how to weld conduit (emt) ?

[CAL]

I have built several out of conduit welded with an acetylene torch and a coat hanger.Never had a problem with one not holding.

roadkill,the welder you bought is quite easy to weld with .First thing is if it has to have gas or not.A gas type wire will not weld without gas and even then you have to stay out of the wind as it will blow your gas away and prevent it from welding.The speed of your wire into your puddle of melted metal will have a lots to do with how it works.Good luck with it.

 

[rayjay]

I just wish I could find someone to show me how to use the welder I bought brand new over a year ago. I can't get that wire to melt and stick for nothin. It's a mig/tig I think. You can weld with or without gas.

Most newbies are afraid to turn up the heat enough to get the business done. For every heat setting there is a very narrow wire speed range that is suitable. For welding thin metal you need to use .023 wire. I have never used flux core wire. Just solid wire and a CO2/argon gas mix. I will enclose a pic of my last big welding project. There was a bit of metal forming involved also

 

[W4DSB]

You can not tig weld without gas, your tungsten will burn off at the tip as soon as you touch the metal. And all conduit is galvenized, electrical code says it has to be.

 

[Killdee]

I have 2 folding latter stands 16'-18' from 1/2''-3/4'' emt they were brazed.Had to repair 1 this year that I left out for 3 yrs on a pine in the open.None of the brazing broke but the emt cracked.
KD

 

[roadkill]

rayjay

That's a cool ride, what is it? Do you race it?

I tried to use flux core wire, but I must not have the speed and heat settings right.

 

[rayjay]

Dirt midget. It actually never got finished. Life and other projects intervened.

Get you a piece of clean 1/8" or 1/4" steel plate. Turn the heat setting all the way up. Put the wire speed about 1/2 way to full. Try to run a bead. If the wire is not running out TOO fast turn up the wire speed a bit at a time until it does. Then back up a little until you can run a decent bead.

Then try to weld two pieces of metal together. Then clamp one piece in a vise and break it apart at the weld and check the penetration. You have to be sure to sweep the arc across both pieces that you are joining. Make a circle and then move down 1/2 the circle and make another circle, repeat.

rj

 

[roadkill]

That dirt midget looks like it would be fun to ride.

Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a try as soon as I get a little time off.

 

[AAADawg]

EMT (Electrical Metallic Tubing) is a very thin walled tubing...most things you see made out of tubing are made from a thicker walled variety...1" Emt over 12" long or so would bend under the weight of an average man...we use body weight and foot benders to bend EMT. 1/2" and 3/4" EMT will bend even easier....without an awful lot of bracing I dont think EMT woould be suitable for any type of laddder..unless you built in with 1 - 1/2" which requires a hydraulic bender and then the weight issue would be to great. Ive known an awful lot of electricians who tried to fabricate deer stands out of EMT and Ive never known one who was satisified with the results. I do know a guy who worked at a pharmacuetical plant in Athens where they only use Aluminum conduit and he built somoe nice stands and blinds out of AL. Conduit and plumbing fittings...of course you would need a threading machine to do so...or you could mig - weld it. I would be very careful using EMT....it realy is pretty fragile and has almost no horizontal strength. EMT will also split along its welded seam in sever cold...anywhere below 20 degrees or so. The galvanizing on most EMT is a very thin surface coat...you could minimize the effect of the galvanized fumes by wire brushing the area to be welded, Finally EMT prices are sky high right now.....it isnt a cheap material any more...prices are more than doubled in the last 2 years

 

[Perry Hayes]

I bought 160 feet of 1" square tubing for $80.If you use flux core wire on your feeder you don't need gas.However I prefer mig.

 

[sowega hunter]

I have built many, many stands out of EMT with no problems at all. I do brace them up good though. I have built ladders, houses, and climbers and I use them all the time. I would consider myself an experienced welder and fabricator though. Be very careful when you are starting out welding this stuff. I am lucky enough to have a conduit plant nearby though and I get the reject material at a very good discount off of grade one material. It is safe if it is done right.

 

[rosewood]

We have 2 18' high box stand made from 1" EMT and have had them for about 15 years. Have taken down and relocated more than once and they are rock solid. They were mig welded. 1" EMT is quite strong when you brace it and keep the pieces short. There is probably not a piece more than 6-7' that isn't supported.

 

[j_seph]

Be very careful welding any galvanized metal. The gases created by welding galvanized metal can KILL you or permanently harm you if you do not have good ventilation and use the proper respirator. If you are not an experienced welder/fabricator I do not think you should be gaining experience on objects that could fail and cause you to get severly injured or killed. For what a good welding set up will cost you can buy the nicest tree stand made.

rj-

and if you think you have inhaled too much of the smoke, follow up with a tall glass of milk

 

[calibob1]

Get a respirator,the smoke goes to your lungs the milk goes to your stomach.

 

[Hoot]

I built a bike rack that plugs into my receiver hitch out of 1" conduit. It welded just fine with my flux core welder. But I did grind off the galvanizing around all of the welds, before welding.

 

[joepuppy]

Square or round tubing is cheaper and easier to work with. EMT was not designed for structural use, although I have seen it used for such many times. So IMO, it's not the safest or the cheapest material to use.

 

[BriarPatch99]

Chain link fence tubing is I believe a stronger than EMT ... cost is not much higher ... but still have the welding fumes problems ....