WELDING TECHNIQUES

Lots of good information in here. Someone already mentioned welding in a natural position but to add to that I like to put my part (if I am welding two pieces together) on a 45 degree angle to create a valley. A scenario would be 2 pieces of 2x2x.250 each piece with a 45 degree mitre cut on one end. After camfering the mitred ends when you put them together you create a 90 degree angle with the 2 pieces. Now if you were to tack it together and hold it in a vice at 45 degrees it would look like the letter V. By doing this you are creating a valley for your weld to flow into keeping it from "washing out". "Washing out" would happen if you were to weld the part on a 90 degree angle because the hot puddle is going to sag from the upright piece down to the flat piece because of gavity. You can't alway weld on a table and lots of us have to weld on the frame on the floor. When I have to weld a vertical up, I start from the bottom and go up with a Christmas tree weld. That is where you are basically making triangles with your weld puddle. If you start from the top and run down, you might not get good penetration because the weld is going to naturally flow down easily because of gravity faster than the steel can be heated. I hope all this makes sence.

my biggest ploblem when welding is vision. i dont know if it is me or if it is suppose to be like that. i can barely see what im doing

invest in a autodarkening mask. They help big time, and if you get a good enough one you can adjust how dark it really goes. If that is out of your price range, you can get lighter lenses for the mask you have now, just take the one you have into the local welding supply place, and they can recommend you a lighter shade that will still protect your eyes sufficiently.

great thread..keep it going.

x3 on welding in a natural position!!!! I think that is a big part of making good welds.

Originally posted by Crazygenius13



invest in a autodarkening mask. They help big time, and if you get a good enough one you can adjust how dark it really goes. If that is out of your price range, you can get lighter lenses for the mask you have now, just take the one you have into the local welding supply place, and they can recommend you a lighter shade that will still protect your eyes sufficiently.

Getting a lighter lens isn't always a good idea. I stick with a shade 10, and I can see just fine. Just make sure you buy the glass shield that goes on the inside and outside of the lens. And get extras. If ti gets hard to see, change the glass and it will make a world of difference.

Tell you the truth, my biggest weld improvement was when I got a nice auto darkening helmet. Something that hasn't been mentioned yet (or I just missed it) is making sure the metal is CLEAN. It makes a huge difference.

Originally posted by 03on22s



Tell you the truth, my biggest weld improvement was when I got a nice auto darkening helmet. Something that hasn't been mentioned yet (or I just missed it) is making sure the metal is CLEAN. It makes a huge difference.

I'm just one of the weird ones, I don't like auto helmets.

But yes, clean metal is definitely important. One rusty metal I use a hard stone to clean it bare. One new metal with the protective oil coating, I wipe it down with acetone, and then grind it down with a newer flap disc or a strip disc. Then wipe it down again.

Originally posted by 92yota



Edited: 11/27/2007 10:53:14 PM by 92yota

because my welds are consistent and penetrate well, but they look like one solid bead and not stacked beads like yours above.



your weld is actually stronger then the stacked dimes, because there isnt a hot/cold hot/cold points like the "dimes" (the low spots in between the dimes are teh eak spots of welds, every one has a diff way tho)method as its just one hot burn, smilar to a stick weld.easier to grind also.

i always use 50 grit on a sander to knock off any rust. as for the goo on factory frames, brake cleaner works wonders