Tips on welding, practicing, etc.

[Nova70]

I have a few spots on my truck where I want to weld in a couple panels, but don't want to make it look like the previous owners jobs... How or what did you guys use to practice up on?

- I want to cutout the factory stereo plate and weld in a plate that's flush, without the indent. I also want to weld a piece across the factory gas tank filler.

---I know how to form metal so the gas filler will not have a flat spot, lol. I just have very little welding experience.

Thanks,
Nova70

[Tim_A]

Takes time if you want to do it right. You don't have much welding to be done, better get a professional to do it. Otherwise, I would say start with thick metal strips and weld them together, than go to thinner ones. Start from welding horizontal seams and try vertical after that. When doing vertical keep the nozzle angled upwards, that prevents the metal from leaking down. I am learning to weld myself at the moment, and this is the way they teach me.

[Trip59]

Once upon a time I wanted to learn to weld...I joined the Navy, they did a great job teaching me. If you're looking for a faster path with less committment, the same way to Carnegie Hall; practice, practice, practice. As Tim A mentioned, start with thick strips, work to thin.

1. Get a welder, the right type, don't mess around with the wrong one. If you don't want to lay out the cash, borrow or rent one. You didn't say if you had one or not... Lots of folks would suggest TIG, certainly a great way to go, but more of an art form and a little harder to BS. I'd go with MIG, NOT wire feed (flux core) but actual shielded MIG.

2. Get a book... or video. Don't just try to rely on what you see online, remember how much crap there is and how many people are 'experts'. Get a trusted source and read up on power, speed, angle, distance, etc. for the metal you'll be welding. Be sure to follow the manual for the welder you're using as well.

3. Practice. Start big, start with some thick scrap, 1/8" stock from Home Depot or CLEAN scrap would work. Weld it, cut it sideways and see how deep the weld is and if it matches what you're seeing in the illustrations or examples in your reference from #2 above. You may need to sand the edge where you cut a bit to see it better. Once you get ok at that, change the direction, clamp it vertical, or horizontal in the air instead of on the deck. Once you're good there, step down to something thinner, rinse and repeat. Once you get to the weight you'll be welding, if you have any scrap of the same vintage, give it a final try on that before hitting the body, steel from Home Depot or other source you're going to patch in may behave a bit different than 40 year old American steel.

If at all possible, try to replicate the type of welds you'll be doing, butt, flanged, flat, 90's, etc.

The difference between a novice and a top notch welder really does just come down to practice.

Trip

[cdowns]

i used to practice on old junk fenders,cutting slots with a jigsaw then welding backup

[Sinister]

Practice, practice, practice. Here's a cool site that helped me a bunch when I started welding: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

[lks dcvn]

I am still in the learning stages now.

I picked up a MIG welder at TSC and had an old fender that I drilled holes in, cut pieces out of, ground down to check my wire speed and welder voltage settings...I was pretty confused and read up on several sites when I got a minute.

I found this site especially helpful:

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

It put into video and pictures what everybody was talking about [the sound, the depth of weld penetration, etc.]

There are also some great videos/info on the Miller site:

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/video_library/

Here are a few before/after pix of what I did so far...it takes me forever to get this stuff done, but it is in there solid and the weld penetration is spot on now...

[coloradosean2009]

The tips mentioned above are spot on!

My limited experience can offer the following additional points:

1) You must manage the heat. Large body panels will "heat sink" differently than small scraps -- often to your benefit. Try and weld too much without a cool off period, and the large panels will hold heat and warp. Just take your time and don't rush it.

2) Cleanliness. The best welds come from properly cleaned metal. Get a nice set of abrasives to prep the metal.

Good luck

[Nova70]

Thanks for all your tips guys. My dad has a welder and said he doesn't mind if I use it. I do believe it's a wire feed welder. From the suggestions I think I will go get a few scrap strips and weld them together, grind down the welds, etc. After that I might go to the junkyard and get a fender to practice on.

Thanks for the advice guys. I will find a book or two as well.

[Rooster's 67]

if it is wire feed does it have a gas bottle? you will be much happier with gas shielding not flux core wire. you have slag to clean with flux core and it is a PITA. also will warp panels a little worse. the flux shielding has a tendency to hold some heat. and practice practice practice.
a good quality machine will be worth its weight in gold. Miller, Lincoln, Hobart(made by lincoln i think), ESAB. but they get more expensive. a 110V rig will weld everything up to about 3/8" or so single pass. (anything on our trucks.)

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by Rooster's 67

if it is wire feed does it have a gas bottle? you will be much happier with gas shielding not flux core wire. you have slag to clean with flux core and it is a PITA. also will warp panels a little worse. the flux shielding has a tendency to hold some heat. and practice practice practice.
a good quality machine will be worth its weight in gold. Miller, Lincoln, Hobart(made by lincoln i think), ESAB. but they get more expensive. a 110V rig will weld everything up to about 3/8" or so single pass. (anything on our trucks.)

To touch on what Rooster's 67 is saying you need to understand a few things about the welding process.

Using the gas shielded process (MIG = metal, intert gas) you have a supply of an intert gas shielding the weld puddle from the atmosphere. If you use solid wire and no shield gas, your weld puddle oxidizes from the oxygen in the air. It looks and is pourous.

When using a gas shield you HAVE to be inside a building with no air moving. If you are outside attempting to use a gas shield the wind will blow your shield away leaving the weld puddle unprotected.

When you use flux core wire, the flux in the center of the wire vaporizes creating a shield for your weld puddle. Just like using a stick welder. This flux is messy and needs to be cleaned up before you paint or other wise protect the bare metal.

That brings up another point. You need bare metal. If you want to weld a patch into your dash to cover the radio, you need to clean BOTH sides of the metal before you weld. Otherwise any oxidation from the back side of the panel will get into your weld puddle and create a mess.

Good luck. One of the best tools I purchased for my shop is my welder. I've used it for far more than just repairing rusty panels on my old truck.

[crushermechanic]

make sure you also remove all the rust before trying to weld in a patch. if not you will just burn holes until you hit solid metal.

[Fitz]

There's an infamous TV show that claims Troy Trepanier learned to weld by burning beer cans together. I can tell you that a man who can Tig beer cans together can accomplish anything. I have a bi$#@ of a time with 16 ga....but i've only been doing it for 30 years now...

[americanmusc1e]

Originally Posted by Fitz

I can tell you that a man who can Tig beer cans together can accomplish anything.

the instructor at our local community college was showing off some of his work and he had some TIG'd beer cans, if I didn't see it I might not believe it.

[Trip59]

Tigging cans is indeed a a monumental task, BUT, it just shows an innate understanding of the medium, nothing magical. Ones I did were together, but I blew through in a couple places. Knew a guy who could do them all day long, but couldn't weld a socket to save his hind end. I'd say practice on something useful and leave the cans to the shop teachers who don't weld for a living

Trip

[D.FENS]

There's a lot of good advice in this thread already, but -

Ask around where you live, make a few phone calls and find out if a local community college or tech school offers an evening course in welding.

I've been enrolled in such a class for over a year now. If you don't have any equipment of your own it's a way to learn the basics (and maybe then some) with minimal investment.

[Nova70]

^ I thought about that. My grandpa has been welding for 30+ years so I figure if I need a teacher I can go to him. I'm thinking this is my best option at this point, I think his welder is wire feed as well but I could be wrong. I know the name starts with an H... I believe its Herbert but I could be wrong.

---Should I go get some tech classes from the grandpa?

Edit- I think the biggest project I will have thus far is replacing the floor pans. They're not horrible, but right next to the rocker panel they're getting pretty bad. Not to mention the previous owner welded a home-made driver side floor pan over the old floor pan and covered up the body mount bolt... What a PITA. How hard is it to weld in a floor pans? I'm thinking I will be doing from the seat bolts closest to the door, to the door.

[Trip59]

Hobart. They make some really nice units, I have one myself, and I've recommended them to a number of folks. Most likely the Handler line, do you know if there's a number, like 125, 145, 180 etc on the side or in the name?

Trip

[Nova70]

I can't recall it off the top of my head. I just remembered the name because I used to look at it every day while helping him. I will ask him about it next time I'm there. I know it's gray. lol.

[johndawelder]

Trip59 gave you all the best advise,He knows what he's talkin about.I've been a welder for 33 yrs, so I know too. I use a miller mig with .023 wire when I'm welding patch panels.