What can I say? I'm surprised you should make such a comment. You say 'could' like you mean the future, as if you're serious and confident that I'll never be able to arc weld very well on a car sill. I hope I could reach Dave's standard if I try a butt repair, rather than an overlap panel. So, presumably you also mean that your dog could do a better job than Dave's sill repair. I disagree. I think it looks just as good as a MIG weld, before being ground back.
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What can I say? I'm surprised you should make such a comment. You say 'could' like you mean the future, as if you're serious and confident that I'll never be able to arc weld very well on a car sill. I hope I could reach Dave's standard if I try a butt repair, rather than an overlap panel. So, presumably you also mean that your dog could do a better job than Dave's sill repair. I disagree. I think it looks just as good as a MIG weld, before being ground back.
shenion
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I had my brother doing MIG welds that looked better after 5 minutes practice. Used far less metal than these arc welds with full penetration and nearly flush with the surface.
There is a big difference in using a 0.6mm wire vs a 1.6mm rod. That's 7x as much metal being put down.
Yes it can be done with arc. But it is a lot of work, way too much chance of blowing holes (all samples shown had holes in them.) Slag inclusion is a real problem. Takes way too long to learn on thin metal.
None of these arc welds are acceptable to me or most other here. Guess you have a real low standard. i would not want any of these welds on my car.
If you think those arc welds look as good as MIG, then you don't know what a good weld looks like.
There is a big difference in using a 0.6mm wire vs a 1.6mm rod. That's 7x as much metal being put down.
Yes it can be done with arc. But it is a lot of work, way too much chance of blowing holes (all samples shown had holes in them.) Slag inclusion is a real problem. Takes way too long to learn on thin metal.
None of these arc welds are acceptable to me or most other here. Guess you have a real low standard. i would not want any of these welds on my car.
If you think those arc welds look as good as MIG, then you don't know what a good weld looks like.
I reckon it's the other way around. I thought one of the features of MIG is that it has a high metal deposition rate. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage, I guess. But no way does an arc rod lay down seven times as much metal. On thin metal, well aligned, like in my photos on the '0.8mm thread', the new arc metal is so minimal, it looks almost like a smear of solder, almost flush with the surface, yet has perfect penetration, too, as far as I can tell.
I should perhaps add that I'm not suggesting arc is better or easier on thin metal; than a MIG. I'm just saying it can be as good, after a bit of practice, and without the high cost and storage challenges of running a MIG welder.
Yes, there may be way too much chance of blowing holes if you only have 5 minutes practice with an arc welder. But, with more practice, anyone should be able to keep holes to an absolute minimum, and no worse than with a MIG. There are plenty of examples on this site of people blowing holes with a MIG on thin sheet, and that's on test samples, which are easier than real world car welding. You also say slag inclusion is a real problem. I'd sooner have a few traces of residual slag, than pay the cost of argon/co2 for a MIG. And you say it: "takes way too long to learn on thin metal.". This also applies to skills like plastering. Nobody said it's easy; but arc-welds on thin sheet are perfectly achievable, as Dave has demonstrated.
Dave's arc welds may not be acceptable to you but they were acceptable to the MOT tester, and the MOT sets quite a high standard - it's what counts, so I can't really understand you comment.
I think I do know what a a good weld looks like. None of you welds would come to mind; more likely some welds like those posted by FJ.
wyn
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Sorry about that i think i must have misread the previous posts.
malcolm
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I've closed this thread, apologies to daveyb.
GeorgeB - it seems clear that you are not interested in the factors involved in a good weld. I spent an hour trying to explain what some of them were last week and you seemed to ignore me.
Other members are annoyed too. You seem to make no attempt to understand their advice, instead you tell them why they are wrong. This thread has needed to be moderated twice in the last 24 hours as a result of that annoyance.
I'll write up some forum guidelines.
GeorgeB - it seems clear that you are not interested in the factors involved in a good weld. I spent an hour trying to explain what some of them were last week and you seemed to ignore me.
Other members are annoyed too. You seem to make no attempt to understand their advice, instead you tell them why they are wrong. This thread has needed to be moderated twice in the last 24 hours as a result of that annoyance.
I'll write up some forum guidelines.
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