, the area where it has been welded may need to be grinded and polished to hide the welding seam.
HTH
The type of welding machine would depend on the type of metal, steel would be welded using an arc or mig welder, aluminium would need a tig welder and brass / copper would have to be brazed using an Oxygen Acetylene torch.
$60 sounds like a good price.
One thing to think about is cleaning the metal once it has been welded, the area where it has been welded may need to be grinded and polished to hide the welding seam.
HTH
I don't care about the welding seam. I just want him to grind the corners off so I don't get poked.
Yeah, I called my welder friend, and he said and arc welder is needed for steal. But he anyone with a welding torch has an arc welder too. They are not expensive like a plasma cutter.
I was willing to pay up to $200 for a good job. But he said he would do a super job for $100. I'll have to draw him pictures, look at the metal he has, and draw some lines on it and tell him what I want done. I don't know if he has a grinder though. I might have to pay someone else to grind the corners. Then I need to find a paint for the metal squares so they don't rust. I won't ever get them wet. But just got to cover the basis.
Yeah, I called my welder friend, and he said and arc welder is needed for steal. But he anyone with a welding torch has an arc welder too. They are not expensive like a plasma cutter.
I was willing to pay up to $200 for a good job. But he said he would do a super job for $100. I'll have to draw him pictures, look at the metal he has, and draw some lines on it and tell him what I want done. I don't know if he has a grinder though. I might have to pay someone else to grind the corners. Then I need to find a paint for the metal squares so they don't rust. I won't ever get them wet. But just got to cover the basis.
unk: $$$$$$
Lucky_UK
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CCS said:
Arc uses a stick which is ideal for steel with a thickness greater than 3mm, the problem with arc is the heat is so intense that it can blow holes through thin gauge steel and can be quite messy, you would be better off using a mig welder which uses a thin wire and gives a neater weld with less chance of melting holes in the metal.
No welder will bond the inner parts of a solid metal bar, it will only penetrate the first couple of mm's (unless the steel you are welding is a few millimetres thick)
As for painting, I would look at powder coating, it gives a far better finish than spray painting.
Since the stuff I want welded is 12mm to 30mm thick, would I have any risk of getting holes?
Wow, only 2mm gets welded regardless? If you cut an olympic bench press bar bell in half, and then weld it back together getting only 2-3mm deep, do you think you could load it up with 300 pounds and do bench press without it breaking in two? I need it to last at least 2 years, starting with 130 pounds, and working my way up 250 pounds, but I'm sure some bigger guys at the gym might want to use it if I leave it in the equipment room. Maybe I'll have to put a note on it that says "use at your own risk. Welds not good. Could be very dangerous over 200 pounds."
Wow, only 2mm gets welded regardless? If you cut an olympic bench press bar bell in half, and then weld it back together getting only 2-3mm deep, do you think you could load it up with 300 pounds and do bench press without it breaking in two? I need it to last at least 2 years, starting with 130 pounds, and working my way up 250 pounds, but I'm sure some bigger guys at the gym might want to use it if I leave it in the equipment room. Maybe I'll have to put a note on it that says "use at your own risk. Welds not good. Could be very dangerous over 200 pounds."