Anyone Have Experience Welding Bicycle Chain?

[CTBlades]

I have a bucket of bicycle chain and gears. I was successful at making a few small items however I am having much difficulty trying to shape weld and straight line weld the chain. There always seems to be a few links that don't take or the weld is just to gooberd up with to much bead.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I have a lot of visions  I'd like to put into reality.

Thank you gents (and ladies)!

[Michael Cochran]

Wire, stick, or tig welding? What size and composition of filler are you using?

I have never done chain but on the thin stuff I have done it's all about placing enough heat in just the right spot. I'd imagine stick welding it would be a pain but mig and tig should be easy enough I'd think. I might have to try some scrap chain I have now just to see. 

[ThomasPowers]

Arc welding, gas welding or forge welding?    Answer to most welding problems is cleanliness of the starting material (and choice of rod for arc welding.)

[CTBlades]

I'm sorry guys, I'm using a mug welder with flux core wire. I get good arc and the chain is very clean. Its roller bicycle chain and I can't seem to hit a sweet spot so it's clean and holds consistently. I can weld it to a base piece but I'm trying to create shapes, curves and straight runs so it can free stand.

[Daswulf]

When I made the guitar only one side showed so I just welded at each link. Tho using MIG with the gas helps for a cleaner weld and seeing where your putting the weld. 

Also the scorpion tails ive made welded good enough. One or two times it popped loose on me but I just rewelded and it held. 

[CTBlades]

So Das, it looks like your hitting (tacking) every link on the top edge at each pivot point yes?

[Kozzy]

I have little to offer on technique but you have to remember that bicycle chain is about the rock bottom level of material quality these days--especially now that most is chinese made.  You will find inconsistencies in carbon content and hardness of the material used.  You might get 50 links that weld like butter and then hit one or a string which refuse to take the bead.

We work with miles of chain a year and still won't stoop to the Chinese stuff because of inconsistencies, though competitors are happy to live with the junk.  In our operations it tends to be welding on chain attachments (bigger chain) but we have seen a similar problem of hitting spots that refused to weld well on lesser quality chains.

Some parts are also sintered these days and the porosity of that material holds oils even when cleaned.  Caustic boil can help but then you get into chemical nasties.  Put a length into a jar of near-boiling water and see if an oil slick rises to the top--if it does, your welds are likely fighting tramp oil a bit.  They'll pick up too much carbon and crack.

My recommendation would be TIG but that doesn't sound like an option for your operations.  Since it appears that you generally weld the edge of the sidebars, can you power wire brush a chain length along the edge so that the material is as bare and fresh as humanly possible before the weld?  

Just some "stream of consciousness" thinking....

[Daswulf]

5 minutes ago, CTBlades said:

So Das, it looks like your hitting (tacking) every link on the top edge at each pivot point yes?

On the scorpion tail yes. I laid the chain on a form on that one, otherwise it would have looked better welded from the underside.

I did wire wheel the chain as thurouly as possible before welding too. 

If you are getting a built up bead just grind it down and reweld. 

[coldironkilz]

Das, love the scorpions. Can't help with the welds  .

 

[CTBlades]

Interesting info Kozzy. I did clean, degrease, scrub and wire brush the chain. The piece was fairly new so it wasn't loaded with grease. 

I dis edge weld and it held up much better, just not as clean as I'd like but I'll tinker with power and speed a little more and see if I can get it cleaner. Some of it will be on the exposed edge so I am hoping to get it nice and neat. I'm sure a lot has to do with my total lack of experience welding. 

Here's what I am trying to do as well as a pendent I made just trying different techniques.

[aessinus]

Kozzy's TIG rec. made me think of O/A with a small tip.  That's what I use for wee tiny stuff like jewelry & miniatures.

[CTBlades]

1 minute ago, aessinus said:

Kozzy's TIG rec. made me think of O/A with a small tip.  That's what I use for wee tiny stuff like jewelry & miniatures.

I am not a welder and know very little about it. Just playing and learning as I go. What is O/A?

[aessinus]

Oxyacetylene.  Not a cutting torch, but a brazing/welding tip.  I can check size next time I'm in the tool shop today.  My suggestion is not a definite, I generally only use the stuff for pit hinges.

What size chain?  If we have a bit in the "raw materials" scrap pile I can try a demo. 

[Daswulf]

Cool pendant CT. I might have to borrow that idea lol.

The more you weld the better you will get. That edge welding above isn't bad. personally I'm guilty of owning a TIG welder and not working with it enough to get good with it. That will probably change when I get my shop organized and set up a good welding station.  I'm just so used to my MIG welder.  

[CTBlades]

Oxyacetylene...*smacks forehead* oh yea, my brain wasn't firing on all cylinders this morning lol....I have one I could dig out and try. See photo below for size and thank you. 

Das, go ahead, I did lol..!