Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello Everyone,

I joined this site because I would like to learn from the pros. I recently gained my certifications in GTAW 4G Aluminum, 3G Carbon Steel, 3G Stainless and FCAW 3G. I took interest in welding from working on cars. Seeing that the majority of aftermarket parts are supposed to be better than OEM parts, I took interest on how they are made. From suspension parts to engine parts I thought that learning to make some of them myself may save me money. Also, just like the theory of aftermarket parts, I could learn to make those parts better.
In the subject line I included "for now" because I am retiring from the military shortly and will live in Japan. I have a beautiful wife and two lovely kids who are there now. I plan to take the skills that I learn from here, the schools I attend, and from practicing in the shed and hopefully end up doing what I truly enjoy.
I am a Master-At-Arms (Military Police) in the Navy since May 2002. Before that, I was in the Marine Corps from Nov 1996 - Nov 2001. My current set up is a Lincoln TIG175 Square Wave. The shed I plan to weld out of does not have the power output I need so I am looking for a generator that is capable of handling the TIG175 for what I will use it for which would be on the automotive side. Thin sheet metal, chromoly tubing roll cage, and aluminum. Not really utilizing the full potential of the TIG175.
With all that said, I am looking forward to learning from everyone here. I am also willing to share my experiences. I am not quick to judge and being in the military, I am open to constructive criticism. Thank you in advance.

Respectfully Submitted,
Marvin F. Narciso

Welcome aboard, Marvin.

I think you'll like it here, it's a very respectful environment (mostly!) and there really is a wealth of knowledge being shared. Oh, and all the best with your move to Japan.




Kym

Welcome!

marvin_narciso wrote:Seeing that the majority of aftermarket parts are supposed to be better than OEM parts, I took interest on how they are made.

Welllll.... My experience in modding cars is that the above can be quite the opposite.

In many cases it's more a question of being designed to be put to a certain use. Just like 'racing' parts are often seen as 'better', while many of these parts will fare terribly in a daily/road car as they are not designed to cope with the long service intervals or dirt, grime and salt on normal roads.

OEM parts (esp. Japanese and German, not the British/UK bits I tend to work with ) have many many years and countless hours of testing under their belt before they are used and are supposed to last for many years/miles. Many aftermarket parts are not as well developed or tested (to put it mildly! ), so tread carefully!

However.. In various cases OEM parts can definitely be improved on when they are used outside their normal performance envelope and they start to fail, but it's good to base any work on their original design and work from that as there's probably some very good (design) reasons why they did some things.

The trick can be to find the parts where the OEM designed things in a certain way simply because of cost-reduction. These tend to be the bits that comonly fail on cars with normal use and can often be improved on with better materials or construction.

From suspension parts to engine parts I thought that learning to make some of them myself may save me money. Also, just like the theory of aftermarket parts, I could learn to make those parts better.

That's definitely a good way to go! Look at other aftermarket parts, examine OEM solutions closelly, look at other designs and be critical on how the design will work in the expected usage pattern.

Eg. if you intend to do parts for cars/trucks that will see salted roads then you probably want to have your designs incorporate proper weathersealing and corrosion protection (not even mentioning DOT approvals or liability insurance..). If the parts are for race (track or off-road) cars that will be basically stripped down after each or a few races then ease of assembly is more important than lifespan as far as wear goes.

it can be a very interesting and fascination area to work in. Just be critical of what's already out there as there can be awful junk being sold as 'better than OEM'.. (probably more shiny though! )

Hmmm.... Bit lengthy.. Sorry 'bout that, but I get carried away sometimes..

Bye, Arno.

Welcome to the forum Marvin.

Welcome to the forum! And since Veteran's Day is coming: thank you for your service, from me and my family to you and to your family.

Good luck with the move to Japan!

Thank you all for the warm welcome and guidance! I am looking forward to reading the threads.