Whilst welding 3mm to 6mm mild steel I managed to get the 6mm to hot and warped it a bit. I understand I need to heat the opposite side of the weld and in theory it'll go back. Would a plumbers torch from b and q get it hot enough?
Ta.
Hello Kprida,
"I understand I need to heat the opposite side of the weld and in theory it'll go back."
I don't see how just heating it will correct the distortion?
When Tiggy suggested welding a bead it is not just the heating but the weld itself shrinks as it solidifies so pulling the metal, it's not just the heating that does it?
Alec
I'll try runnng a bead and see what happens. A quick run or a slow deep run? If that makes sense.
Ta.
Heating alone can do it provided several criteria are met. Heat a chunk of metal evenly and it'll expand in all directions and then return as it cools. If the heat is localised and applied quickly to keep a large temp differential then when the hot area expands it's partially restrained by the surrounding cool metal. This forces it to expand more in the direction(s) it can and provided it's gotten hot enough it'll plastically distort in the unrestrained direction (typically getting fractionally thicker). Then when it cools it shrinks in all directions resulting in a change of shapeI don't see how just heating it will correct the distortion?
When Tiggy suggested welding a bead it is not just the heating but the weld itself shrinks as it solidifies so pulling the metal, it's not just the heating that does it?
Alec