I agree, you have improved! I am a real newbie too, i put down my first beads just a few days ago. Mine really looked like cat-crap at first, it was hard to get the arc going, heck it still is, but it is getting easier every time I pick up that stinger. This evening I was out fiddling around with s...

Especially on the older, more rusty material, use your 6011 1/8" rod. Brush, grind and otherwise clean your metal before hand. As you practice work on achieving consistency, and an even look. As you watch various video, pay close attention to the rod ANGLES that different folks use... Hmm... t...

Actually, you may not see it, but those beads are an improvement over your first pictures... Actually, I have seen an improvement, and was struck that two beads I ran seemed good enough to have earned an "Okay" from Jody. My frustration isn't so much that I don't do what you guys are sugg...

Buy a 12-pack of cold beer, put it in a cooler, sit next to the cooler and drink the beer. Look at the project and think about it until a great solution comes to you. If that doesn't work, keep trying every day until you think of something. Sooner or later you will think of something great, or you ...

I don't have words to express my disappointment. I've been given some great advice and encouragement, and I realize that becoming proficient will take considerable practice. However, it seems that I'm unable to do anything that you folks have told me. From the start, I had trouble striking an arc. I...

So creating the pad added additional evidence that some serious practice is needed. It also prompted the thought that all the advice I've gotten seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Sadly, after running a dozen beds, the student will prolly be classified as learning disabled and sent to play with the ...

... tandem axles had to be offset... The dynamic here is that the man in question was a complete idiot. Well, he wasn't alone, and I don't like having such thoughts about them. However, it has really bothered me all these years because it was so contrary to my scant knowledge of physics. I am very ...

Thanks, gents! I'm thinking of all the things that have been pointed out and it's helping -- but you wouldn't think so to see my welds. When I get the puddle right, the line curves; when I get it straightened, I've gotten an inclusion, etc., etc. I cut up four 5" pieces of a nasty 1-1/4x1/4&quo...

I work with trailers that weigh 26 tons empty. I align the axles to the fifth-wheel hitch with a tolerance of 1/16 of an inch. Tire wear is one concern. Fuel efficiency is another. If your tractor (or truck) has to side-pull your trailer, even a little, it costs you both fuel and tire wear. Steve S...

What is the depth of these joints? If you have a good 1/2" of well-fit penetration for the joints, you "could" get by with plumber's solder for 2000 PSI on a 1/2" tube. The overall strength is proportional to the square of the wetted surface area (engineers correct me if I'm off...

I would practice on a flat plate before trying horizontal or vertical welds as you have. I also wouldn't choose 6011 as the rod to learn with. Try some 7014 first. you can drag the rod on the plate and not have to worry about arc length, it takes care of it automatically. I've burned a few 7014s an...

Thank you for posting your pics! How thick is the iron and how thick is the rod? Duh! Mostly 1/8". The "ears" were 1/4", very rusty/scaly. I used Chicago Electric 6011 3/16" rods. 3/32"? If so, 90amps is too much. Try 70.... :oops: Now everybody here knows that I've lo...

Have you considered bronzing as an option? Trev No, I didn't really consider it. I only have MAPP (and propane) and a POS BumzOMatic torch; I had the idea the torch doesn't lend itself to brazing. I hope to maximize the possibility of getting 100% successful joiints without having to invest in a qu...

My 02c is study the technical specifications of the various wires and also avoid the cadmium free varieties. They are a PITA to use, like everything else that has been " greened "..... At one time you could buy a a small roll of wire in a round clear plastic container that didn't break th...

15% can suffer leaching over time when used with steel. I would use 30% on carbon steel and of course with silver solder flux. But before attempting it I would be seriously questioning the suitability of this process against 2000psi. Is this going to be a capillary joint and what size? We need more...

Shaun, Not sure if it get below freezing where you're at but if I was to guess I would say that the tubing froze and split. When you make your repair make sure there's an avenue for the water to drain, weep holes or something similar. Plus they let moisture escape and will cut down on rust out from...

To replace, take a cutting wheel and cut each weld to remove - weld in a new piece - this is what I likely would do. Iz what I likely will do as well. To repair - lay a 1/4" rod in the large crack as a filler, then welding will be much easier. It isn't easy to repair rust, and much grinding an...

"If it ain't broke, fix it till it is." :lol: :) :lol: I apologize; I don't mean any disrespect <smirk> but I just can't help (or stop) chuckling. On a serious note, would your advice be the same if I pointed out that if I left it in the horrible condition it is, that thieves would shun i...

... The way I have done it is to find center of hitch; mark it and drop a plum line. Measure from a set point on the axle on both sides. I did use the 'U' bolts. That is how I was able to center out the hitch. Maybe not the most efficient method, but it worked just fine for me. Gary Ah, got it. It ...

Just discovered that the crack I saw along the outside edge of the ramp of my utility trailer was the tip of the iceberg. Apparently the top edge lay on the ground for years, and rust ate it from the inside out. I thought I'd lay a bead along the crack, but since I had a 7014 rod out (and have recen...

... and step two is to check tracking against the hitch. Hunh? How would you do that? Tow it in a straight line then stop and measure from the center of the hitch to the outermost point on the axle you can reach; each side must be nearly exactly the same dimension? Or do you mean some other tracking?

I'm getting ready to fab some steel low-pressure hydraulic lines (2000 psi) and my experience with low-temp soldering (plumbing joints) vs. compression fittings makes me strongly biased toward joining the fittings with silver solder. I'd like your advice on appropriate sil-sol rods and sources with ...

AKweldshop wrote:I need counseling after looking at those pics.

If I wasn't laughing so hard, I'd pour ice water down your neck!

... You are having a challenge seeing the difference between the puddle and the slag. This is making you move too fast (which is why you're not tied in to both sides for the entire weld). You need to slow down a bit. You need to watch the puddle, not the arc, so you can know the difference. OhNo (s...

PeterB wrote:Thank you for posting your pics!
How thick is the iron and how thick is the rod?

Duh! Mostly 1/8". The "ears" were 1/4", very rusty/scaly. I used Chicago Electric 6011 3/16" rods.