Torch angle and too fast a travel speed. What grind angle do you have on your tungsten?

Indeed those are cold forged cranks, so yes, 4943. Slug then drill and threadsert would be my approach. I’d thread the slug and lock it in. You could do that with a weld or LocTite green.

Probably the more important feature would be a machine that is dual voltage. You’d find that machine is also likely to be a 200 amp box (the majority of welding is 200 or less). PrimeWeld makes a very good 225 machine, AC/DC, PULSE, etc for less than $1,000. Really hard to beat it. Can even buy it f...

1. By slugging the hole you can locate the new hole anywhere within it to relocate the correct center. I get it that you’re concerned about the edge thickness, but that will also be a concern with welding it up then retapping it. 2. Before I venture a guess on filler, the 9/16 tapped hole threads to...

The bottom bead shows too long of a torch movement between pauses. The middle bead is better. The top bead reflects heat-soaked base metal and thus your beads are not using sufficient filler to create a chilled puddle. You can quench mild steel between practice beads to cool the metal down without i...

3/32 tungsten is perfectly fine for welding 1/8” steel. I would suspect the travel speed is the culprit for your “smooth” beads. As Jack said, add enough filler while you pause your torch movement until the bead get to the proper width then move and pause again. The slight pause is what creates the ...

This might sound a bit complicated, but it is how I have done similar repairs in alloys with unknown specs. Take a solid piece of 6061 and thread the outside of it. Drill your damaged hole a size larger than now, then thread it internally. Use LocTite, and thread the solid bar into the old hole. The...

I don't know that you will get a firm answer to your question. As a general rule, employers will look at your certifications, but also equally important is your experience with that cert in prior employment. A good employer will see you have the skills and help you build the experience. They are har...

So does that piece support the exhaust pipe? If so, probably the weight of the exhaust (way thicker than needed tubing) is putting stress on the end since the bracket is not connected to the frame at the end. Does that make sense? Seeing the crack, I’d probably use a cut-off disc and slice into the ...

Grind off chrome. ER70-S6 (MIG wire) or S2 (TIG wire) work fine. You sure it’s chrome-plated mild steel? Use a magnet to verify. Some, not all, are polished stainless, even chromed stainless. I see more cracks in stainless from vibration, cracks in mild steel from rust/corrosion. Try to understand w...

I wouldn’t put too much time or energy into an Eastwood welding machine, especially trying to resolve AC issues. They are very low end boxes and don’t carry much in the way of resale value. You can buy a PrimeWeld 225 through Jody’s online store or Amazon for not a lot of money and get a very, very ...

Geezus Peezus, did a blind 4th grader weld those? There is not a chance in hell I’d put those on a car, let alone a pull-behind red wagon. If you are insane enough to spend the time trying to fix those, you’re in for a rude awakening. Those pipes might be 400 series stainless (which does rust) and w...

The tow eyes look to be welded only on the sides. May just be the status at the moment the picture was taken.

I've only ever used an Everlast once; and hated it. I had all kinds of problems interpreting their "slope" and "mode" settings. For a pedal to work, you should be 2T, not 4T. And HF obviously. Once in 2T, look at the display and set to 0 all the "slope" and "backgr...

I have a set I have to weld up for my son in a few weeks. Looking at your pics, make sure you wrap weld beads around the corners (tow eyes) to provide the best strength. Also be aware, as you finish weld that bumper while it’s attached to the truck, the heat from welding can cause enough distortion ...

The 280 is not obsolete. It is their highest rated portable TIG box. Beyond it, you have to go to a shop level machine. With the water cooler, you’ll be in the $7k range.

Sorry to hear about your shop- hopefully everyone and everything turns out well for you.

That Primeweld is a nice box, especially given its price. It does have pulse too. Before you scrap that sheeting, practice laying a weld bead along the seam without filler. Set your amps to 65. Light up, floor the pedal, off the pedal, move the torch one dabs worth, floor the pedal, off the pedal, m...

Glad you got that technique sorted out. May I ask, what is the sheet metal’s intended use? The reason I ask is when you go to actually weld it out, you’ll either need filler or autogenously weld it and need to pulse the arc (you stated the machine you have does not have HF so likely it does not have...

You didn’t say whether you were using high frequency, scratch start, pedal control or a torch switch to control your amps. If it’s HF, then a contaminated tungsten tip will definitely cause arc start problems. If it’s really trashed, it may not even start on lower amps at all. Just an FYI…

Any chance the tungsten is contaminated? Have you by chance welded some mill scale and crapped up the tip? I have had the issue when on AC and the EP side of the arc blew oxide onto the tungsten causing a troublesome start. My “scratching” of the metal with the tungsten clears the issue.

Does your intermittent arc start occur on DC or AC? Is it consistently only on one polarity? As for the hose “jumping” I’d venture a guess it has more to do with the shorter hose length (less volume to pressurize) in terms of you noticing it. I have seen air and liquid pressurized hoses move as they...

IF not preheating and waiting for the 190 to get her going, would a dash of preflow help? The biggest benefit of preflow when welding any metal is to evacuate any oxygen and improve the crispness of the arc at the start, especially allowing lower amperage starts cleanly. Has no impact whatsoever on...

Good choice. You can also use a different balance setting (more cleaning) while zig-zagging. Then switch to less cleaning/more penetration once you begin welding. That way you can use less amps to weld and aide in controlling your distortion.

Also understand, any MP machine that does AC will be a good deal more expensive than a DC only MP unit.

There is a huge benefit to learning to Stick weld FIRST. IT Teaches torch/hand control, learning to read the puddle, body position, joint configuration (and how to properly weld it). But… Any TIG or MIG machine can also be used to Stick weld. As can a multi-process box. To weld aluminum, I prefer TI...