Welding Tips and Tricks

First off, I am a total noob when it comes to welding. I bought a Hobart 210mvp and have it hooked to 75/25 gas

This weekend I'm going to have to remove the skid plate on my jeep. The skid is held on by bolts threaded into nutsert installed in the frame. since it is old a rusty, I know some of the nutserts are going to spin loose. I plan on installing the new nutserts in the frame as recommended but then wanted to tack them once or twice for extra strength.

The welder has the chart for the settings based on the thickness of the metal. What thickness should I use since the frame is a good bit thicker than the "washer" part of the nutsert

Some others can speek to the idea of welding on frames. Opinions will vary I would guess. But a weld only needs to be as thick as the thinner of the two metals you are joining. I would also guess that the washer portion of the nut is around 1/8 in thick and that the tack or welds would be essentially a lap joint. So that would make it a fillet weld that should be no less than 1/8 in thick at its center. Not sure if that makes sense if not Maybe we can try to post some pics or diagrams that might make it clearer if you need.

That's a tough call, but since you're "spotting" nutserts to a frame, I keep my settings on the low side of the equation, so you don't burn up your nutserts and end up re-tapping them.

A better choice might be to clean the holes and use a high-strength epoxy like 3-M's "Hysol" to lock them in place.

I know this is a welding forum, but welding is not always the best option...

Steev S

My method has always been (when my machines allow) weld as hot as you possibly can.