Im going ot be welding a Go Kart frame together and I was wondering what type of weld I should use. The material will be steel 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch square tubing.
Hi, couple of questions, is it a complete build, or a restore, if a complete new build and metal is all new, no problems, if older metal, check thoroughly the condition of metal tubing, may be only a small Kart, but what size motor?, all depends on weights, kids or adults use, more variables on weld strength, if speeds are going to be high, welds have to be good, vibrations can be a bummer. What about a tube bender?
You will see in a lot of previous posts about tack, tack, not seam straight away, otherwise distortions, and weak spots means fatigue and future cracks, which can be dangerous, all if you are a novice of course, if a confident welder, Mig is Good, Tig is neat and nice but slow, for me anyway, don't have a Tig, but have used em on Ali and stainless, welds look great.
My 150 gas/gasless Mig would make a Kart easily, prefer gas as vision is better, and you can stitch it up nicely when all tacked together, allowing time for the welds to cool down before distortion sets in, do one section. let it cool, then as it's cooling go to another section and weld, when done, a good old spray with a metal finish to prevent metal cancer, post some pics, would be good to see progress, and guys in here sure can help with advice if you need any. happy Karting