JIMMY WATSON - His mother, Marion, teases her son about his dreams to build a large robot ant with a drawing of her son riding on the ant's back. Then it comes true.

<< CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10 - DAD GIFTS JIMMY A WELDING MACHINE & TEACHES HIM TO USE IT

The hexapod kit went together well enough, but Jimmy could see room for improvement. For that to happen, he'd need a welder, to join the parts he would make.

"Dad, do you know any good welders?"

"I can weld Jimmy. I was taught that in the Army."

"Could you teach me?"

"I was hoping you'd say that son. What metals do you need to join?"

"Mostly steel, and some aluminium tubes."

"Aluminium. Ahh."

"Is that a problem Dad?"

"Steel no. Aluminium is trickier. It all depends on the thickness of the metals and quality of the welds. Welding can be expensive. Can we use rivets or bolts instead?"

Jimmy gulped. He'd not thought about that.

"How expensive Dad?"

"It's mostly the welding machines. Then there is gas and the welding spools, or rods, if we are to use TIG. I have an old 150 amp SIP. A MIG unit."

"TIG. What is that, and what is MIG. I saw some welders at Lidl, they cost less than £100 pounds. They used flux coated spools, no gas required."

"And fine they are too, for general jobs. But I suspect we'll need more finesse. "TIG" stands for Tungsten Inert Gas. "MIG" stands for Metal Inert Gas. You'll need TIG for joining small aluminium tubes. Have you heard of oxy-acetylene welding?"

"Yes Dad. That's where you have two gas cylinders. One filled with Acetylene, the other with Oxygen. The two gases are joined in a torch and lit with a match or lighter, and burn brightly. Hot enough to weld steel."

"That's right son. Those gases produce a lot of heat. We'll not be using that method, but it's a good idea to know all about it for brazing - joining steel with brass filler rods and flux. As used on older pushbike frames. With gas as the heat source, metal filler rods are fed in manually. TIG is similar in that rods of metal are fed in manually, but the heat source is an arc of electricity, struck in a gas shield - that prevents the metals from burning."

"Burning?"

Yes son, oxidising. A gas like CO2 or Argon shielding gas prevents the oxygen in the air contacting the white hot, molten metal."

TIM WATSON'S WELDING GEAR - The General traded in his SIP 150 amp welder, for the R-Tech 450 amp unit and another smaller unit with a spool on gun, or TIG, an ideal multi-purpose rig for vehicle and other specialist repairs and fabrications works.

Jimmy was soaking up this information. It fascinated and frightened him. Dangerous stuff.

"You know about soldering and flux?"

"Yes of course Dad. I have to solder wires and stuff for Robot Wars, using a soldering iron."

"Electric?"

"Yes, but I have seen some of your old copper irons."

Tim laughed.

"Oh those. More relics. Can't bring myself to throw them away. We'll not be using those."

"Dinosaurs?"

"Yes, antiques."

"Don't throw them away Dad."

"No, you can have them for your workshop. To remind you of the old ways."

That made Jimmy happy. He admired blacksmiths and farriers. The days of horse drawn coaches, and the pioneering Cowboy ranchers of the Wild West. Wistful thinking.

"Thanks Dad."

Tim was glad that Jimmy was interested in this subject.

"I'll show you how to join two pieces of mild steel if you like?"

"Can you?"

"We'll have to go to my lockup. Better tell Mum."

Tim shouted into the kitchen. "Marion, just dropping down to the garage unit for a few minutes."

"Okay darling, see you in a couple of hours then."

They drove to the garage and Tim opened up.

"Alright, Jimmy," General Watson said in a firm military tone, leading his son into the garage. "Today, we're going to learn how to weld."

The garage was filled with the familiar scent of oil and grease. Jimmy watched as his father meticulously cleaned two random pieces of steel bar using an angle grinder. Timothy had been a skilled engineer in the British Army, and his passion for tinkering with old vehicles had never faded.

"Noisy isn't it?" Jimmy nodded. It was noisy. He wanted the noise to stop.

"It's okay, cleaning using an abrasive disc is quick. But be careful, that disc can cut through a finger in seconds. Always wear gloves."

MARION WATSON - Their beloved Volkswagen surfing wagon reminded Tim of his wife's exploits at Birling Gap and Bude. Fond memories. The couple still liked touring in their Camper Wagon.

Jimmy's eyes lit up, the rusty steel was now gleaming. He'd always been fascinated by welding, watching his dad work on the old Volkswagen camper van. "Can I really do this?" he asked, his voice filled with excitement.

"Absolutely," his father replied. "Welding is a valuable skill that can come in handy for all sorts of projects."

Timothy began by explaining the basics of welding. "There are three main types of welding: TIG, MIG, and stick welding," he said. "Today, we'll be using MIG welding, which is a good starting point."

He showed Jimmy the MIG welder, a bulky machine with a composite gun, fed by a spool of wire and a motor drive. 

"This wire is the filler material that we'll use to join the metals together," Timothy explained. "The electrical current melts the wire and the base metal, creating a bond between them."

Jimmy watched intently as his father set up the welder, adjusting the settings and connecting the electrodes. "Remember," Timothy said, "it's important to wear protective clothing and a welding helmet to shield your eyes from the bright light."

Jimmy nodded and put on the required gear. Jimmy slipped on the gloves and helmet, feeling a bit like a space explorer. 

"This is the earth cable." Tim held up the clamp. "It has to attach to clean metal to complete an electrical circuit." Tim attached the clamp to part of one bar that was rust free.

Next, Tim demonstrated how to set up the work pieces. He clamped the two steel bars together on a welding table.

Jimmy felt a sense of anticipation as he watched his father point the nozzle of the gun to strike an arc between the two metal bars. 

"Helmet please." 

Jimmy pulled his helmet down, into darkness. Then a shower of sparks flew into the air, and a bright blue light filled the garage. He could see the workpiece and the bead of molten metal. His Dad stopped and lifted his helmet to talk.

"Quick Jimmy, look at the red glow as the metal cools."

"Wow. Bet that's hot."

"Sure is. Now, it's your turn," Timothy said, handing the welding gun to Jimmy. "Start by running a bead along the edge of these two steel bars. Did you see how I did it?"

"Kind of."

Jimmy took a deep breath and gripped the gun. He squeezed the trigger, and slowly moved the electrode along the metal, focusing on keeping a steady arc. As the wire melted and joined the two bars, Jimmy felt a surge of satisfaction.

"You're doing great, Jimmy," his father said. "Keep going."

After several more seconds, Jimmy had successfully welded the two bars together. He was amazed at how quickly and easily the metals had joined.

"I can't believe I did that," he said, grinning. "Welding is really cool."

Timothy smiled. "It is, isn't it? With a little practice, you'll be a welding like a pro in no time."

"But how strong is the join Dad?"

"Let's see."

Tim grabbed the steel bar tightly from each end and pulled it into a smooth loop, strong man style.

"Check that out Jimmy, the weld did not break."

Tim handed the test piece to his son. Jimmy was not as strong as his Dad. He could not bend the steel hoop at all. Let alone break it. Tim laughed. 

"Strong isn't it?" laughing a little.

Then he noticed the wall clock.

"Crikey Moses, is that the time." Tim looked at his watch to check, feigning astonishment.

"It's like a time warp in here Dad." They hastily switched off all the power and locked up. Jimmy clenched the proof of his prowess.

They were more than two hours when they finally got home. Marion was right.

"Mum, Mom, where are you?"

Marion was upstairs sorting out socks from the laundry.

"Coming, Jimmy, hold your horses."

Jimmy could not wait. He rushed upstairs. "Mum, I did a weld."

Tim was downstairs in the hall listening.

"Well done Jimmy, can I see it?"

"It's downstairs in the hall."

Marion was curious. She made her way down the staircase, pretending to be calm. Jimmy followed.

Tim was holding the rusty steel hoop, with a grin ear to ear. In the middle of the bar there was fresh blue-grey metal: the weld.

Marion studied the join. "Amazing. Well done Jimmy." She turned and hugged her son.

"I'll teach him how to use the chop saw next," said Tim. "He'll be onto the frame for his robot in not too long."

Jimmy was genuinely excited and quite proud of himself.

"What's a chop saw Dad?"

"You know what a hacksaw is, and how to use it, don't you son?"

"Sure do"

"And it can be quite hard cutting through big metal sections."

"I only did it once. My arm nearly fell of afterwards.

"Exactly! A chop saw is a like a circular saw the cuts wood. Only, the blade is carbide or diamond. Mostly carbide cutting dics three millimeters thick and three hundred millimeters in diameter. It spins on a powerful motor, and slices through, even stainless stele. Makes light work of cutting thick sections."

"Can I try that?

"Perhaps next visit to the lockup."

Marion looked on in horror. Is it safe Tim?

"If I show Jimmy and he wears all the safety clothing. Yes mother."

"You will do as your father says now Jimmy?

"Mum!!!! I always do what Dad tells me. Especially in the workshop."

Tim teased Marion, "then there is a plasma cutter."

Marion wagged her finger. "Oh no there is not. Not yet anyway."

Jimmy wondered how dangerous that might be. Tim winked at him, which Marion saw in the hall mirror.

"Well, not just until Dad says you need to know." She returned Tim's wink to Jimmy.

"Thanks again for today Dad. I really, really, enjoyed that. Even though a bit frightening to begin with."

And with that, Jimmy bounced up the stairs to the bathroom. He needed a shower. His hair was full of welding fumes and spatter.

.....

Jimmy works out a cutting list & chops all metal sections. Then comes the jigging and tacking.

>> CHAPTER 11

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