Welding practice (1 Viewer)

[robmobile73]

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?

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It looks good to me. remember regular bondo has talc in it which absorbs water and is not the best for application next to bare steel.

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?

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Someone who knows more chime in here about fillers, rust, and bonding. From my understanding bondo has talc in it which causes it to absorb moisture. You need to prime the metal before adding the filler. You also may be better off with a non-talc polyester resin type filler and just use the putty for your final filling of pinholes in the other. The only bodywork I've ever done with filler that didn't eventually bubble again after a couple years was on a 71 chevy pickup that had the old thicker more rust resistant steel in the body and I used rust converter sprayed inside followed by primer then fiberglass, then kitty hair polyester filler, then normal filler and putty to finish.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

It looks good to me. remember regular bondo has talc in it which absorbs water and is not the best for application next to bare steel.

Someone who knows more chime in here about fillers, rust, and bonding. From my understanding bondo has talc in it which causes it to absorb moisture. You need to prime the metal before adding the filler. You also may be better off with a non-talc polyester resin type filler and just use the putty for your final filling of pinholes in the other. The only bodywork I've ever done with filler that didn't eventually bubble again after a couple years was on a 71 chevy pickup that had the old thicker more rust resistant steel in the body and I used rust converter sprayed inside followed by primer then fiberglass, then kitty hair polyester filler, then normal filler and putty to finish.

Yeah, everything after welding in the new metal is way complicated. So many products to use in such specific orders to do it right. If I was doing rust repair I personally would do the metal replacement and welding the best I could along with stripping parts and let a professional painter do the rest.

 

[SNLC]

It looks good to me. remember regular bondo has talc in it which absorbs water and is not the best for application next to bare steel.

Someone who knows more chime in here about fillers, rust, and bonding. From my understanding bondo has talc in it which causes it to absorb moisture. You need to prime the metal before adding the filler. You also may be better off with a non-talc polyester resin type filler and just use the putty for your final filling of pinholes in the other. The only bodywork I've ever done with filler that didn't eventually bubble again after a couple years was on a 71 chevy pickup that had the old thicker more rust resistant steel in the body and I used rust converter sprayed inside followed by primer then fiberglass, then kitty hair polyester filler, then normal filler and putty to finish.

Yes on filler after primer/sealer. It is not meant to be put bare metal. That’s when problems happen. 1/8” max on thickness as well, the thinner the better.

Use a guide coat when sanding.

Cheers

 

[aztoyman]

Read the data sheet for the product you're using.

 

[robmobile73]

Yeah, everything after welding in the new metal is way complicated. So many products to use in such specific orders to do it right. If I was doing rust repair I personally would do the metal replacement and welding the best I could along with stripping parts and let a professional painter do the rest.

When I re-do old repairs on my BJ73 I think I will do that. Cut out, treat, weld, and prime myself. Then pay somone who works at a bodyshop to make it smooth and straight with the filler and final prime....I'm really not good at the final smoothing. I can't do sheetrock mudding very well either. Finding a body man who does work on the side/weekends might be the cheap way to go. Perhaps for me a winter project.

 

[88repo]

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

Patch looks good.

Only thing I'd suggest is doing as large a radius as permitting in your corners rather than a hard square 90.
This will result in less wrinkling, or puckering near the corners.

 

[GerhardUngerer]

I have made some progress and posted pics to the wrong thread. Since I cannot move it, I am reposting here. My apologies for the double posts.

Although not highly professional work like y'all do, it is better than it had been. See some before and after pics.

Repair to the A pillar drain hole:

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Repair to B pillar drain hole

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Driver door sill repair

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Rear quarter panel rust and inner structure patch panel:

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Inner structure patch welded in and outer patch panel made. I need to add the bottom lip, drill the plug weld holes, line everything up and then weld it in.

 

[Malleus]

Gerhard, don't sell yourself short. Those patches are really good.

 

[eimkeith]

Gerhard, don't sell yourself short. Those patches are really good.

yep, look great!

 

[LINUS]

I’m liking what I see, and I used to draw a paycheck welding.

I can’t say definitively since I’d want to look up close, but from the pics you’re doing decent work.

It’s a crap-ton improvement over all spots you started with, that’s for sure.

Esp that last patch panel you did, that shows you are doing decent work IMO.

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Another update. I cleaned everything up, welded the wheel arch piece to my patch panel (inside and outside) and trimmed everything up. I still have to paint the inner panel, paint the back of the patch panel, weld up the cleco holes, and sand around the weld area.

This took FOREVER, but I am (clearly slowly) learning. Now for the task to weld it in without warping everything up.

 

[Malleus]

That's better than you'd get from most body shops.

 

[CharlieS]

Nice work. That patch panel is professional quality.

 

[aztoyman]

The weld tack shrinks as it cools, so there's tension in the seam.

Your gap is just right. Enough for the weld to penetrate and fuse. Not too wide which promotes more tension.

You can eliminate or reduce the tension if you have access to the backside to use a hammer and dolly. Do it often as you go. Not after it's completely welded.

If you can't get to the backside, I don't know what to do other than minimize the heat by going slow.

It's looking great

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Welded the panel in

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Sanded the panel down. It is not as smooth as glass (which is what I hoped), but at I hope that the filling and sanding will take care of that. I was disappointed that there was a LITTLE dip in the top left. You cannot see it, but you can feel it with the fingertips. Good enough?