Mini Excavator Bucket Repairs 

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I dig your field repairs, Anthony! You always keep it REAL! Thank you for bringing to the forefront, PPE! Extremely important. At 62 now, horrible tinnitus! Back then, didn’t worry about it. Now, Left ear hearing almost gone! Always wore eye protection, and a good set of sleeves or jacket, but never wore ear protection or mask. Got one set of eyes, ears and lungs. Take care of them NOW! Thank you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🙏⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love the ICWeld mention! Also I am happy you are talking about the PPE, I have pretty bad tinnitus as well but from other kinds of sound exposure. If it gets bad enough there are hearing aids that have blue tooth and you can play your own life soundtrack to help drown out the ringing. Love your work and I am glad you moved to MT we need more people like yourself.

Getting into welding I've been watching a lot of videos. Yours are the best for showing what a solo welder in the field does daily. Thanks!

The only thing l would do different is burn a 6010 hole through the end of each crack to terminate the cracks. But that's how l would do it. Bucket cracks can be tricky to get neat because very often muck, stone and concrete gets inbetween the layers of steel. Also, until you start doing buckets and plant repairs you won't fully appreciate the work, tools and skills required to make a great job. Top stuff young man!

Always found an air arc gouge works great. It blows the molten metal out of the way with minimal grinding (if you know how to use one). Did a repair on the oil channel of a stamping plant die table. The foreman wanted me to use a torch. Could have done it, but with the arc gouge I had it all cut off and ready for the new one in a matter of minutes.

Put some carpet in your tool boxes. Works to protect your tools from bumpy roads and also keeps them from sliding around like crazy. Old timer showed me that trick and has been fantastic really extends the life of tools in road boxes.

Like how your showing all the different rods your using. Nice seeing what other people are using!

One of God's gifts to welders is the deburing carbide tool, that thing can cut through just about anything in a tight spot.

Tinnitus, welcome to the club. Ear phones are the number one cause. Loud volume.

I just started my second week in welding school. I find your videos to be a blessing. you really show how it is in the real world. keeps me motivated to do my best and make it work. awesome video

Yessir.. No manual for real world field repair.. Shout out to ICWeld..

Never knew about gouging without air. I'm gonna give these a try for sure.

Well done repair, Anothony! I like the fact you didn’t spare the rods, and did a full fill on each gouged area. I’m considering those Rockmount rods for my Bobcat 260 efi. Seeing the antelope was a hoot, thanks for including that footage.

PPE is key man. For being a small business owner and putting that first says a lot. Well done sir.

Unfortunately a lot of us don't listen to other people (me included) and have to learn the hard way- I have the ear ringing and asthma. Ever since noticing, I have switched to wearing ear plugs and a respirator-religiously and try to give the same advice to others that was given to me.

THe raw unpeened weld when it cools is left in a state of tension, and the peening changes that so that the surface of the weld is now in compression and much less likely to crack as the loads on it will be lower than the raw weld in tension.

there's a welder who fixes some stuff for the scrapyard I work at. The first time I saw him, the boss was yelling right at him. I thought he fucked up big. No, just deaf. As with most deaf people, deep voices are the worst to hear. Stick welding doesn't seem loud but it is a very sharp noise and will cut your hearing in time. To cover up the tinnitus, try some light background noise like a fan or a white noise machine/video.

MMA, thanks for showing the Tartan B and Polaris A rods. Super good welding rods. Great video as always.

Hey Brother! I'm so glad you decided to start wearing earplugs. I never used to because they always fell out or hurt and now I get that ringing every once in a while. I found that the "honeywell trustfit pods" are super comfortable and don't come out. You can wash them too and get the string to attach them if u want to hang them on your neck. Great repair! I'll have to try those rods!

Nice work. In my experience on jobs like this the customer doesn't care how it's done, how it looks and quite often, how much it costs. They do care about how long it will last and how fast you can get it done

Good job on the bucket its nice to have wildlife in your frontyard too

Yes sir! That ringing can cause long term issues. Thanks for mentioning that!

Lmao! You can hear that poor miller hatin life in the background.

Love the channel Anthony. Thx for sharing. I’m a new hobby welder. Learning a lot watching. Take care!

Ear and eye protection is no joke. I do plumbing/pipe fitting and was at a factory doing some install work. An electrician at the factory told me he lost all hearing in one ear. He was doing work at the house on a planer and wasn't using any hearing protection. Said he heard a loud pop and then nothing. Said the nerve died completely and was no fixing it. Said he can hear like a white static noise in that ear, but his sinuses was fucked up ever since and I could just tell the pain it was causing him from just him telling me all this. I don't know what happened to that dude, but he was a really good guy, but it sounded like he might do something eventually to end the torment of not being able to hear. Hopefully he doesn't ever do it, but damn that is some shit to have to live with. Dude was probably in his 50s. There really ain't anything more badass than being safe.

Nice job Wish I could get those rods here Cheers from Nova Scotia

I just bought the optrel helmet and papr due to reoccurring throat ulsers, which after 5 months, found was being caused by the flux core wire i use. After using the new setup i can't believe how nice it is, and the vision with the crystal 2 is great. I can run straight beads again.

hazardous noise is real. from the engine rooms to the chainsaw. ear mufflers. even the hammer on an anvil,

Wife & I started watching this video and immediately noticed background. So beautiful. As for needle scaler Northern Tool sells an attachment for your air hammer that makes it a needle scaler. @icweld uses one.

I worked at Cat making 7495 shovels, 6090, and 6120 excavators. Installing the wear pads on some of the buckets we built was an absolute nightmare. This one is cute tho

Love the quality of the videos these days MMA! The level up is real 💯🔥🤙🏿👨🏾‍🏭💰

Nice view from the office.😂

Im just getting my mobile welding buisness going and look forward too your videos its nice to see what someone else is working on how they operate. Thank you for sharing your videos and knowledge. Keep burnin rod brother. Ohh and that gouging rod is badass ima pick some up. Thanks man

I have done some research because my father with ptsd has tinnitus. I found some studies that link it to anxiety. The long and short of it is supposedly the more you focus/worry about the ringing, the more your brain will amplify it. Hope this helps.

Good ole bucket repair, might have to pick up some of those gouging rods. The gouge tip for the cutting torch RIPS through gas

Also got my sticker and my trucker hat to rep MMA! Appreciate you brother!

Curious why you dont ever run a suitcase welder? Some big diameter fluxcore could fill these gaps faster.

Ive found that those needle scalers are an exception and i never oil and when they sieze up like that just hold the trigger down and jam the needles into the steel and it should start working again

Seems to me like the governor reaction is a little slow on your machine, love your videos!

I love your vídeos brother, tanks for share your experience for us

I do like Isaacs “ this is not how to do it , it’s how I do it “!

I imagine peening helps stressed atomic crystal structure boundries fall into a more relaxed crystal arrangement.

with that air scaler and other air tools. If they are playing up and won't start. First and often effective option is to dump a lot of oil down the air connection and hook it up to air and give it a strong shake and a couple of taps with a hammer or on the side of the bench. If it runs, it runs .... it's gona piss oil everwhere for a while ... but it runs. . often what happens is the veins in the motor retract ( vibration rough roads) and air goes straight thru, ya just have to get one vein to catch air and the motor will spin again. . Many time I have had tools come to me because they don't run, THIS method works most of the time. . Unless you are running an in line oiler, make sure you oil enough and regularly..... so many tools just don't get oiled enough. . With my air tools, every now and then I put a big dose of oil in and let the tool run till it stops pissing oil. This makes sure oil gets everywhere it should and washes out any dust or wear particles out of the tool. . remember too there are other parts of the tool than the motor that need oil or grease.

wouldnt it be worth it to get a airfed mask? seems kinda annoying using that mouthprotection instead of a air fed mask

You really should get a PAPR helmet Anthony, every welder should have one.

Hey Rockstar, Who the hell leaves a good customer base, moves 1500+ miles away and develops, from scratch, a new customer base all the while building a house, filming and editing plus e-commerce! You are rockin that American dream! Antelope!! Damn plus you're runnin a zoo🤣🤣

awsome video brother. had an incident recently involving my pubes and a wire wheel (self explanatory), looking forward to getting back at it. Thanks for the inspiration

Take the needle scaler apart and clean it mine does the same thing just needs cleaned!

I know I'm a bit greedy with the posts today but. Shutting up the job can dramatuicly reduce the noise. putting something soft and heavy under or ontop of the job can shut up the ringing big time. something soft and heavy under the job can reduce coupling to the floor slab, the bench top or the truck bed. That pallet you have that bucket on will be reducing noise. . a heavy rubber mat can have many usees wooden blocks or even a pile of sand. anything to add weight or reduce transmission

Easy money!! Great work.

I GET TO LAUGH AT THE END. GFY. GREAT JOB ,LIVIN THE DREAM. I PUT OLD TOWELS SHIRTS, BATH ROBE IN BETWEEN MY TOOLS SAVES THEM. TRY IT

Spend the extra money and get molded earl plugs. Might be 100 bucks but they last forever and they are the best fit you can get. I got mine 10+years ago and wear them almost every day. I have server tinnitus. Fan on in the bedroom 24/7

Tight work using the grey filters and not the pink. We can get several 12 hr shifts with the grey filters. I’ve hoarder all the ones I could get after our company was sold and the new owners not spending the extra money for them. AND real welders use Matabos! We use sigma greens to grind anything. Got about 100 stashed at the house for when I go mobile.. and I’m in Lakeland. Not far from Tampa

Who else loves to hear an engine drive load right up?!

8018 for crack repairs or Eagle 823xs welding rod.... The nickel in those rods make the difference.

Just now getting it 😂😂 damn I’m only 26 and I’ve had it for years

Been doing structural for a couple years. I'm 22, I wanna move into the repair world, my question is what kind of companies do this kind of work? I figured the best way to get experience doing this would be to work for someone wrist, I just don't know what kind of company to look for

Welcome to the club ringing just gets worse

I'd be using 7018 on something that's going to take wear and tear instead of 6010. These repairs wont last long.

He's been melting metal and pumping iron.

From my experience, especially with air hammers and needle scalers always run the thinnest oil you can to lubricate them.When they bind up like that try running some brake cleaner through them to clean them out.Once they free up lubricate iit with the thinnest oil possible.Hope this helps.Learned this trick from a Cornwell tool dealer many years ago.Anyways great video as always

Could you give an example of what rod you use for a particular situation, I first became aware of Rockmount from Peter Zila but have paid more attention since watching your videos.

Question? When you have a crack or break in a bucket like that. Should you try to hammer or press it closed, or just treat it like a open root weld? Legitimate question not trying to start an argument.

It is a basic stress relief for the weld , not nessaraly the whole part just the weld.

I’m a new welder here and just curious why you used stick over mig

what do you tend to charge for this type of field work? and how do you break it down for billing?

I appreciate your candor always, and I'm sure that those criticizing your methods aren't qualified to do so. Armchair quarterbacks are in the armchair for a reason.

Just heard you on a podcast... Good stuff

Since you’re out of Florida, could you do a video on how to get started there, and what you would recommend if you were young Anthony starting again

So do those gouging rods not require air? Do you just use a regular stinger?

Great video cool repair you make it look so easy. It’s mad how the buckets crack like that. Look forward to the next video 👍👍

Question, I was told by my old welding instructor that gouging is hard on the welding machines, not sure if that's true or not, but if it is, does it make a difference in your price on what you charge to do the job, and do you ever have problems with your machine?

Lol😅 you are a hard working man, have a blessed day América

Another good vid, thanks. Can you let me know what diameter gouging rod you started out with here, much appreciated 👍

Good Job Anthony, best regards from Venezuela

good job bro , like putting lip stick on a pig... long as welds hold..

Do you not have problems with warping? I find it take me a lot longer to do bucket due to having to let it cool down. Got any tips?

interesting how much you do with a 3/32 i just getting into welding and figured you'd use a 1/8 for something like this

What respirator do you wear? I'm getting a new one but I've only ever had this 3m one I wear for grinding rust and shit off I never wear while welding

Optrel hoods are the best

Umm I would like to recommend the needle scaler attachment I use it's made by Ingersoll rand it's their edge series cartridge it fits any medium or long barrel airhammer with a standard 0.401 bore. They work great they are about 90 bucks

Good vids MMA, the welder and your ears need help. I have ringing too, loud Machines and impact tools are loud enough, protect your hearing bud, I saw the buds off your ears while the machine was going.

your wire wheel is running out of wire ... good job as usual Anthony

I run 1/8” 5p+ under 80 all the time to be honest. I’m also a pipe welder. I’ll rarely crank it past 90 to punch through something.

Thanks!

What kind of rod did you use

Hey Anthony what happened to the truck you bought at the Auction with your Dad? This right before you left to go to Montana?

Are you heading from left to right or right to left

Enough ass is very important in the welding trade.

3M makes these overhead Bluetooth earmuffs. They're called WorkTunes.

Why dont you move the bucket to suit yourself so your welding straight down

try drillin holes at the end of cracks

Man tinnitus sucks. I got it really bad from shooting a rifle in a sandpit and it echoed back just right and i couldn’t even hear my car alarm going off from that same shot. For a month had almost no hearing. I’ve gotten a lot of it back but lost 50db in my left ear which is a lot. I have to have a fan going at night or it gets very loud, and if you let it bother you it will drive you fuckin nuts. I actually even have certain frequencies that are distorted now, like ambulances get all crackly when i hear them now. Grinders and metal cutting circular saws are one of the loudest and worst tools to use without plugs. I need to start wearing them more as i do a ton of loud ass shit lol gotta stop taking things like ears and eyes and lungs for granted. Life could be a whole lot different without them!! I’ve gotten the habits down for eyes and lungs but now need to use the plugs on some stuff. I actually bought my respirator from the link you sent me a while back. Works awesome. I’m glad you emphasize all the safety gear in your videos!! You can potentially save someone’s life, plus make a few bucks doing it. Win win

Nice job buddy

Ive been using Radians Custom Molded Earplugs whenever i want ear protection for concerts or loud stuff at work or at home. They mold right to your inner ear shape and are super comfortable. Give them a few minutes to warm up though, they block just a bit more once warmed up by your ear. My goal within a few years is to get through the whole process of getting some jh audio ear plugs made up. But supposedly you have to get a doctors appointment to get you inner ear mold done, then send it to them and they keep it on file so they can just whip one up if you lose or break your other ones. Or keep multiple pairs. These are the people that make the majority of music related peoples inner ear monitors so they can block noise pollution and focus on what they want to hear aka themselves or maybe some other instrument so they keep their own timing, im not 100% sure because im not in that world. I have been close to some large firearms going off without ear protection and i did not like the ringing and decided early on i dont want to deal with that. So for the past 10 years or more ive been keeping them covered as often as possible and have had some people notice my hearing was really good.

earplugs are a must! less you end up yelling... what!?!?!

you're just now getting the ringing in your ears? damn boi your shit held out pretty good!

Does rock mount have any data sheet for their products? Hard to find anything that show the mechanical properties? Any reason why you’ve chose this over 7018?

Can you run the Electra on DCEP Or just DCEN?