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Old 12-17-2015, 05:19 PM   #21
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I am in the process of patching all the bolt and nail holes in my floor now. I am using the tin caps that you use to nail down roofing felt. Right now it looks like the bus has chickenpox!


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Old 12-17-2015, 05:30 PM   #22
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Amazing how many holes are in that floor. Mine are covered with linoleum (in the middle) and padding and carpeting on both ends. The cockpit and entry are still original and are my mudroom.
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Old 05-02-2018, 11:38 PM   #23
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Ok so this is most likely going to sound like a extremely newbie question but here it goes anyways . I'm very new to welding ( like 1 day in ) and don't really get how to attached the welder ground to the floor to weld the holes ? Can I put it on the lower wall next to the floor ? Or I was thinking about maybe putting one of the nails back in and clamping to that ?
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Old 05-03-2018, 12:06 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by mikerob643 View Post
Ok so this is most likely going to sound like a extremely newbie question but here it goes anyways . I'm very new to welding ( like 1 day in ) and don't really get how to attached the welder ground to the floor to weld the holes ? Can I put it on the lower wall next to the floor ? Or I was thinking about maybe putting one of the nails back in and clamping to that ?
You can put your ground anywhere there is exposed metal of the same type that has a connection uninterrupted by paint or rust. I was able to weld my floor holes by clamping the ground to the exposed bus ribs.

If you haven't gutted yet or otherwise have no exposed metal, you could just grind a little paint in/around a floor hole off, put a steel bolt in the floor, and clamp your ground to that.
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Old 05-03-2018, 12:54 AM   #25
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You can put your ground anywhere there is exposed metal of the same type that has a connection uninterrupted by paint or rust. I was able to weld my floor holes by clamping the ground to the exposed bus ribs.

If you haven't gutted yet or otherwise have no exposed metal, you could just grind a little paint in/around a floor hole off, put a steel bolt in the floor, and clamp your ground to that.
I have the walls gutted and the ribs are exposed, ill try and ground to the ribs and give it a go tomorrow. Thanks for the help! Now hopefully i dont burn through the thin sheet metal with my lack of experience . I also had a,friend tell me to get a respirator before welding the floor because the galvanized metal offgasses . is that true ?
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Old 05-03-2018, 02:35 AM   #26
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I have the walls gutted and the ribs are exposed, ill try and ground to the ribs and give it a go tomorrow. Thanks for the help! Now hopefully i dont burn through the thin sheet metal with my lack of experience . I also had a,friend tell me to get a respirator before welding the floor because the galvanized metal offgasses . is that true ?
I can only speak from experience here, but I had no issues with blasting through the floor. My floor is 14ga steel, not galvanized.

If you find yourself blasting through, turn the voltage down slightly or go slower. If your floor is galvanized, then yes, wear a respirator. If not, you don't have to worry as much, but be weary of smoking paint and/or bus undercoating. It shouldn't catch fire though.
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Old 05-03-2018, 09:49 AM   #27
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Welcome. And learning to weld is a skill you will get a lot out of. Especially building a Skoolie. Check out the magnetic ground clamp below. It is a handy little device that makes getting a good ground on flat sheet easy.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...CABEgIOSPD_BwE
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Old 05-03-2018, 11:56 AM   #28
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Welcome. And learning to weld is a skill you will get a lot out of. Especially building a Skoolie. Check out the magnetic ground clamp below. It is a handy little device that makes getting a good ground on flat sheet easy.

God I wish i had known about that sooner.

Sometimes I have nothing to clamp to and just lay the ground on the work surface, and sometimes the ground tries to tack to the surface. It hasn’t been a significant issue yet, but I do find it annoying.
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Old 05-03-2018, 02:37 PM   #29
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Cheap and mighty handy to have around. And...always try to keep your ground as close to your weld point as you can.

One other "Bus Welding Note"...

You should never weld on any bus (or car, truck, tractor, whatever) that has any computerized systems without disconnecting the battery. The feedback can eat the engine & tranny electronics so it is best to be safe and disconnect the battery.
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Old 05-03-2018, 03:41 PM   #30
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Cheap and mighty handy to have around. And...always try to keep your ground as close to your weld point as you can.

One other "Bus Welding Note"...

You should never weld on any bus (or car, truck, tractor, whatever) that has any computerized systems without disconnecting the battery. The feedback can eat the engine & tranny electronics so it is best to be safe and disconnect the battery.
Awesome thanks Twigg for the battery advice and the magnetic ground.
I am still a little concerned about the galvanized issue with the flooring. In this thread
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f10/pa...loor-6351.html
He talks about how bus floors are galvanized.
If this is true what kind of respirator do I need to get before welding.
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Old 05-03-2018, 04:58 PM   #31
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May be galvanized...maybe not (mine was not). Either way, you need to grind the weld area clean anyway (down to base metal) which will eliminate the zinc at the weld point. Still a good idea to position a fan to pull (not blow) any fumes away. I have welded lots of galvanized metal this way.
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Old 05-19-2018, 09:42 PM   #32
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I'm new to the bus world. But once a welder, always a welder... I agree with what's been said about welding galvanized. Do your research on what "respirator" to use. Meaning just wearing a respirator won't save you. Most affordable respirators do not have the correct filtration for welding galvanized metal which produces zinc oxides. Grinding surface clean and Ventilation is the best method like Tango mentioned. You dont want to experience the sick feeling that can happen. You'll know if you have galvanized steel when you strike an arc. It'll be an odd colored arc (yellowish) and produce more smoke and you will have a white powder looking substance at the edge of your heat affected zone after the weld. If you have that, you haven't removed enough materiel, sand/ grind the area until you don't have this. Good luck! Now I'm hoping I don't have a galvanized floor. I know some of my interior panels are galvanized.
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Old 07-20-2018, 03:55 PM   #33
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Instead of welding would their be a glue or liquid nail that could be used to fill and hold down metal pieces covering floor? Can you use the metal from the side panels?

Learning as I go, so sorry if it's a dumb question.
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Old 07-20-2018, 03:57 PM   #34
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Instead of welding would their be a glue or liquid nail that could be used to fill and hold down metal pieces covering floor? Can you use the metal from the side panels?

Learning as I go, so sorry if it's a dumb question.
Post #21 in this thread shows that. i used tin caps and an epoxy glue to cover the holes in the floor.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f10/ho...tml#post131323
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Old 07-20-2018, 04:20 PM   #35
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Chair rail would be a perfect place to clamp a ground clamp for welding anywhere inside the bus, just grind the paint away for a good ground.
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Old 07-20-2018, 05:14 PM   #36
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Post #21 in this thread shows that. i used tin caps and an epoxy glue to cover the holes in the floor.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f10/ho...tml#post131323
Thank you!
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Old 07-20-2018, 10:50 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by WanderlustExistence View Post
Instead of welding would their be a glue or liquid nail that could be used to fill and hold down metal pieces covering floor? Can you use the metal from the side panels?

Learning as I go, so sorry if it's a dumb question.
JP Liquid Weld works great
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Old 07-28-2018, 11:54 AM   #38
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This is what we were talking about doing
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Old 07-28-2018, 08:32 PM   #39
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Hey bus world! Been scanning the forums for advice on our tiny home project. We are at the empty shell phase. 1989 Thomas, Cat engine. We aren't doing the ceiling and walls because of time restraints. We are gonna ospho and rustoleum the floor. But We are having a hard time knowing what to do with the seat holes in the floor. I've read some quick advice about aluminum tape and car windshield sealant, but not how it was applied. I've dug thru a few conversion thread, but we are held up at this point so just asking for HELP seems like the best plan. We really don't wanna mess this part up and rot out our floor. Trying to live and travel in it for 5-10 years. We have a product Sikaflex 221 that is a non latex caulk for metal that has more flexibility (for going down the road). We got it for our windows, hoping it might work for th floor. Any advice is welcome, please tell us what's worked for you.
~Smuj and Starshine
I'm going to spend the $ 40 for the trailer skin repair tape (1000mph ) it is adhesive backed and paints well from what I've gathered. Cut and paste to clean surface but I'm insulating with foam board so won't be an issue. Do I need a vapor barrier if I'm carpeting over the plywood?
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Old 04-23-2019, 07:59 PM   #40
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Post #21 in this thread shows that. i used tin caps and an epoxy glue to cover the holes in the floor.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f10/ho...tml#post131323
What kind of epoxy did you use?
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