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5chn3ll wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:29 pm More practice today - made a "rectangular cuboid" out of 1/8" plate. Sucked incrementally less than last time with both the welder and plasma cutter...

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Some will criticize but that is not all that bad!

Heh. I don't mind constructive criticism...but it came out better than I was anticipating. I was pretty stoked with how well the pieces fit up.

Having 2 angle griders - one with a wire wheel and one with a flap disc - makes the process a lot faster .

5chn3ll wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2020 6:20 pm Heh. I don't mind constructive criticism...but it came out better than I was anticipating. I was pretty stoked with how well the pieces fit up.

Having 2 angle griders - one with a wire wheel and one with a flap disc - makes the process a lot faster .

Well. Since you didn't ask

For non structural parts that you just want to look nice, the fill and grind approach is fine. Structurally, however, those areas will be weaker though.

The reason for such pits depend on where they are. In this case, without seeing the before grinding pics, my guess is that you moved too fast like in the lower line of your earlier pics. Basically there was simply no material to grind away.

Other cases that can cause it are submerging your rod and the protective gas forms an air bubble or traps slag that you then grind the top off to expose it. I don't think that can happen with wire systems, but I'm not positive as my training was for stick and I've only played with MIG and TIG. Another cause is if your rod/wire was too high and you simply didn't fully penetrate properly. That would show on the underside though.

Grinding is actually a good test of your welding skill. Weld a butt joint and then grind off the top of the weld to be even with the metal. Obviously you are looking for no inclusions. If you have the ability, cutting cross section samples is also useful as you can get a good view of your penetration into the base metal. The saw needs to be cooled, however, or the heat will effect the visibility of the weld outline.

Gnat, you're my go-to weld inspector now.

There will be no pay increase.

The only real goal for today was to make something out of plate...and I'm not COMPLETELY ashamed of the results.

The inverter welder really wants to undercut - so I had to crank the power WAY down. I'm not yet great at maintaining the proper distance between the gun and the weld; when the wire gets too long, the weld gets really cold and doesn't penetrate...and I wound up with lots of hollows that need to be ground out and re-welded. This welder is a lot better for filling voids - with my non-adjustable stick welder, I would almost always blow through the workpiece when trying to add weld to small areas.

So gnat you're saying he's not ready for jackstands?

Dr_Strangelove (whew!) wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 1:10 pm So gnat you're saying he's not ready for jackstands?

I'm certainly not climbing under a car with home made jackstands! And it doesn't matter who made them!

Dr_Strangelove (whew!) wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 1:10 pm So gnat you're saying he's not ready for jackstands?

I hear 5chn3lly has already received a call from Harbor Freight with a job offer.

Heh. The commute to Jiangsu is gonna suck.

Nah, Schnelly, you're gonna love it. You'll love your bunkmates. I think you Americans call them "bedmates."

5chn3ll wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 7:18 pm Heh. The commute to Jiangsu is gonna suck.

Yeah, but for 12 cents per hour? Totally worth it.