Welding help in hertfordshire?

[Pbassred]

Not bike related but this is where the artisans live:-

My other interest is Samba drumming. Simple stuff; an aluminum shell, a skin mounted to a wooden hoop at each end, compressed by steel rims with long rods between them. My problem is that the metal rings have stretched over time and they slip off the hoops.

What I need to do is cut and shut the rings a bit tighter. I can do all of the weld prep and I've done it before, but I don't have access to welding kit any more. TIG would be favorite since its only 12 x 3mm thick.

[Bender]

No where near you unfortunately , if it's metal and not aluminium mig will weld 3mm fine, I have welded much thinner than that and more folk have miss, it's still doable with a stick welder at 3mm.

If it's aluminium you need a tig ideally or mig with argon and an aluminium spool gun.

[TimR]

can you not pack the ring with a cord strand or such like ?

[Pbassred]

if it's metal and not aluminium mig will weld 3mm fine

You probably meant to write "steel" and yes it would. I used to have my own mig set. It will do it but I was hoping for more eligant. I just finished working for a company which pretty much spent all its time TIG welding stainless. Almost seamless.

 

can you not pack the ring with a cord strand or such like [/quote no it would just push it out of the way. Its under great tension AND its stretching and relaxing as you hit it AND the skin itself moves around.

As it happens the bike is in for a service tomorrow and the guy is a bit handy so he might be able to look at it.