Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey guys, made this guard for a friend, and wrapping the 3 inch high side around the face was harder than i thought. i figured itd be the perfect application for fusion tacking, pull with one hand and tack with the other, but i coudnt make it work. maybe 1 out of 3 tacks were succesful i usually wound up blowing a hole through. its 0.06 mild steel, is that simply to thin to fusion tack? What amps would you start with for tacking? Thanks

When you tack an outside corner like that, position your torch on the flat, higher edge, then hit the arc, and "flick" over. That helps. Probably 50 amps would be hot enough to get a quick, one-handed tack. If it holds, just add a small tack adjacent with a dab of filler to strengthen it (don't tack over the fusion tack) while you move down the line.

i tacked along the inside, just cuz you wont see them after, and i wont have to weld over my tacks. oh ok i was around 150 amp even tried at 200 amps lol

160 amps for 0.060 material is wicked high. Lower your amps.

cj737 wrote:160 amps for 0.060 material is wicked high. Lower your amps.

Agreed. I'm at 80 amps on 16g stainless which generally requires less amperage than carbon steel, but I would still be somewhere around there for it. Also if you find yourself in a position that you can't tack the back side you can always grind/cut the tacks before welding to make it a more smooth transition while welding over them