Brad Goodman Good point on the machine settings for tungsten size/proper arc starts.

Crap, I really wanted to log in to this one, but got sidetracked with helping prep for turkey day, and forgot about it. Really good discussion you guys had. The one question I was going to ask, is opinions on tungsten size. Basically, how do you guys feel about using a 1/8" for everything, and adjust the grind to fit the amperage & material ( short/steep grind for high current/thick material to a long taper for low current/thin material ) versus swapping through the various sizes ( say 1/16" to 1/8" ) to suit the amperage & material thickness?

Good info in this series Aren, thanks. I've got a Spoolmatic 30A on the way. The spool gun made the most sense for me, as I only have one MIG machine ( Millermatic 255 ) and it will allow me to leave the spool gun hooked up and independent of my steel MIG gun. I didn't want to have to dick around changing back and forth between a push pull, and the steel gun. For general repair and fab work, I think it should work great. Look forward to using it. It's coming USPS Ground Advantage, so no telling when that will be. That's life living at the end of the supply chain!

Brad Goodman Got er done. You're right, plenty stable as is, with just the weight of the 1/4". No magnets needed. Fun project that provided much needed practice, and a useful tool organizer. The stock I had was kinda scratched up and had sheared edges, so I scuffed it up with a DA sander, and put a good chamfer on the edges when prepping the parts.

Aren Jenkins Good to know, I'll have to give it a try on a bike! +1 on fitup. Even with filler, the slightest gap can cause a keyhole, and go downhill really fast.

Morning Aren. I have, and it works great and looks awesome. I'm just worried about its long term durability on stuff like a motorcycle exhaust. With the constant heat cycles, vibration, cold water hitting a screaming hot header, etc..... I just feel better having the extra reinforcement of filler material. Just started trying .040" filler, and I like the smaller beads. I need to slow down and/or use a little more heat so the beads flatten out a little more. Never liked the looks of 1/16" as the welds looked huge on thin exhaust, but that was all that's available locally. Finally ordered some .040".

Video no workee!

Nice repair, and some great tips for welding on dirty/contaminated aluminum.

Sam👍

Man that thing was trashed. I chuckled when you said "I don't want this blade coming off". You're the master of understatement, Sam! 😀 Hopefully they notice and appreciate the stark contrast of the quality of the previous repair and yours. Should make for a repeat customer.