Anything welding

I haven’t thought about turning it down, but I take the drag shield off so I can get closer

 

I set my angle finder on the bedside and zero it out and the stick it on the side of the shock. It was around 8.5°, which was close enough. Couldn’t move the mount any more forward due to it being butted up against the bed mount.

I’m not following. Like turn down the amperage and point it straight at the frame?

 

Understand that I trimmed a little on the last set I Installed to get the 10 degrees

 

Turn the amperage all the way down and come into the weld at an angle so you don’t gouge the frame. You will literally watch the plasma blow the weld away and won’t damage the frame at all

 

We always call it "washing away the weld".

 

I will use some scrap, lay some beads and practice that, see how it goes.

 

Pretty much... I just cut the same exact shock mounts off a Tacoma and using the “wash” technique I was able to do one side plus grinding and DA in about 10min total. You could never tell anything was welded there

 

What about the lower mounts? I absolutely hate those. Uppers aren’t too bad. After cutting the brunt off up top, I make precise cuts with an angle grinder right at the weld. Then all that’s left is to grind away the weld.

 

Same deal, the lowers are almost easier because the axle tubes are thicker so the shock mount separates easier

 

The nice thing about hanging with this crowd?

We pretty much all have to pay for our own supplies.

Learning to "wash" away a weld saves on flap wheels. This is money in your pocket.

Another example: those TIG type MIG welds look awesome, but they are a waste of welding wire. If your straight weld is just as strong, you saved some money doing the straight weld. In addition, it's getting painted anyways and the only ones that will appreciate those welds are in this thread.

For some reason I do a lot of math when my head is in the hood. An extra case of beer can mean a lot.

 

No question about weld strength but for me and the circles I’m in the welds need to also have the appearance. It might seem shallow but the form is just as important as the function... it shows the skill, precision and control of the welder.

One of my best friends welds structural steel for a living and he’s always laughing at me about how pretty my welds are...but he also really appreciates the time/skill involved and completely gets it for the Motorsports applications.

oh and I don’t drink beer anymore so I have a lot of extra money to buy wire

 

Just trying to point out things that aren't so obvious to the new welders in the thread.

I do appreciate how nice those welds look.

 

Submarines are the ticket if you can find a position at Kingsbay, Bremerton Washington, Groton or Norfolk. I imagine you could walk in at a WG10 with your quals.
Zim

 

The stuff we are building may or may not be for subs. I’m in Norfolk for work currently. Just didn’t realize naval defense stuff pays less than piping with oil flowing through it like Texas pays lol.

 

Got my safety glasses and they rock. Prescription and the peripheral vision is awesome, almost perfect. Weld, grind, all is good. Gets steamed but I can fix that.
http://www.forceflexeyewear.com/
Zim

 

Oh okay....Yeah, pay is good until the oil runs out. I follow a union pipeline guy on YT (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7pS6fN7dQuDmuLG28P5ZSA)
and he's been out for a year. Good luck to you sir, you're good and deserve all you can get..
Zim

 

Eh. I’m not talking pipeline but the refinery’s and power plants and whatnot. I’ve always made between $27-$33/hr even doing structural back home. Now up here it seems like $27 like top pay for combo hands and it’s terrible lol

 

Yeah, that's WG10 pay, or close to it I think. My son in law is a WS10 and he's in the $30 range. Hey, whatever you do, be safe, and good luck man.
Zim

 

I think we actually agree! I was just saying be suspicious of gear that seems “the same” but is significantly cheaper. There is usually (though not always) a reason. Often that reason will not matter in a non-production environment, but sometimes it can matter even if you only use that piece of gear once.

Sorry for the late comment on old news.

FWIW, my rack has not broken, yet.

 

You can also charge substantially more than the guy saving wire. Wire is pennies in the grand scheme of things. It’s a big deal in a production shop where margins are very low, but such is not even remotely the case in the vehicle world.