All things welding

What do you guys like for weld-through primer? I’m seeing stuff from ~$12/can on up to $40/can for the 3M stuff. I’ll pay for the good stuff if it’s worth it but I have no idea. I appreciate all your advice.
 
Granite said:
What do you guys like for weld-through primer? I’m seeing stuff from ~$12/can on up to $40/can for the 3M stuff. I’ll pay for the good stuff if it’s worth it but I have no idea. I appreciate all your advice.
Click to expand...

Steel-It

Edit: Wear a mask when you weld over this stuff or any other brand
 
  • Like
Reactions: Granite
AirborneTexasRanger said:
Steel-It

Edit: Wear a mask when you weld over this stuff or any other brand
Click to expand...

Do you recommend welding directly over the weld through primer, or clean it off? I've done it both ways, and always have trouble getting a good arc unless I grind it off at the point of the weld.
 
I typically only use weld through primer on areas that wont be accessible after welding like the back side of a plate or the inside of a tube. I always prefer clean metal.

If I end up welding through the primer I will establish a good puddle before I start to move (which you should be doing anyway). Usually this allows the leading edge of the puddle to burn away some of the primer. So yes I try to get clean metal to weld it.

That's with MIG, with TIG I never use primer
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: NashvilleTJ
Something that I'd like to discuss is weld quality. I've seen a lot of welds on various structures that seriously make me question it's integrity. Some of those welds are on build threads in this forum. I'm not saying that every one is a bad welder, but part of learning is recognizing your mistakes.

I weld quite often, probably every weekend & even I sometimes put down a shitty weld. Instead of just looking at it and saying I'll do better next time, I grab a grinder, remove the weld & try again. Especially if it is something my kids safety depends on. I find that this is good practice because you can try to make corrections with nearly identical variables. Also learning to repair welds is an important part of fabricating. Inspecting welds takes time to learn also, but an easy trick you can do is spray some flat primer over your welds & trust me those defects will jump right out at you. You can also use a flashlight pointing at the weld from different directions & look for shadows.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DB04RedJeep, sab and Apparition
This is mostly Stainless & different welding processes but these defects translate to most welding.

Cluster Porosity 2.jpg


Cluster Porosity.jpg


Crack 2.jpg


Crack.jpg


Crater Crack.jpg


Defect Removal.jpg


Excessive Reinforcement.jpg


Incomplete Penetration 2.jpg


Incomplete Penetration.png


Lack of Fusion.jpg


Laser Crack.png


LoF & Melt Through.jpg


MicrosoftTeams-image (7).png


Overlap & Crater Crack.jpg


Porosity 2.jpg


Stress Crack.jpg


Toe Crack.png


X-Ray Porosity.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: ColoJeep
Good news / bad news. I got 2 cans of steel-it from Amazon today and they came like this with the nozzles out, caps off and one cap broken.
The good news is Amazon let me keep the cans and refunded me the $70.

Do you think I’ll be able to insert these nozzles without wasting all the steel-it and still be able to use these? I’d hate to waste them.

IMG_1365.jpeg
 
Granite said:
Good news / bad news. I got 2 cans of steel-it from Amazon today and they came like this with the nozzles out, caps off and one cap broken.
The good news is Amazon let me keep the cans and refunded me the $70.

Do you think I’ll be able to insert these nozzles without wasting all the steel-it and still be able to use these? I’d hate to waste them.

View attachment 520314
Click to expand...

Nozzles on spray cans are easily removed and replaced. In fact, I routinely remove a nozzle after spraying, soak it in acetone, and then spray it clear with a compressed air blow nozzle so that it's good-to-go next time I spray. I wouldn't have bothered going for a refund for those cans.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Apparition
well dang - I’ve had nozzles come out and never successfully gotten them back in before without spraying all over. So I didn’t know this was common.
I’ll see if I can get these working. Might have just got myself 2 free cans of steel it with just a broken cap! If so I’ll feel a little guilty … might have to call Amazon back and pay again.
 
Granite said:
well dang - I’ve had nozzles come out and never successfully gotten them back in before without spraying all over.
Click to expand...

I’ve had them break off with the stem flush with the can before, and it’s not a simple “put it back on” situation. Maybe that’s what you’ve experienced?
 
What notcher did you get?

I bought a Harbor Freight one in the late 90s. Gave it away after one project.

The JMR I bought right after was almost a weeks pay back then 😃 . And I still have it. JMR is all I have ever used in my shop or anyone elses.

I do a lot of parts where there are lefts and rights, and two different angles on one notch. I love it because its extremely rigid, and angles and setups are very easily repeatable.

20150614_102432_Richtone(HDR).jpg


20150628_124943_Richtone(HDR).jpg


20160428_112138_Richtone(HDR).jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: DB04RedJeep and NashvilleTJ
CMBD said:
What notcher did you get?

I bought a Harbor Freight one in the late 90s. Gave it away after one project.

The JMR I bought right after was almost a weeks pay back then 😃 . And I still have it. JMR is all I have ever used in my shop or anyone elses.

I do a lot of parts where there are lefts and rights, and two different angles on one notch. I love it because its extremely rigid, and angles and setups are very easily repeatable.

View attachment 521377

View attachment 521378

View attachment 521379
Click to expand...

I bought the HF one because I've never used one before. It seems to get the job done for simple joints.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CMBD
Top Bottom