cutting and welding chrome

[Bettye]

I found some free chrome bumpers and want to cut them with a plasma cutter and weld them to a steel frame. Will this produce toxic fumes? I use a N99 respirator . Is that adequate?

A local fabricator suggested that I grind down to steel before cutting. I tried this and can't tell the differnce between the metals. Is there a difference in the grinding sparks I should look for?

Any help is greatly appreciated. It gets tiresome being a beginner.:confused:

[jwebb]

I have done several sculptures made from old bumpers, cut up into arbitrary chunks with an acetylene torch, then reassembled and welded - again using oxy-acetylene. There probably were toxic fumes generated to some degree, but I did this outside or with good ventilation, and noticed nothing worse than the usual crap I breathe when I weld. (I know that's not exactly a rousing endorsement. I'm just being honest. Other than this cursed progressive madness I feel no ill-effects.) The more serious problem I have is that the welds are no longer "chromed" or nickle-plated. If you put pieces outside, they will rust at the welds. You either have to paint or re-plate the piece, or keep it inside, at least in the Oregon climate. Hope this helps some.

[Araich]

Chromium is toxic AND lung cancer causing.

I would definitely grind edges to be welded, doing so in a well ventilated area, throwing grind dust down wind and sweeping up after. The plating will be fairly thin, so even a light grind will remove the majority. But there will alway be some chrome left behind, so...

Weld with a respirator.

[Bettye]

Thanks for the information. My experience is so limited that I always feel better asking experienced welders. However, the things I have wanted to try lately have no practical application and the men at the local welding supply shop just roll their eyes and wander off. It is great to have this resource.:D :D

[jwebb]

Bumpers, at least in the US, have little "chrome" in or on them, though that term is used generically when talking about auto trims. They are nickle-plated mild steel. There are steel alloys that are high in chrome, even chrome-based, and they are also weldable. They require TIG or MIG welding, which provides a protective atmosphere. But the protection is for the welds - not for the person doing the welds. I say have at it. But wear the respirator.

[Araich]

That's really interesting about US bumpers. My info is probably out of date, but may still be relevant for old bumpers... and that is that a very thin layer of chromium is applied over nickel on top of mild steel. Burning this, will create toxic fumes.

However that would not stop me welding it.

So yes, 'have at it!' :)

[Bettye]

Interesting that the bumpers are nickel plated. Could the welds be brazed with nickel silver to retard corosion?

I did have at it this morning, wearing a respirator of course. Love the look of the metal and playing with the shapes was lots of fun. A nice break from the intensive fabricating I have been doing for months. I can tell it will take some practice to get the look I am after.

Araich, how are the casts going? I have been encouraged to have some small welded sculptures cast. The potential damage to the prototype concerns me. But I think it is the unfamiliar process and costs that scare me the most. After buying 1/4" rods and sheet steel everything else looks expensive. Hope you will post pictures of the cast pieces beside the original.

Thanks again for the help.

[obseq]

Araich,

Just an aside....What sort of general wedling equipment do you recommend?


Thanks in advance..!

[fused]

Just having a fan at your back helps with the fumes if you aren't using a MIG.
Old timers used to recommend eating a few raw eggs before a day of welding
galvanized steel with all of it's nasty zinc.

If you haven't seen it, Jason Seley (http://www.ithaca.edu/icnews/vol22/22-01/bumper.htm) was a sculptor known for his welded chrome,
his work (http://www.hofstra.edu/COM/Museum/museum_sculpture_seley.cfm) is included in the Hofstra Museum Sculpture Garden (http://www.hofstra.edu/COM/Museum/museum_sculpture_garden.cfm).

John (http://www.chinati.org/english2/collection/chamberlain.htm) Chamberlain (http://www.diacenter.org/exhibs_b/chamberlain/) uses some chromed parts in his work and there
might be some in the early steel sculptures of Richard (http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=68&category=artMakers) Hunt (http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/behind/htmls/exh_hunt.html) too.

[jwebb]

Interesting comments, fused, and that Hofstra Museum site is a great resource. Your commenting on this old thread gives me the opportunity to correct a statement I made in it earlier that has been bugging me. When I say authoritatively, above, that auto bumpers in the U.S. are nickle plated rather than chrome plated, that's just one of those things I think I know. Somebody told me that, and it stuck, but I've no direct knowledge that it's so. There. I feel better.

[fused]

Just to ease your mind a little, I've had a few things '"chromed"
and what they actually did was nickel plate it.

It has to be solid or open ended to have the process done.