welders
This answer will go on a bit, but I hope it's worth passing on some of information Ive picked up over the last 30 years of restoring MV's.
MIG is by far the easiest to get started with and will do all that you need to do on a CMP restoration where panels are 16 gauge (2.5MM). I would suggest a machine at 150 or 175 amp with a cooling fan attached; you will see these advertised as 'turbo' welders. It is worth spending just a little more to get a bigger machine as it gives you more flexibility lower down the range. Get one with a dial up wire speed not a pre set click switch type and you will need a number of power settings. Don't use the little gas cans you can get from hobby or auto shops, get a proper sized bottle from your local bottled gas supplier, here in the UK we use BOC Gas Products, we open an account which costs about £30 year including bottle rental, then just pay a few pounds to pick up a new bottle whenever required.
May sound an expensive option but I will guarantee it is the cheaper option and gives the flexibility to mach the gas used to the type and gauge of steel you are working with.
Gas welding is the next step to master and is useful for a whole range of things. I use gas for very fine work as it is so controllable.
The main point to getting a good weld is preparation, you will read this in all of the books and it's true.
Spend 9 tenths of the job preparing it and one tenth welding it.
Cut back all rust to firm metal
Clean the cut edge back to bright metal for at least one and a half inches.
Use an abrasive flap wheel rather than a grinder disc to clean back to bright steel, its more controllable, will not leave big score marks in the work more importantly it will not leave behind abrasive disc material embedded in the work that will cause a bad weld
Mark and cut an accurate fitting patch (for 16 gauge you will need a gap of about 1mm all round it
Invest in some G clamps, moles and butterfly clips to hold the patches accurately
Use the right size welding wire for the job (16 gauge should be 0.6mm if your new or 0.8 when you get better at moving the torch)
Do put tack welds in at one inch spaces
Don't do long runs all in one go the work will distort one inch at a time from oposite ends of the work is maximum.
Dont let the work go cold between each weld but the red and blue heat needs to be gone before you start again
Do practise on scrap steel of a similar gauge to the one you intend to use, if you use a bottle of gas and a drum of wire it will be money and time well spent.
As for teach yourself publications the auto restoration press has a number of good titles in the US these are often associated with the Hot Rod market, I would recommend two in particular as they give you comprehensive instructions with lots of pictures, scope of both cover techniques for: MIG, TIG, Arc, Gas, Brazing Soldering and equipment purchase. Both not only tell you how to do it but more importantly what to look for when it goes wrong.
Books titles are as follows:
Farm Welding,
By Andrew Pearce
Farming Press Books UK
US distributed by Diamond Farm Enterprises Box 537 Alexandrian Bay NY 13607
ISBN No 85236 230 7
Automotive Welding Manual
By Jay Storer
Haynes Publishing Sparkford Yeovil, Somerset
US distributed by Haynes N America Inc 861 Lawrence Drive, Newbury Park, Califorinia 91320
ISBN No 85960 201 0
Hope this is of use, I am by no means an expert welder, but I was lucky to be shown the way by several good welders who got me started. There is nothing more demoralising that starting out full of expectation only to burn holes in the job or end up with a result that you don't feel happy with
the answer is practise.
Regards
Pete
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