Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm building a kitchen table. The owner of our house we live at pulled some 100-year old 5 1/2" well pipe out of the ground and it's been sitting in our yard for a year. It doesn't look like they're using it so I cut out two 30" peices to use for table legs. I cut each peice in half the long way for a total of 4 pieces. I'm leaving the rust on them because I like the way it looks. When I get the table top done the legs will be bolted to the corners, so that the table can be disassembled and moved easier.

I got one leg done where I welded a 1/4" plate to the bottom. I'm not sure I like the weld though. It's a little more ripple(y) than I wanted and uneven in some places. I seem to be able to use e7014 electrodes on straight fillet welds alright, but doing them around a curve is tricky for a new welder like me. I did a few practice runs on curved material before trying. I was nervous when attempting the real thing...

I might grind it off and do it over.

I’d recommend spraying them with a lite coat of clear coat in a rattle can. It will keep the rusty look without it rubbing off on your Sunday pants.

It may prove to be tough to achieve a more uniform tippled without more practice. If you’re going for asthmatics have you considered placing the weld on the inside of the leg?

Ballistic308 wrote:It may prove to be tough to achieve a more uniform tippled without more practice. If you’re going for asthmatics have you considered placing the weld on the inside of the leg?

I like a welded look, so I want the bead on outside. I have more pipe to practice on -- I plan on it