Attempts at Butt & Seam Welding....

[robtheplod]

Hi
Just spent a few hours in the garage practicing the butt & seam welds as my first project is to fit sills to my mini. I was not sure how much gap to leave between the sheets so went for about 1mm??

anyway, any comments about how I can make these better??

many thanks
rob

 

[bawjaws]

those look very good for first attempts, for bodywork thickness i wouldent bother leaving a gap, itll just make life more difficult, tho only problem i can see is that the butt weld is dipping in the middle, this can be solved by no gap or lower amps, surprised it didnt blow through though, well done

 

[zardoz]

Not bad, not bad at all. The only way to get better is to get those practice hours under your belt. Be aware with plug welds and seam welds/lap welds, there is going to be a tiny little gap between the two surfaces which you will not be able to paint. The only way to stop rust here is to use something like Waxoyl, or even better, Dynax S50 by Bilt Hamber, it uses cappilliary action or something to creep into any and all such nooks and crannies, and when its there it out pergorms them all (if the pages of Practical Classics are to be believed)