Welding practice (1 Viewer)

[BILT4ME]

When welding, make sure you are comfortable and your arms can move through the natural range of motion BEFORE you strike an arc. This allows your arms to follow the proper muscle movement without shaking, wiggling, or jerking.

Prop your elbow on your knee or against a chair or a tire for better stabilization.

Remember to breathe while you're welding.

Make sure the cable is strung out behind your lead hand and will flow and pull without resistance, so through the entire length of the weld it won't bind or cause drag and change the rate of movement of your hand.

Just like golfers do practice swings for muscle memory, welders can do the same thing through the range of the weld.

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Remember to breathe while you're welding.

I have found myself holding my breath while I strike the button. Not sure why I do that.

 

[BILT4ME]

I have found myself holding my breath while I strike the button. Not sure why I do that.

That's why I mention it.

A lot of people do this, especially when learning. It has to do with concentration and trying to be steady when starting. Then you find yourself halfway through the weld, then have to breathe and then you rush air out and back in, causing your hand to shake bad and your weld turns to shyt.

 

[GerhardUngerer]

That's why I mention it.

A lot of people do this, especially when learning. It has to do with concentration and trying to be steady when starting. Then you find yourself halfway through the weld, then have to breathe and then you rush air out and back in, causing your hand to shake bad and your weld turns to shyt.

I want to get to the point where I can do the metal work in preparation for the paint shop.

Around here, none of the paint/body shops were willing to do the panel/welding job. Strange.

I feel like I am almost there, but not quite sure.

 

[Malleus]

I have found myself holding my breath while I strike the button. Not sure why I do that.

Same reason new divers do. Single mindedness.

 

[BILT4ME]

I want to get to the point where I can do the metal work in preparation for the paint shop.

Around here, none of the paint/body shops were willing to do the panel/welding job. Strange.

I feel like I am almost there, but not quite sure.

A lot of repair shops don't do rust repair anymore because it's not worth their time.

As far as coating the inside of the area you're welding, you can spray on a weldable primer to the inside and out of the material and inside the rocker panel (or wherever), then do the weld. Yes, you will still have an exposed area after you are done welding.

Then, after you are all said and done with your bodywork and paint, you may be able to reach into that area with a nozzle and coat the area with paint and/or Fluid Film so there is a protective coating over the raw metal.

At that point, you have done so much of the hard work, then you can do the paint. The parts stores like O'Reilly's have small cans/bottles that are "one-time-use" spray bomb type cans that you can pour in your custom color or you can order pre-made colors for your truck and then prep, prime, and paint the area with effectively a spray can with better quality paint.

Prime it, Bondo, sand, Prime, Prime, Paint, Paint, Paint

 

[CharlieS]

A lot of repair shops don't do rust repair anymore because it's not worth their time.

As far as coating the inside of the area you're welding, you can spray on a weldable primer to the inside and out of the material and inside the rocker panel (or wherever), then do the weld. Yes, you will still have an exposed area after you are done welding.

Then, after you are all said and done with your bodywork and paint, you may be able to reach into that area with a nozzle and coat the area with paint and/or Fluid Film so there is a protective coating over the raw metal.

At that point, you have done so much of the hard work, then you can do the paint. The parts stores like O'Reilly's have small cans/bottles that are "one-time-use" spray bomb type cans that you can pour in your custom color or you can order pre-made colors for your truck and then prep, prime, and paint the area with effectively a spray can with better quality paint.

Prime it, Bondo, sand, Prime, Prime, Paint, Paint, Paint

sand, prime, fill, sand prime, fill, sand, sand, sand, sand, degrease, tack, spray, sand, spray, sand, buff/polish

as someone said above, it is all about prep, prep, prep

IH8Bodywork

 

[eimkeith]

Remember to breathe while you're welding.

FWIW, I don't breathe when I'm welding sheetmetal - if I'm there that long, I've literally ruined the panel. It's a totally different approach from structural stuff; if you've gapped it and understand your heat/penetration settings it's going to be a good join; if you hit it like it's a frame reinforcement or a bumper (not that those are challenging to professional welders) then you're wrecking your work. It's short travel and skipping about until you put an icepick into your temple, but that's how it is unless you TIG sheet steel (then you can hammer form it back to your original fit).

The comfort thing - absolutely. Like EVERYTHING else, it's 95% prep. (including position/practice passes, yada yada)

Thinking about it in retrospect; I was taught to not breathe when striking a line in art school (- I think it translates to short-bead welding)

and (I know, so many revisions here): the guys who know what they are doing in bodywork/panel work don't leave a surface that requires Bondo.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

the guys who know what they are doing in bodywork/panel work don't leave a surface that requires Bondo.

Maybe not bondo but there still using things like filler primers and dolphin puddy, nobody's that good.

 

[Mixelplix]

For rustproofing of blind spots: Drill a hole, insert your rustproofing of choice (mine is generally fluid film), and then weld the hole shut. Fluid film creeps - so I usually just hope it gets on the back of the plug weld too.

 

[eimkeith]

Maybe not bondo but there still using things like filler primers and dolphin puddy, nobody's that good.

you'd be surprised!

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Update - Another night of (failed) attempts. I trimmed (and trimmed, and trimmed) the piece, and welded it in. Blew a couple of holes and got a few very nice, flat welds. But not very consistent. Then sanded it down. I don't know whether I am aiming for an unattainable goal at my skill level or if this would suffice for a paint shop to finish and paint. I added some primer, which showed every imperfection. And a couple of pin-holes.

If this was not practice, dare I chase it more? Or leave for filling and priming?

Thoughts?

 

[GerhardUngerer]

One last experiment. I knocked the high spots of the welds down, and sanded the area flat(ish). Then I put a dab of Bondo on, grated he high spots off and then sanded it level. I ended up with a very thin layer. The back looks pretty good too. Seems like good penetration.

What do you guys think? Ok?

 

[aztoyman]

Every pic you posted is better than the last. One of these days you'll be the guy posting how to do this without filler.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

One last experiment. I knocked the high spots of the welds down, and sanded the area flat(ish). Then I put a dab of Bondo on, grated he high spots off and then sanded it level. I ended up with a very thin layer. The back looks pretty good too. Seems like good penetration.

What do you guys think? Ok?

View attachment 3387766View attachment 3387767

Ready for the paint shop if you ask me

 

[Malleus]

Ditto

 

[Pascoscout]

I've done hundreds of feet of weld on sheet metal. Sometimes I can get it to be perfect without filler but most times not. You're really talking about a skim coat in most cases which all cars have in certain areas, even brand new cars. Pin holes are inherent to the skip welding method, you won't join those tacks together perfectly every time. Filler will take care of those too.

I'd say what you have is good, not just good enough, but good. It's far more important to get the penetration right and minimize the heat imparted into the panel. Remember the more you weld and grind seeking that perfect seam, the more heat you add, and the higher chance of warping something that can't be fixed with a skim coat of filler. Grinding can also create low spots which will need filler anyway.

Be happy with your new skill and get to work on fixing the rust!

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Whoohoo!

 

[SNLC]

You make a great point - I was on a AC buzzbox before I turned 11 & by 5th-6th grade could build certain toys if pops bought me metal.

My home MIG is Miller 350p / push pull gun for AL & dedicated guns for mild or stainless.
Honestly if the AL job is small, I just TIG - I’m still dialing in a good pulsed MIG for say 1/4” AL plate & up.

But we never had a push-pull gun for the refinery so I’m my own ‘fish out of water’ there.
I have a retirement dream of building a AL boat tub like the Kiwi’s do - run a sit-down jetski jet power in a ~12’ tub / 2 person & gear for small river & smooth salt fun.

They don’t sell anything close in the USA, AFAIK it’s a pure Kiwi thing.
They race them & those sleds are frickin’ cool to me

Buddy of mine has built several mini jet boats. They are all the rage here in Idaho.

Few weeks ago at the lake I saw a guy with grandpas old aluminum dingy. About a 10 or 12 footer like my grandpa used to take me fishing in. This guy had swapped a jet ski engine into it. I thought it was pretty cool.

Cheers

 

[LINUS]

Buddy of mine has built several mini jet boats. They are all the rage here in Idaho.

Few weeks ago at the lake I saw a guy with grandpas old aluminum dingy. About a 10 or 12 footer like my grandpa used to take me fishing in. This guy had swapped a jet ski engine into it. I thought it was pretty cool.

Cheers

There used to be Jet Boats of Montana, but IDK what happened to the guy.

Wooldridge is doing a smaller jet boat, but they also have a kit I’ll look at once I get moved.