Welding

[The Natural Philosopher]

Really? It has one huge advantage., You can see the torch and the workpiece with a mask on BEFORE you start welding.

Yes, I've welded aluminoium. And soldered it, too.

[newshound]

That said, I once watched a really exceptional welder repairing a fractured cast iron cooker pan support with TIG, and when he'd finished not only could you barely detect the repair, the grey "stove enamel" which I guess was actually a glaze seemed to have flowed back over the metal.

[newshound]

Back in the old days when young research officers had no money, one of our lab techs used to get all our cheap rusty cars through the MOT in the evenings, and he only used gas. Never saw him having a problem with warping. But we only employed techs with amazing skills. Looking back, I'm not sure how our HR and management did the recruitment so well, I guess they researched the references and had good contacts.

[Steve Walker]

You can do that with stick, MIG or TIG welding, with a auto-darkening helmet.

SteveW

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Quite a difference between doing structural repairs just to get through an MOT and restoring an old car properly.

But then MIG (or rather affordable ones) didn't exist in the old days.

[charles]

Back in the 1960s I was introduced to a car repairer: he was "George, the only person I know who can weld two pieces of rust together."

[newshound]

Well, I didn't worry about "pretty" in those days, he mainly did the structural stuff required for MOT which was typically floors, sills, chassis rails, suspension mounting points etc. But sometimes fitting wings as well. I guess these were stiff enough not to distort, and minor warping of floor panels isn't really visible.

[Jim K]

+1 I still have a pub co2 cylinder knocking about (shhh :-) ). Made loads of railings & Juliette balconies , ornate gates etc.

Wish I'd spent more on the machine, shit wire feed is the main issue for it... the list is longer.. Draper - say no more...

[Jim K]

Snip

How much welded body repairs was he welding with a gas axe though?

Presumably Benson & hedges packets & isopon did for the bits "above the waterline"?

[Jim K]

Could he?