Welding Tips and Tricks

hello friends.
I need to weld something I can only see with a mirror. It's a broken stud in an aluminum cylinder head. I have done this procedure before on the bench. Removal of the cylinder head is not cost-effective at this time.
I'm pretty dyslexic so it shouldn't be any problem.
.The red flashlight points to the broken stainless steel stud. Any suggestions?

My best suggestion is that this be the first and only weld you focus on until it's done. If you're new to mirror welding, do it MANY times with no power (mock/practice your way through it a lot before you light up).

If you don't regularly mirror weld, there's an odd phenomenon... When switching between the mirror and direct-sight, you'll lose it... You'll be done in the mirror, and your hands won't work right for direct sight, or vice-versa.

If you can shave in the mirror and not cut yourself, you can do this.

Steve S

I have to agree with Steve. when I was at the shipyard I had gotten quite proficient with mirror welding. Good enough in fact that I found myself being loaned out to other departments to weld with my mirror.

That said when it was time to weld without one I would weld on some scrap for 15 - 20 minutes or so to get my left-rights and my right-lefts back where they belonged!

Mirror welding kicked my butt at first. But once I got tge hang ofit it was a lot of to do . I did a lot of inplace sanatary stainless tubing with a mirror.

Plug a small USB cam into a laptop. No helmet required !

if there is a welder's hell in the afterlife you can bet there's plenty of mirror welding going on there. my hat's off to anyone who can do it especially on a curved surface.

Thanks for the suggestions. When I told the Service Advisor I needed time to practice welding with a mirror, suddenly removal of the cylinder head became cost effective. I'll remove that broken stud in that head on my bench at home.
Don

tip if you hold the tig torch or mig gun backwards you don't get youre left & right mixed up in the mirror.

mogollonmetal wrote:tip if you hold the tig torch or mig gun backwards you don't get youre left & right mixed up in the mirror.

LMAO!

What, exactly, is "holding it backward"?

Steve S

Hmm backwards? Pic ple ase!

Problem is when you hold it bakwards you weld your arm.

Len

backwards is just that the end cap facing forward &the tungsten over the back of you're hand. granted it is easer with a mig gun place it in you're hand so the trigger is facing you're palm . try it .

there are situations where this will not work it is not a fix all .

Ahh.

I get "backward" now. I hold the torch in all kinds of odd positions for some of the restricted-access work I do.

It's not left-right that I have trouble with, though as I'm ambidextrous. It's the distance between the tungsten and puddle that messes with me in the mirror. A few dry runs, and I'm fine, but once I get in the groove, coming back into direct sight is an issue, and I have to stop for a couple minutes to "de-program"...

Steve S

The resources this forum provides are indispensable. All you folks are helpful and entertaining. The head was removed. The stainless steel exhaust manifold stud was removed by welding a nut to the broken end. 309 filler was used at 80 amps average.
Here are the pis of the fix:

Thanks again for the help and support,
Don