September isn’t over, but it’s been a busy month with lots of progress! In the August Update, I mentioned that the welder I had just wasn’t cutting it. The Misc Dot Welder from last year was an exciting purchase, with a promise of delivering 50A of power which is enough to do anything I need for this build. Unfortunately, it was probably putting out half of that.
The solution presented itself in the form of a 110/220V 160A Welder that I purchased on Amazon. The “ZENY Arc Welding Machine” was inexpensive and performs far better than the junk that it replaced. I am now able to fully weld 3/16″ steel without any trouble, all on a 20A 115V circuit. This is the welder that I got, and if you’re looking for a welder, this is probably one of the best deals you’ll find:
While I had tacked up the rear frame which contains holds the two rear wheels, the old welder wasn’t able to do more than the tack welds. The new welder made it possible to finish welding that together and much much more. See the gallery below for information on progress that’s been made.
Looking for more information?
The Trike is now named the “Tri-Meridian”, referencing the Meridian Recumbent DIY Bicycle plans produced at AtomicZombie.com, which this trike is based on. I have a build thread going on their forums, and I welcome you to join! It’s a great community: Small but growing with folks like us joining their ranks all the time. The build thread can be found here:
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/threads/az-inspired-trike-build-starts.196/
The new welder. I LOVE THIS WELDER 
The old welder was terrible. 
Tacked, but only barely Chop saw + Cutoff Disk 
That main tube is too high. It needs to come down some by way of an angle. A cut to create room for the angle. 
Chop Saw cut Test fitment of the front tube. Measure Twice, Cut Once. Oops. 
The main tube needed to angle down so that the pedals were lower than the seat. 
The head tube is straight! Head tube, tacked but not welded. The rolling chassis sees light for the first time. 
The bottom bracket is cleaned up and almost ready to build. The rear seat mount being installed. A friend cut this wood seat base
