Technical Need advice of how to correct the door gap.

that patch will work great... and there is no rule that says you can't go back and cut/relieve/shrink/hammer after it is welded in.

 

Other side left to go.

Don't think I'll do the other side. It's not too bad. Only needs a little correction at the edge. The top of the door however is a completely different issue.

The yellow English wheel obviously works. But does a hell of a lot better with some bracing to stop the flex.

Now that I have an idea how to wheel I'll plan on bracing it.

 

Since I'm very aware of how jacked up I can be I tried to stay away from the patch so I made some fillers for the roof bracing.

 

Now that my moment of triumph has passed I can be more critical of my work. In my eye the whoopdiedoo is too wide. Think I'm gonna trim off about 3/16" and recheck.

 

So it begins, again. Figure if I'm gonna go through all this effort I have to do the best I can. Melvin very much disagrees with me. He says lay on some Bondo and no one will know. I will.

 

I'll call it another success. Trimmed the edge, file fit it to the rod nice and tight. On that note I fully welded the rod in place. Shoulda tried the TIG welder as the mig put a lot heat into it a changed the shape a bit. Nothing I can't fix as the rod is solid. The movement of the rod meant I had to refit the patch at the eyebrow. Then I noticed flat spot(you were right 31Vicky) . Wheeled that out and that made th ed patch fit even better. I believe the reason I didn't see it before is the car was almost two feet in the air. Once in the ground the light gave up some secrets. There are still some wheeling marks from the rubber band. I tried lightly wheeling them out with some success but it started changing shape so I'll live with what I've got. Going to break out the TIG tomorrow and practice until I feel confident.

 

Roof bracing all welded in. I reused a section I cut off and added a small filler.

 

My reward

 

My first TIG beads. They seem kinda hot. Maybe I should up the amperage and try to move faster ? This is 18ga old and new. Tomorrow I'll cut a bunch of pieces of 18ga and spend an hour welding. #1 was at 65 amps. #5 was 45 Amp. I dropped 5 amps with each bead. Seems like plenty penetration. Must be how babies are made.

 

Great first attempt! I'd say you need to be much lower on the amps. Plus use some mig wire (0.023) instead of that 16g (that it looks like) rod. You should be able to neatly weld 18g requiring only a fairly light sanding after a light planish to make disappear. Check out the Walden videos.
Chris

 

Can I get some tips on MIG welding this panel in ? I feel comfortable TIG'ing at the eyebrow but I'm unsure about welding on the roof. I dont want to ruin all my work by burning holes in the roof. Need to secure a back up plan.

 

Really? I can't believe that there would be any / many who have access to both mig and tig would contemplate using the mig for bodywork where metal finishing is required. There aren't really any advantages to the mig and if you mig it you'll disadvantage yourself hugely in the finishing processes.

The tig is so controllable that there's something seriously wrong if you blow holes.

I suggest you get those test pieces done, including planishing (stretching, removing shrinkeage) and sanding smooth using both processes and make your own decision then.

I'm self taught (originally) and a hobbyist at this, so not an expert! I did purchase an hour or so of one on one with Bobby Walden and learned loads, much or all of which is in his videos.

Chris

 

I guess if you have the talent to TIG and can make a good weld that would be true. I however am lacking and need to get this task completed so I can move on to the next. Don't really have the time to teach myself right now. I've got a customer's car coming back after Christmas so I need to really get cracking in this.

 

Potato chips with pie!!!???Please make sure you shop has adequate ventilation!Some concern for your health!LOL

 

What wasn't in the pic was the tall glass of egg nog I had with it. Not even a little toot was tooted. I was made to eat like that .

 

After extensive YouTube research I believe the 1/8" electrode that is in the torch is too big for 18ga so I'll load in a 1/16 or 3/32.

 

Practice for another hour.
And yep that 1/8” electrode is too big
You’ll see once you to change it

 

Right again you are. Had some .040 electrodes. What a difference. Used some .035 MIG wire. Ordered some 1/16 & 3/32 electrodes and some .035 and 1/16" TIG wire. Will be here Sunday. Should be ready to weld by then. It ain't pretty but I'm getting better. Think once I get a couple miles of bead under belt things will look much better. I like these small TIG beads but welding gaps is darn hard.

 

See . When you have the thinner wire (why no 0.023?? it's not too skinny, honest!) try making tacks at first, tacks that are quite small and laid down and almost disappear into the parent metal with half a dozen or so applications of the hammer (w flat dolly). You'll be a little hotter making tacks. You'll be putting only one or two quick dips of filler into those tacks, not piling it in! Beads are really a continuation of that (without stopping), but putting the minimal amount of filler in. You'll need to back the heat down progressively as you go along a bead due to the cumulative pre heating effect. Or start with less power and wait for a good few seconds whilst the job heats up and then you should be able to proceed without the cumulative effect making the bead bigger.

Sharp tungsten, scrupulous cleanliness (and wiped with acetone), good eyesight (essential!), relaxed and comfortable positioning,

Chris

 

Thanks for the encouragement Chris.
Actually I started with .023 but it was so limp I had difficulty controlling it. I used up about 25 feet of .035 then finished off 20 feet of .023 as I got more comfortable. What size electrode do you reccomend?

 

The gap has got be less than one material thickness. Business card ish. Welding The gaps requires more hammer work because the metal will shrink more. And a copper or aluminum back up helps.
.023 wire is nice but flimsy. Once you get used to that the 1/16 tig rod looks like a telephone pole dipping into the puddle. I wrap a few loose loops around my hand and feed off that roll around my hand a few inches at a time.

Check this out for some more in-depth information
https://www.ck-worldwide.com/files/ck-worldwide/pdf/catalog/Form 116 - Technical Guide.pdf

 

I like a 1/16 tungsten and I use a wp9 torch which are much smaller, lighter and thus easier to control as the whole deal feels more like writing (albeit backwards for a rightee!!), with hand lying on the job (just like writing) and not trying to hover around steadily in the air!

The gap is something I wasn't considering, silly me. On say 18 gauge I try to achieve zero or close thereto gap. I find having gaps makes it more difficult to control the puddle and risk making holes, but others might say the gap helps ensure full penetration - on thin stuff I don't find that to be an issue but on say 1/8" material I'd be working with a gap.

All this talk about welding makes me want to get from this (work) desk and do some welding!! I have some welding lined up for the weekend .
Chris

 

Gotta admit I'm a little turned on myself. Think I'm gonna put on my leathers and get at it

 

Not good but not total crap either.

 

Do It Over,
Check " TipsAndTricks.com " Lots of informative videos of every type of welding by a master welder. Yours are looking preety good, but some time spent at T&T could make you even better.

 

I've been watching Jodi for a couple years now. You're right, he has much to share and a way of doing it that keeps me interested. I'm hoping that one day I can afford to take some welding and metal shaping classes.

 

Did you guys know you can clean/replace the lenses on your helmet for much improved vision especially after 15 years of MIG and stick welding ? What a difference. I can almost see. Waiting for my cheater lens to come in for another improvement.

 

You’re welding pretty good for being blindfolded

 

No place for the cheater lens to clip in so I did the next best thing. Cant believe I'm just finding out about these. I've suffered for years with fogged up glasses and glasses sliding out of position causing me to say some of the most unchristian things. To quote the great Spongebob Squarepants, " I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready!" . Tomorrow after church it's on like Donkey Kong.

 

So it didn't go just as I thought it would but it did turn out as I thought it might. Things started well. I wanted to tack in the ends first, then the inside with the eyebrow last. Figured if the patch had to move this was the location that could accommodate that. Had problems tacking at the brow. Just couldn't maintain control or even see the pubble. Started getting frustrated fast after burning a few holes so I stopped. My eyes felt like they'd been flashed. Turned out the nozzle was loose in the torch. I went to switch out the nozzle for the .040 and found it was loose. Tomorrow after work I'll try again with the .040 giving my eyes a rest. All in all I think the patch looks great and I'm proud to have made it myself with the assistance of you guys.

Thank you.