One of the first challenges I ran into with flux core welding was figuring out why some welds had great penetration while others looked weak or burned straight through the plate. It didn’t take long to realize the issue came…
When I first tried setting up a garage workshop on a tight budget, I quickly realized that getting started with welding isn’t just about buying a machine—it’s about making smart choices that affect weld quality, safety, and efficiency. I remember…
When I first started MIG welding aluminum, I was surprised by how often that stubborn black smut would show up around my welds. At first, I blamed my technique or the filler wire, but I soon realized that smut when…
One winter evening in the shop, I mixed up a batch of JB Weld to patch a small crack in a steel bracket, thinking it would be solid in no time. Hours later, the bond was still soft, and I…
A welder’s daily work goes far beyond just striking an arc. From the moment the torch fires up, every step matters — prepping joints, fitting metal, selecting the right filler rods, and deciding whether MIG, TIG, or stick is the…
When I first struck an arc with a small 70 amp stick welder, I quickly realized that it’s not about having the biggest machine in the shop—it’s about technique. The arc wanted to stick, the filler rods burned fast, and…
I struggled to pick the right TIG welding filler rod for a stainless steel project — the joint kept cracking, the bead looked uneven, and I realized I had no clue how critical filler rod selection really is. Choosing the…
When I first started welding, one of the biggest challenges I ran into wasn’t striking an arc — it was figuring out which process to use. Should I go with MIG for speed, TIG for precision, stick welding for versatility,…
One of the biggest lessons I picked up early in my welding journey was how challenging stainless steel can be when setting up a Miller TIG welder. Too much heat and the metal distorts or loses its corrosion resistance; too…
Early on in the shop, grabbing the wrong spool of flux-cored welding wire taught me a hard lesson about porosity, spatter, and weak beads. Not all flux-cored wires are created equal — some are built for structural steel, others for…