welding - penetration

[iamhere]

hey guys. i'm new to welding and am in the process of restoring a classic mini. it needs some panels cutting out and new ones welding in. i was just wondering if the weld penetrates too much through the metal does the weld lose its strength or does it just make it a pain to get a neater looking weld

cheers

 

[Faaluke]

Just try get less penetration?

Dunno, i'm the last person to be giving any advice, but if there is too much I would adjust the settings till the penetration was less (better).

Post up some photos and the welding pros will give you real advice

 

[Drains]

hey guys. i'm new to welding and am in the process of restoring a classic mini. it needs some panels cutting out and new ones welding in. i was just wondering if the weld penetrates too much through the metal does the weld lose its strength or does it just make it a pain to get a neater looking weld

cheers

Should be neither. You want penetration into and through the joint so that if you are grinding the face of the joint smooth, there's still some weld metal left. Too much pen is pointless, too little gives a weak weld.

 

[Welderpaul]

I would think too much penetration on car panels is swiftly followed by a rather large hole which would be more of a problem.
Ideally you want to practice on the bits you cut out to get your settings right then you can attack the car with more confidence.