another trick is to use one of these sanding/grinding wheels to knock the top off the bead, then if your going to paint your chassis with a black chassis enamel take a paint brush and hit all the welds with the black enamel, the brushed on paint is thick and it covers very well filling in low spots and thinning on high spots. it works very well.. just let it dry good and when you spray over the top of it the brushed on paint just fades in with the brushed on paint.. works very good..
also add, one of the bigger problems with mig welding is you dont get enough penetration when you start the weld... pre-heat your start point to help get some heat saturation in the steel before you start the weld, especially if you have a smaller welder.. it will help alot..
I only use my mig for thin stuff. For something like a frame (or basically anything thicker than 1/8") I use my stick. I am sure there are plenty out there that like to weld thick stuff with a mig, but I feel better and safer with my arc welder and thick stuff.
Cold starts are a problem with a MIG. If you're stitch welding, stop on your starts. Adding a small tab to start your weld on will allow you to bring heat to the part.
Show me a weld that ends up dead flat and i'll give you my welder???
SERIOUSLY????????
LKE, Brucer and Youngster are right...........also RPM.....................don't grind structural welds..............however smoothing them down to avoid 'stress risers' are another thing...............
Those 4 1/2 flap wheels are wonderful................get any grit you want.......get the Fatmax brand name................will run circles around the others as far as longivity......just smooth your welds down some...........if your close on your welding technique..................there won't be alot to smooth down..............
Yep.................tech's are a bunch of asses sometimes on the welds.............but.........thats why welders get cert's..........and I gotta renew mine next month..................................
Those grinding discs are called flap discs if no one has mentioned that as yet. I love'em. I use Weilers' as I get a bit of a discount. When you put them next to a disc from Harbor Fright, the Weilers' look to me like they're worth the extra money.
If my picture uploads, I'll add a comment about where to ship your future-former-welder Mike... just kidding.
Thank you for visiting the T-Bucket Forums! This site was created in 2006, to provide enthusiasts with a place to discuss T-Buckets. Over the years, there have been many imitators, but this is the T-Bucket resource you have been looking to find. We encourage you to register a FREE account and join in on the discussions.
