Early Days....Gaining Restoration Skills - MotorRetro

[Oldman]

next up....Plug welding....

I punched a few holes in one sheet , laid it over another and then welded through the holes...

   

Once again....looks ok but penetration comes back to haunt me:

   

Here, you can see the penetration getting better as I slowed down a bit.....not great...but getting there. Every different type of weld has its own set of challenges.

All up, pretty happy with my progress from a very average, self-taught punter to a punter with a better understanding of what to look for.
My main learning outcomes ? Listen to the weld as you go...if it doesn't sound right....it isn't right and something needs to change...
Aside from operator error, gas flow, wire speed, burn back, voltage are some of the basic settings that have to be correct if the weld is to be good.

Next up, an intro into panel forming......
The task, a Hubcap with a formed edge, predetermined diameter and crown height.

   

This task gave me experience with the English Wheel, Blocking, Planishing and Tinsman hammers, sand bags, a range of dollies, tinsnips and pedestal mounted shears, profile gauges and radius templates....oh and an edge forming tool !