DIY Spot Welder [video] | Hacker News Reader

DIY Spot Welder [video]

youtube.com

In web development we often talk about the metrics that tell us that most users will not wait more than two seconds for a page to load and that auto-play content reduces return traffic. Why do these YouTube channels still have ten-seconds-long intros and just-loud-enough-to-know-that-it's-there thrash metal? When is YouTube finally going to become the MySpace of video sharing and be replaced by something more elegant?

The video itself is very cool. I love the quick cuts, excellent viewing angles and sounds of metalworking but the music detracts from the content. Primitive Technology[1] is a great example of how to handle the audio in a video like this.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLoukoBs8TE

Google has started linking to the most-probably-salient start and stop timestamps of howto/tutorial videos directly in search results (I’m guessing they compute them using the vast watching time analytics data they keep) so that you can jump to e.g. 1m22s of a 3 minute video if you just need to watch the 20 seconds or so that are actually relevant to the problem you’re trying to solve. It’s pretty useful even as a prototype, I can’t help but imagine they’ll further develop this feature because no other search engine has direct access to the comprehensive video watching data Google has with YouTube

because you have random access to the video not like a web page at all. I skipped the opening so automatically that I didn't even realize what you were talking about and had to go back and look at it again.

You could pause MySpace audio the same way you can skip a YouTube intro. That didn't both me back then, of course you stop noticing things when you get used to them.

But of course you'd put metal on a metal working video!

Artist's choice tho. I think it goes pretty well with the video fwiw.

Also arguable if not a bit pedantic: is it really DIY if you have tens of thousands of dollars worth of machine shop tools to help you do the work? It’s more just fabrication at that point.

I'm pretty sure it's DIY if you Do It Yourself. I don't think it's surprising that people use tools to make stuff.

Would you consider a woodworking project DIY if they used a tablesaw? What about a router? Metalworking tools require skill and experience to use. DIY has never meant doing something with the absolute minimum tooling or expense, although that subset of DIY projects is interesting and worthwhille.

That said, if you go back through this channel’s archives, you’ll find they actually built the majority of the tools they’re using here.

If you want something a bit more homemade the King of Random did a few videos.

Make a spot welder for cheap!! (2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrlvqib94xQ

Homemade Stick Welder - From Microwave Parts! (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDx3sN2dhU (This one looks terrifying)

Making an ARC Welder - Part 1 of 2 (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6oDCbcmtWw

Actually, if you're using your own skills and judgement, I think it's still "making". If the job was all done with CNC and robots, then there would be a strong case that it was not DIY any more.

http://promotingprimitivism.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-workman...

I accept that this question (of whether personal skill and judgement is involved) might not really be the same as the question "is this really DIY?" but it's interesting all the same.

A little. The design in the video can be easily adapted to need <$100 in tools though.

If you are willing to bolt everything together, you only need a drill ($40 for a corded one), small number of drill bits ($20) and a hacksaw ($20). The curved metal can be approximated with 2-3 straight segments.

Most of the expensive tools come from the choice to weld and have fancy curved metal bits. A bunch of the other tools are just faster than using a hacksaw.

A screwdriver

A pillar drill

A MIG Welder + Mask

A chop saw + cutting disc

A pipe bender

Some spray

You must have really expensive tool shops round your way

Let's be honest author of the video has a lot of tools and you omitted some of them.

A lathe (how many people have that one in their toolbox?) An angle grinder A metal nibbler

Safety Alert:

It's never a great idea to tear into a microwave unless you know what you're doing. There's more than one way of dying.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/safely-take-apart-microwave/

Warning: high quantities of metal in this video.

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