Besides manufacturing industry leading welding helmets and some of the best selling stick welders, Lincoln Electric also provides a wide variety of welding projects for both beginning welders and experienced welders. Today’s post is an adaptation of a welding project for advanced welders from the Lincoln Electric Canada website.
Materials for this Welding Project
FIREPLACE
DOOR MATERIAL LIST (For 34” x 22-1/2” opening)
- Curved flat spring 1/2” x 4”: 1
- Angle iron 3/4” x 3/4” x 1/8”: 26 ft.
- Copper strip 1/2” x 4” x 1/16”: 2 ea.
- Piano hinge 1/2” x 22” (brass, stainless): 2 ea.
- Tempered glass 1/4” x 7” x 21-1/4”: 4 ea.
- Sheet metal strip 1-1/2” x 26 GA.: 19 ft.
- Right angle clamps 1/2” x 16 GA. or 1/16”: 24 ea.
- Flat head machine screws 1/8” x 1/4”: 24 ea.
- Phillips head machine screws 1/8” x 5/8” w/nuts: 24 ea.
- Mild steel round stock 1/4” and 1/2”: 2” ea.
Welding Project Plans from Lincoln Electric
1. Measure and cut the angle iron at 45 degrees for all doors. You can use a
chop saw to make cuts at the correct angles.
2. Assemble each door frame for the fireplace, and make sure all corners are
absolutely square and in the same plane.
3. Clamp and tack weld each corner. Check to make sure each is square and
finish the welds.
4. Grind smooth any areas that will hinder the sheet metal holding the glass
from fitting flush against the angle iron or any part of the weld that will not
allow the frames to fit snugly together when assembling.
5. Center punch and bore holes in the face of the frames that will hold the
glass frame clamps. Make sure there is clearance for the glass and frame.
6. The frame can be primed now. Align the piano hinge to edges of the door
frame and center punch. Bore and tap, or use self-tapping flat head screws.
IMPORTANAT: The heads must be countersunk for the doors to close flush.
7. Attach the hinges to the frames and check to be sure all of the frames fit
together snugly and squarely.
8. Place the completed frame work in the opening. C clampthe center together
and determine the best location. Mark hearth on both sides of the hinge ends.
Locate the center of a 1/2” circle on hearth that is equidistant from the sides
and ends.
9. Using a masonry bit, bore 1/2” holes in the hearth that are approximately
3/8” deep.
10. Measure the depth of the holes & cut a section from 1/2” round rod
that will be approximately 1/8” above the hearth when installed or that will
allow the doors to smoothly fold.
11. Locate the center of the flat ends of the cut rods and bore holes through
them for 1/4” pins.
12. Center these bearings on the bottom of the hinge ends in line with the
side edge of the door & mark the center of the hole.
13. Center punch & bore 1/4” hole thru 3/4” frame. (both ends)
14. Repeat steps 12 & 13 for the tops of the hinge doors.
15. Cut 2 pieces 1” long from 16d nail. Bend one end of each approximately
1/4” from the end at 45 degrees.
16. Weld other ends to the bottom inside vertical edge of the center doors so
that it doesn’t drag on the 3/4 angle behind the doors and doesn’t interfere
with the flush closing of doors.
17. This step can be eliminated if you want to attach the glass directly to
the door frames. However, this will result in more glass breaking. Otherwise,
measure and cut the 26 GA. 1-1/2” metal strips to length. Form a “U” that will
snugly slip over the edge of the glass-trim with aviation snips to form matching
45 deg. angles each piece.
18. Cut 24 1-1/4” pieces from 1/2” wide by 16 GA. or 1/16” stock and bend at
right angles-one side being the same length or slightly less than the thickness
of the sheet metal trim around the glass.
19. Center punch and bore a 1/8” hole through the other side so that the
bolts through the face of the frames will line up with the edge of the sheet
metal holding glass.
20. Cut 4 pieces approximately 3/8” long from 1/4” mild round stock.
21. Place all four frames in the opening. C clamp together at the center and
put a 1/4” pin in each hole on the bottom, fitting it into the hole in the
bearing (you may have to place a spacer under the pin so it will extend up into
the door frame).
22. Plumb the face of the doors and hold in place. Use a marking paint on
the end of the other pins and push through the top holes to mark holes in angle
holding masonry. Center punch and drill holes for 1/4” pins.
23. Place the pins through the upper holes into the pivot holes. Tack weld or
otherwise support while releasing the C clamp at the center and checking the
operation of the doors. Adjustment may be necessary.
24. If the doors fold correctly, then tack weld each pin inside the door
frames.
25. Cut the length of 3/4 angle to match the width of the opening, both the
top and bottom.
26. Close the doors and align the 3/4 angle with the top inside of the doors.
Drill and attach as necessary.
27. Attach the spring strip to the bottom 3/4 angle at the center either with
a machine screw through the hole punched through the spring or, if that’s not
possible, use wire to pull a depression in the spring so that it will remain in
place when the doors are closed. If a wire is used, two small holes will have to
be drilled through the 3/4 angle and the wire anchored in front.
28. Bend the copper strips to form handles and turn them under approximately
1/2” on each end for attaching. Attach with blind rivets. Be sure that the rivet
will not interfere with the glass.
29. Install the glass using your clamps (see step 19).
30. Tightly clamp doors at upper center in order to bore a hole between them
for the damper control shaft and then finish painting. (Do this BEFORE
installing the glass.