Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello WT&T..new here but no to welding. I'm a weekend fabricator with a Dynasty 200 DX. Yes, also use the SMAW function on thicker metal or when outdoors.

I've buit quite a few tube frames for compressors, pumps and other machines. My favorite is 16 gauge square from 3/4" to 2". Also lots of repair and body work.

Right now, I need to get aerospace certified to assist fabrication on my son's ASME Human poweted vehicle project (mechanical engineering college student). Yes, they cannot afford a real welder but want a certified one.

Welcome, Keith!

Good on ya, for helping with your son's project. There's helpful advise for you, and him (and possible actual help), readily available here.

What region are you in? We've got active members from everywhere. Literally. We've got friends in Bosnia and Camaroon.

Steve S

I'm in Central Texas within the range of Alamo Community Colleges which has an AWS ATF at their St. Phillips College.

I've done CrMo on bicycle frames so this project is a cake walk. After all, it is a bicycle. But OCD professors and know nothing college students..

Keith, welcome to the forum.

Thanks all! Just did another fix on some household gear. A small hand truck had three broken welds, 1"x 1/8" thick to 1"round tube. So.. I look up arc time and counts..43 hours and 32 minutes with over 10k arc count you can tell I do a lot of sheet metal.

My most rewarding job? Fixing my uncle's Remington model 24. This was the rifle he had in the saddle scabbard when the horse tripped, breakibg the stock and cracking the receiver. This happened after his WWII discharge for bum knees. It was a wall hanger since then and after he passed in 1983, it became mine.

That repair.. The M24 is a take down model, the barrel screws in the receiver with interrupted threads, the cut in the receiver is at the 12:00 and 6:00 positions, making it thinnest and weak. I cleaned up the inside and fit a copper tube backing in that slot. I then used a Dremel cut off wheel to clean the crack and propped it open to set shrinkage allowance. One tack weld, then test fit the threads..snug but not too tight. Then I chased the crack with a cutoff wheel, full depth to the copper backer. Blew out the swarf and went to work. When it cooled, the backer came out easily, revealing full penetration with minimal interior cleanup required. Thirty minutes of careful filing brought the outside back to contour for metal polish. The repair is invisible even after cold bluing. And the rifle is still used to dispatch snakes at the wife's command.