[duncan tungsten]

Hi Folks,
I call myself a hobby welder, though as a retired mechanic and shop owner I've done some welding over the years. Managed to stick stuff together well enough, and pretty good with a grinder. Most of my fun these days is with my VW "racecar". And that's where my current welding frustration has shown up. Trying to modify some aluminum heads--building up flange surfaces and filling to change ports etc. I've practiced stacking beads and destroyed a couple of junk heads. Still getting poor results. Hoping to glean some knowledge and advice here and manage to do my own welding instead of hiring someone to do it right. At this point I'd get more time practicing welding if I didn't have to spend so much grinding electrodes. Thanks for any advice.

[TraditionalToolworks]

Hi Folks,
I call myself a hobby welder, though as a retired mechanic and shop owner I've done some welding over the years. Managed to stick stuff together well enough, and pretty good with a grinder. Most of my fun these days is with my VW "racecar". And that's where my current welding frustration has shown up. Trying to modify some aluminum heads--building up flange surfaces and filling to change ports etc. I've practiced stacking beads and destroyed a couple of junk heads. Still getting poor results. Hoping to glean some knowledge and advice here and manage to do my own welding instead of hiring someone to do it right. At this point I'd get more time practicing welding if I didn't have to spend so much grinding electrodes. Thanks for any advice.

Welcome!

Lots of advice here...maybe more than you want.