Today, I have been mostly welding.

Finally decided that struggling on with my useless birdsh1t welding had gone on long enough and booked myself onto a proper MIG welding and inspection course over in Weegieland.

This was my first effort of the day:

Note inconsistant, blobby line. Mediocre penetration and I blew a hole in it (1mm mild steel)

Subsequently improved to these (unfortunately I tested my best ones to destruction, so no pretty pictures to show):
Same 1mm steel

2mm steel

Spot welds in 2 bits of 1mm steel (I had to have a second shot at the far left one)

All in all pretty pleased. Will be practicing again tomorrow, using my own machine this time - hopefully I can achieve something similar.

Updated December 7, 2012 at 6:42 PM

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...anything that happens before or after is just waiting...

Good skill to have, I haven't done any since I was 16, I should get my dad to give me lessons as he regularly welds.

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Ben
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"you don't look like a fussy eater" // Mazda 3 MPS For Sale

You're not going to get your own spot welder are you? Good skillz anyway

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[OO=[|]=OO]

Jobbo said...

You're not going to get your own spot welder are you? Good skillz anyway

Those aren't done with a spot welder - top layer drilled out with a 6mm hole. Two layers clamped together, then hole filled centre-out in a kind of swirling motion (I would have said just like icing a cupcake, but there was a bit too much weegie testosterone floating about for a comment like that )

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...anything that happens before or after is just waiting...

Really good Nef!

What welding plant are you running?

I spent many a very cold evening, armed with a squeezy bottle of water whilst my dad was welding old cars. Him in the pit, me shivering in the car.

At the merest whiff of smoke, I'd drench the offending area and get shouted at for over-reacting

Enjoy your course

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolineccb/

Flewy said...

Really good Nef!

What welding plant are you running?

Well, there's the rub.

The welds above were done on the fancy-pants £2k twin-gun synergic machines (although on a manual setting) they had at the training centre.
Mine is a £300 Clarke jobbie from Machine Mart - clicky

We'll see tomorrow if I can get the same results...

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...anything that happens before or after is just waiting...

carolineccb1 said...

I spent many a very cold evening, armed with a squeezy bottle of water whilst my dad was welding old cars. Him in the pit, me shivering in the car.

At the merest whiff of smoke, I'd drench the offending area and get shouted at for over-reacting

Enjoy your course

I'm sure the experience built...errr...character.

Not that I ever do stuff like that to my daughter....

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...anything that happens before or after is just waiting...

Next week Nef will be doing this:

carolineccb1 said...

I spent many a very cold evening, armed with a squeezy bottle of water whilst my dad was welding old cars. Him in the pit, me shivering in the car.

At the merest whiff of smoke, I'd drench the offending area and get shouted at for over-reacting

Enjoy your course

Legend - you and your dad!!

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and from the beginning think what may be the end.

I did exactly the same pieces when I learned to weld

Never used the skill which I've now forgotten as it was 14 years ago

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