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My neighbor told me my forge welds looked like 'cold oatmeal'
He's a retired guy from the old steel mill in Gary, and he stopped by my garage shop last month. He pointed at a weld I was proud of and said it looked grainy and weak, like cold oatmeal... that the steel wasn't hot enough or clean enough. I was just rushing to get it done. So now I take an extra five minutes to really get a bright yellow heat and wire brush the pieces twice before I even try to join them. The difference in the grain is night and day. Anyone else have a simple tip that fixed a sloppy weld?
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the_blake2mo ago
That extra prep time is key, as @the_diana knows, and it's amazing how much stronger a clean, hot weld feels.
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morgan_jenkins905d ago
So you're saying that clean hot weld just feels different? I get that, but how do you know when you've hit that sweet spot vs. just burning through? I've had plenty of times where I thought I had the heat dialed in and then the bead just collapses on me. Is it more about the color of the puddle or the sound it makes? I'm trying to figure out if I'm wasting time on prep that doesn't actually help my welds.
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