[tweake]

the good thing about cheap products is there is plenty to repair.

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fixed for now. not happy with part of it so i may cut it off down to cleaner metal and redo.

[tweake]

sorry i forgot the story (its been one looong day).

rod is 1/2" and my tig is not that grunty. so pre heated with gas torch for a while. total guess work on the heat.
full pedal at 180 amps and it puddled ok.

the other part is 1/4' onto thin wall tube.
something rather new for me. so puddle on the thick and wash over. not pretty.
also had a lot of gunk smoking out of the old welds. that bit i might redo due to that. plus i need the practice.

[cj737]

Another good option is to whittle down the 1/2” rod to a bit more of a point. That reduces the thickness, provides some deeper penetration, and insures more weld without so much surface protrusion. Because it’s only a small diameter rod, it’s quick work to taper the end. 180amps should have been plenty to get you a strong enough weld

[tweake]

Another good option is to whittle down the 1/2” rod to a bit more of a point. That reduces the thickness, provides some deeper penetration, and insures more weld without so much surface protrusion. Because it’s only a small diameter rod, it’s quick work to taper the end. 180amps should have been plenty to get you a strong enough weld

thats a good idea. many thanks.
i now just have to try to remember that for next time.

last time i did something around that thickness it was borderline. it wasn't much fun and turned out fairly horrible (but still successful as it hasn't broken yet).
the pre heat helped a lot. it just meant it puddled nice and quick and could keep it flowing smooth.