Welding

Content

Awards

Purple - $3.00  Blue -$2.50    

Red - $2.00  White - $1.50

GUIDELINES: All welds exhibited in class 01 or 02 must be mounted on a 12" high x 15" long display board of thickness not to exceed 3/8". Attach each weld on a wire loop hinge or equivalent, so the judge can look at the bottom side of the weld when necessary. Each weld should be labeled with information stated 1) type of welding process (stick, MIG, TIC, Oxy-Acetylene, etc.), 2) kind of weld, 3) welder setting, 4) electrode/wire/rod size, and 5) electrode/wire/rod ID numbers. Attach a wire to display board so it can be hung like a picture frame. No picture frame hangers accepted. If no plans are included with welding furniture, item will not qualify for State Fair. Note: 4-H’er must be in third year of a welding project to exhibit at the State Fair. 

All outside projects MUST have an entry tag and supporting information placed in a protective bag to prevent damage from weather events such as rain and be ATTACHED to projects with string, zip ties, etc.

4-H Welding Project Tips and Suggestions 

Welding Joints 

  1. All welds should be made with the same electrode/wire/rod size and number. 
  2. Welds should be made only on one side of metal so penetration can be judged. 
  3. Welds should be cleaned with chipping hammer and wire brush. Apply a coat of light oil (penetrating oil) to the metal to prevent rusting. Wipe off excess oil. 
  4. It is suggested all welds be on the same size and thickness of metal. These pieces, referred to as coupons, should be 1.5” to 2” wide and 3.5” to 4” long. A good way to get this size is to buy new cold rolled strap iron and cut to length. The extra width is needed to provide enough metal to absorb the heat from the welding process and prevent the coupons from becoming too hot before the bead is completed. Narrower coupons will become very hot, making an average welder setting too cold at the start of the bead, just about right in the middle, and too hot at the end. The correct way to weld narrow strips is to make short beads and allow time to cool, however this project requires a full-length bead. 

Stick Welding 

  1. Suggested coupon thickness - 1/4" if using 1/8" rod 
  2. Suggested rod-AC and DC straight or reverse polarity-first E-7014, second E-6013 
  3. MIG Welding Suggest coupon thickness - 1/4" if using .035 wire and 1/8" if using .023 wire. Oxy-Acetylene Suggested coupon thickness - 1/8", Suggested rod - 1/8” mild steel rod. 

Position Welds 

  1. It is suggested all welds be on same size and thickness of metal. These pieces are referred to as coupons. The welds can be on one coupon that is about 4" x 4" or on individual coupons that are about 2" x 4" and 1/4" thick. Suggested rods for this class of position welds for AC and DC straight or reverse polarity is first E-6013, second E-7014 and E-6010 for DC reverse polarity only. 
  2. Welds should be cleaned with a chipping hammer and wire brush. Apply a coat of light oil (penetrating oil) to the metal to prevent rusting. Wipe off excess oil. 

Welding Article 

  1. All welds should be cleaned and protected from rust with paint or light oil. Plans are to be complete enough that if they were given to a welding shop, the item could be made without further instructions. Bill of materials should include a cost for all items used including steel, electrodes, paint, wheels, etc. 
CLASSES 

H920001       Welding Joints - A display of one butt, one lap and one fillet weld. 

H920002       Position Welds - A display showing three beads welded in the vertical down, horizontal and overhead positions. 

H920003       Welding Art- Any art created using tack welds to hold the metal pieces together (examples include horseshoe projects).  Type of welder, welder settings, all plans, plan alternations, and a bill for material must be attached to the article.  Protect plans with a cover.  If project is designed to be outside, it is required to have appropriate outdoor finish.

H920004       Welding Article - Any shop article where welding is used in the construction. 60% of the item must be completed by 4-Her and notes regarding laser welding or machine welding must be included. Type of welder, welder settings, all plans, plan alternations, and a bill for material must be attached to the article. Protect plans with a cover. Protect plans with a cover. 

H920005       Welding Furniture – Any furniture with 75% welding is used in construction. 60% of item must be completed by 4-Her and notes regarding laser or machine welding must be included. Type of welder, welder settings, all plans, plan alternations, and a bill for material must be attached to the article. Protect plans with a cover. May be displayed outside. 

H920006       Plasma Cutter/Welder Design - Plasma cutters/welders allowed for detailed design(s) to butt cut into metal. 4Hers will create a notebook describing the design process to create the “artwork” to butt cut into the metal. In the notebook include: 

  1. A photo (front and back) of the finished project. Also include detailed photographs of the project to allow judges to examine cuts. 
  2. Instructions on how the design was created (include software used), this allows for replication of the project. 
  3. Lessons learned or improvements to the project. 
  4. Steps to finish the project.

H920007       Composite Weld Project - 60% of the project must be welded and 40% made from other materials such as wood, rubber, etc. Type of welder, welder settings, all plans, plan alternations, and a bill for material must be attached to the article. Protect plans with a cover. If project is designed to be outside, it is required to have appropriate outdoor finish because project may be displayed outside.