I got my ramp repaired today. The guy that did the welding knows what he is doing, and he had a tough time with it. It is a cheap pseudo stainless steel. Add to that how thin it is, and it is tough to weld and not mess it up. All things considered, I think he did a good job. So the lesson to take away from this is if you are going to have your ramp repaired, take it to someone with a TIG setup and that can do sanitary stainless welding. I say that not because this needs to be a sanitary weld, but if they can do that, they are most likely skilled enough to be able to fix this.
There are two cracks, the front support tab is completely cracked away and the crack in front of the second support.
Here's after the welding:
Here's after some work with a file, some bushing with my Dremel, and some cleaning with Bar Keeper's Friend. BKF is your saviour when removing rust and discoloration from stainless and other metals. I could have filed more to get the welded area completely flush, but I figured I'd leave it a little high so that there was some extra material for added strength. The flash makes it look worse than it is. Honesly, it looks very good and will not be noticeable when it is back in the machine.
There are two cracks, the front support tab is completely cracked away and the crack in front of the second support.
Here's after the welding:
Here's after some work with a file, some bushing with my Dremel, and some cleaning with Bar Keeper's Friend. BKF is your saviour when removing rust and discoloration from stainless and other metals. I could have filed more to get the welded area completely flush, but I figured I'd leave it a little high so that there was some extra material for added strength. The flash makes it look worse than it is. Honesly, it looks very good and will not be noticeable when it is back in the machine.
