A whole lotta fail in this one

[hooblah]

A question......can you see what is happening at the weld clearly when you are doing it.

I really struggled until I started wearing my reading glasses to weld. It was like a different person had done the weld

Yes lol.

Ck lenses are no1 mate. See @Tom Orrow L for them.
Don’t accept binzel or weldcraft it’s ck you want.

Cheers!

 

[hooblah]

Well finally some progress! Hugh came round a little while ago and spent a bit of time with me, it helped massively, so a big thank you to him

I've been playing around and I'm slowly getting better. I made a radiator bracket today. The welds aren't the greatest but I've definitely improved. One thing I'll say is that there wasn't much pentration. Should I back off the current and slow down?

 

[Richard.]

@hooblah
Did you get some 2mm done with Hugh.
The thicker stuff is miles easier and you had results to the above standard on my bench at home.
You can do this already I’ve seen it. The 2mm outside corner and tacking is where to focus.

 

[hooblah]

2.5mm I think. The bracket is made from 3mm.
Yeah I was able to do it with you watching over me lol. Doing it by myself is a different story.
I think I'm getting the hang of tacking, just need to keep practicing. I must have changed my tungsten 7 or 8 times whilst making that bracket...

 

[Richard.]

2.5mm I think. The bracket is made from 3mm.
Yeah I was able to do it with you watching over me lol. Doing it by myself is a different story.
I think I'm getting the hang of tacking, just need to keep practicing. I must have changed my tungsten 7 or 8 times whilst making that bracket...

It’s not easy mate
Especially if you don’t have your hand in frequently. I’d be inclined to stop actually making stuff for a bit and get some seat time in with more scrap.
Sit down for a good few hours with some 2mm alu and stick it all together until things click nicely. Then your ready to apply it to work. I know I know everybody just wants to get fired straight into making things but it generally leads to disappointment. Once the 2mm has become easier you’ll be ready to make your stuff to a standard you’ll be pleased with

 

[hooblah]

Cheers Richard. I had to get this bracket made as it was holding up the build. It's not structural so I'm happy with how it turned out, but I'll definitely be getting some more practice in.

 

[Richard.]

Cheers Richard. I had to get this bracket made as it was holding up the build. It's not structural so I'm happy with how it turned out, but I'll definitely be getting some more practice in.

The bracket is quite thick and well within your capabilities so you did right to get it done. Looks a good job too.

 

[Richard.]

I do think it looks very dirty though. The aluminium is rather manky looking and the welds are a bit contaminated because of it.
Clean things up with solvent properly to get the best chance.

 

[hooblah]

Thanks. Yeah the welds are a bit dirty but that's because I touched down a few times. I cleaned all the joints with acetone and a stainless brush before welding. I ran out of gas whilst doing the first weld (bottom of 2nd pic) and it looks horrible. The ali is clean otherwise, except where I've drawn all over it, or the remnants of hot glue turned black when I welded - I kept it off the joints this time lol.