Pan Shaping // Cutting Approach

[heyitsrama]

Oh yeah,  if you set up gas for your mig you will never go back, I guarantee it.

I had to jump through hoops to find a replacement gauge for this regulator on the argon tank, but I finally got it going today. The welds look much cleaner, you were right grannyknot, I don’t wanna go back to flux core ha.

I was thinking about penetration with the setup, I feel like if I get a good bead going, it flows to both sides of the sheet, the first image is the weld side, and the second is the “under” section, I can see where I made the regulator adjustments.

It seems that with good penetration it might not be required to go under and weld everything over, maybe in certain spots?

Got the pan shape to be better in the rear too, the corner where it attaches to near the dogleg is tough.
Persistence (little hammer) and deliverance (big hammer)





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[Mark Maras]

 Try adjusting the butt weld gaps to get full penetration. Almost no gap for thin sheet metal. I try to keep the gap on the narrow side and turn up the settings to get full penetration. One other tip, well two. An auto darkening hood will make your life easier if you don't have one and when setting up the welder the first thing I try to achieve is an instant arc. No wire pushing, no hesitation, just aim, pull the trigger and weld. This is usually a little hot but with narrow gaps, the welds penetrate and lay flat.

[grannyknot]

What Mark said and get your other hand in there to steady the gun as well, you will have much more control. I hold the gun with my right hand and the fingers of the left are touching the work piece and the neck of the gun, that way you can speed up if the work is getting too hot or slow down and drive the weld deeper down for penetration. 

Glad it's working for you, you'll find your welds will start to improve a lot now.

[heyitsrama]

10 hours ago, Mark Maras said:

 Try adjusting the butt weld gaps to get full penetration. Almost no gap for thin sheet metal. I try to keep the gap on the narrow side and turn up the settings to get full penetration. One other tip, well two. An auto darkening hood will make your life easier if you don't have one and when setting up the welder the first thing I try to achieve is an instant arc. No wire pushing, no hesitation, just aim, pull the trigger and weld. This is usually a little hot but with narrow gaps, the welds penetrate and lay flat.

 

4 hours ago, grannyknot said:

What Mark said and get your other hand in there to steady the gun as well, you will have much more control. I hold the gun with my right hand and the fingers of the left are touching the work piece and the neck of the gun, that way you can speed up if the work is getting too hot or slow down and drive the weld deeper down for penetration. 

Glad it's working for you, you'll find your welds will start to improve a lot now.

 

thats great advice guys, ill take it into note tomorrow, I'm going to practice a little more before attempting the weld, I think my issue is that my full face needs a light on it, I think I can whip something up with some magnets, and this for-head light that I got. I could not see the gap that I was going for no sunlight on that part of the house until 1-2pm!

Mark, by having no gap for thin metal, would these 16 gauge panels fall into that scope?

Grannyknot, I was planning to use panel bond between the lap-joint on the rear section, weld, prime + undercoat to seal it all up, just want to get the shape down more.....

Thanks for the support guys ?

[Mark Maras]

16g.butt weld, I'd shoot for about 1/32" gap. You're correct in needing a good light. Everything (sheet metal, welding gun) has to be aligned perfectly when you pull the trigger. I've been welding for years but the precise sheet metal butt welds forced me to buy an auto darkening hood. I found that my old method of nodding my head to lower the old hood would throw off my aim just enough to miss the seam when I started welding.

[heyitsrama]

I’ve been slowly working on this, it’s been raining pretty bad for the past couple weeks in California (we need the water) here’s the update!

Got some help from the gramps on the rounded side for the trans tunnel. Keeps his mind/body active too ha. We ended up repairing a bunch of tools around the yard. And made the giant press/holder, I think it can be modified for bushing removal too.


Hopefully this week I’ll have the rear reinstalled.

[heyitsrama]