Questions about a tank for my new Mig Welder...

[k0ua]

Well I feel a lot better that Bob will have some good results with 3/16 steel on the deck instead of 3/8 with his little 115 volt Flux Core equipped MIG machine. Not that he couldn't do 3/8 with proper prep, but it will just be easier for a new guy with the thinner materiel. Bob do some practice runs on similar size steel, and when you are satisfied, prep that deck, and weld it up.:thumbsup:

 

[Shield Arc]

It is all about the prep! In the 1970's the company I was working for sent me to the local junior college to learn how to Tig weld stainless steel pipe. I was running the night shift so I had to go to day classes. Only class that had room for me was a beginners stick welding class. The instructor was a nuclear pipe weldor in the local Navy ship yard. He told me at work he would not accept a pipe from the fitters if the gap varied more than 10-thousands in any place!:shocked:

 

[Arc weld]

Shield Arc, that's interesting. My welding teacher in high school's last job before he became a teacher was working for Bechtel building the Syncrude Canada plant. He said it took almost half an hour to walk from one of the shop to the other. He was a TIG specialist and was doing some really critical stainless pipes working with a fitter. He said he was only doing 2 joints a day because it usually took about 4 hours to get a perfect fit up. It might have been heavy wall full TIG. Normally I'd be like everyone else and say it was BS but I saw a lot of his work. Flawless. His first year teaching he went to Montana on summer break to do some critical TIG welding. He said only 2 local welders there passed the job test. I think he said he was making $2000/wk! That was in the late 70's. When I was trying to TIG aluminum and thought it was hard, he said aluminum is easy but Monel is about the trickiest material to weld because it has the consistency of butter. I'm curious if Gary Fowler may have known him?