Welding Hall of Shame.

[klondikekid64]

I don't have a bad welding pic, most the welds I see come in the plating shop are fair to good, my gripe is when guys build a set a nice set of exhaust pipes etc. with nice tig welds and they want chrome, but they use stainless steel filler rod on steel pipe, never understand why a person would use dissimilar metals, any ways plating does NOT stick to stainless, just so everyone knows, there is a process to plate stainless, but most custom chrome shops are not set up for it.

[datadavid]

That's hilarious and pleases me greatly. He should have been humble instead. Not everyone should perform structural welds.

It's also a pic of a safety issue so someone on triumphrat doesn't care that questionable parts are being produced and holds personal feelings above community safety.

Got a link to the thread?

No, they all worship that asshole over there from the comments�� didnt read half of it, just told him to lighten up. Will see if i can link it.

[datadavid]

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...5&share_type=t yea now i actually got some constructive criticism in!

[datadavid]

I don't have a bad welding pic, most the welds I see come in the plating shop are fair to good, my gripe is when guys build a set a nice set of exhaust pipes etc. with nice tig welds and they want chrome, but they use stainless steel filler rod on steel pipe, never understand why a person would use dissimilar metals, any ways plating does NOT stick to stainless, just so everyone knows, there is a process to plate stainless, but most custom chrome shops are not set up for it.

Welding carbon steel exhaust pipes with 316lsi or similar is really a shit idea in other aspects than plating as well, 309 should hold up better mechanically but the cheap old er70s-6 is what should be used.
I heard that once plated correctly its a one time job with stainless, though the plating has definitely worn off the first bends on my thruxton, they have plated 304 headers. Cant stand the heat from outrunning hogs all day i guess��

[KevinN]

Had to fix a metal abortion on a touring frame. Had to reverse engineer using an OEM fender and the rear frame loop and fill in the blanks since I didn't have a touring frame to measure. I'm glad the guy hacking stopped short of the shock eyes. I tried to tell him 20 years ago that baggers are utility vehicles and customizing one is like a 300 pound woman wearing victorias secret. He threw in the towel and reduced it to a cheap buy for me.

[DoomBuggy]

I so envy you guys who can do this for real. A hundred years ago, and thanks to Uncle Sam, I was pretty good with a stick welder. When I got out I was an industrial electrician but also did some fast repairs around the shop. I have forgotten the type of material I used, it was some wonder rod that would stick any kind of steel together.

For my Panhead I picked up a little TIG unit and at least got good enough to tack everything together enough to hold it in place until a real welder could do it properly, but I fear I will never get much better than that. I had a really hard time seeing the flame anymore.

Again kudos to those who can.

[datadavid]

I so envy you guys who can do this for real. A hundred years ago, and thanks to Uncle Sam, I was pretty good with a stick welder. When I got out I was an industrial electrician but also did some fast repairs around the shop. I have forgotten the type of material I used, it was some wonder rod that would stick any kind of steel together.

For my Panhead I picked up a little TIG unit and at least got good enough to tack everything together enough to hold it in place until a real welder could do it properly, but I fear I will never get much better than that. I had a really hard time seeing the flame anymore.

Again kudos to those who can.

Its a practice you have to keep up, my stick welds look like shit now compared to ten years ago, cap and root were fucking surgical, now its a bloody mess half the time due to only doing stainless tig and cushy nuclear jobs for years, but i still think i can get back the buttered baby ass finish if i keep burning sticks.. quality level BBA.. think i like that
I always pass xray though so i can keep getting paid to practice. About your trouble seeing the flame, do you adjust the shades after the amps or what DIN are you using? Maybe you need a couple of those clear glasses with lenses in them if you cant use your glasses under the hood? I dont think they are expensive.

[farmall]

About your trouble seeing the flame, do you adjust the shades after the amps or what DIN are you using? Maybe you need a couple of those clear glasses with lenses in them if you cant use your glasses under the hood? I dont think they are expensive.

They aren't expensive. I ran a welding school toolroom and stocked "cheater" lenses in various diopters for students to try. It saved far more in wasted consumables than it cost to hand them out.

Try fixed shade lenses. They are available in a WIDE variety of tints unlike autodark lenses.

If you can't see there is a reason so get your prescription checked and get checked for cataracts. Cataract surgery (lens replacement) works wonders but you'll still need near vision glasses or cheaters which is fine since you can order them optimized for working ranges.

Examples, your local welding supply should have some in stock so you can look before buying. https://www.amazon.com/Welding-Helme.../dp/B00V7UVMV8

You can bring some welded scrap when buying to look at a finished weld through the cheater.

As mentioned welding is a perishable skill. The cure is practice, preferably making long (6"-8") welds to build muscle memory.

[DoomBuggy]

Thanks for the tips, I have one of the "better" 3M SpeedGlas auto darkening helmets and I know they do make the lenses for it. I don't recall the setting, but it was as per the manual for the heat I was using. I am in a bit of a catch 22 in that I have a cheap piece of Chinese crap welder and am hesitant to upgrade until I know I can learn TIG. Next year I step down from my current position at work which should free up a lot of my time, at that point I plan to take a course at the community college and work with a good machine and an instructor to see if I can improve. My wife loves to garden and I would like to be able to build custom trellises, waterfalls, and such for her. As well as actually make custom parts for my scoot.

Oh I do have the very beginnings of cataracts but nothing they want to touch.....yet.

[farmall]

I suggest trying FIXED shade lenses, not autodark, because the range of available lenses is vastly greater and the lenses themselves somewhat clearer (no LCD, just glass) than the autodarks. To begin with you can run a very fucking bright light above your welding bench to give a bit of visibility with the hood down.

Fibre-Metal Pipeliner helmets are light, very comfortable, and fit over glasses. Most welding suppliers carry them. https://www.amazon.com/Fibre-Metal-P.../dp/B004F7JFOG

An advantage of fixed shade helmets is they permit loading (from front to back) a clear cover lens, the tinted lens, and a cheater if needed.

Easily the best welding forum: https://weldingweb.com/forumdisplay....y-Fuel-Welding

[datadavid]

Thanks for the tips, I have one of the "better" 3M SpeedGlas auto darkening helmets and I know they do make the lenses for it. I don't recall the setting, but it was as per the manual for the heat I was using. I am in a bit of a catch 22 in that I have a cheap piece of Chinese crap welder and am hesitant to upgrade until I know I can learn TIG. Next year I step down from my current position at work which should free up a lot of my time, at that point I plan to take a course at the community college and work with a good machine and an instructor to see if I can improve. My wife loves to garden and I would like to be able to build custom trellises, waterfalls, and such for her. As well as actually make custom parts for my scoot.

Oh I do have the very beginnings of cataracts but nothing they want to touch.....yet.

Dont fret over the chinese welder, if you learn to weld with a shitty powersource it will get easier when you get a good one. Practice isnt much difference between china shit and actual welders anyway. Whats important is learning puddle control and filler feed rate. There are about as many styles as welders. As a hobbyist you wont be so concerned with smooth roots and pretty caps initially either. Just go observe puddle behavior and learn when you have full penetration, even walking speed, filler rhythm, so on. Its too damn fun to not get real good at it eventually!

[RedHerring]

Whoever welded these fork tubes should be ashamed

[farmall]

THAT'S fucking different. Not in a good way.

The rest of the bike needs refinement but has potential.