New Welding Thread ?'s for beginners...MIG

[JoshStratton]

Josh,
That's why you want to get even spaced tacks all the way around and progressively close it so that the metal pieces don't move (as much) from the solidifying puddle.



jp

Oh boy. Now that is something I would have never thought of. No wonder body shop guys make 50+ bucks an hour.

A good rule to live by is the weld should be as big (leg length) as the base metal is thick (thinnest member).

This rule would not work for sheetmetal, would it?....god I hope not. Something like 18 gauge would be pretty hard for me to do.

After seeing your definitions, I totally realize how ugly my welds are. They are too wide and have a lot of undercutting. Is this something that could possibly lead to a dangerous situation? I plan on using my cart so I can get under it and work. I had the whole car on it, minus the front sub, at one point. It has only gotten MUCH lighter since.