I’ve spent countless hours in the shop wrestling with stick welding problems, and let me tell you, nothing feels more frustrating than watching your weld bead fall apart just as you think you’re getting the hang of it. Whether it’s…
I’ve spent plenty of hours in the shop fine-tuning my TIG welding setup, and one thing I learned the hard way is that gas flow isn’t just a minor detail—it can make or break your welds. Too low a flow,…
Ever tried running solid MIG wire on a piece of dirty, painted, or thick steel only to watch the welds sputter and fail to penetrate? That’s a common frustration—and it’s exactly why flux-cored wire exists. Packed with flux in the…
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run into that frustrating moment when the MIG welder wire feeds but no arc fires up. The first time it happened to me, I was in the middle of tacking some mild…
Flux core welding often gets a bad rap because beginners see too much spatter or inconsistent arcs, and immediately think they’re doing something wrong. I’ve been there—struggling to get clean welds on thicker metals while wondering if MIG or TIG…
When I first started setting up my home welding setup, I thought grabbing a cheap machine and striking an arc would be enough — but the reality hit me quick. Between figuring out whether MIG or TIG was the better…
Setting up an oxy-acetylene torch can feel tricky at first—get the pressures wrong and you’ll either end up with a noisy, unstable flame or a sooty mess that ruins your weld. That’s where an oxy-acetylene welding pressure settings chart becomes…
First time I tried welding outside with my gas MIG welder. The wind kept blowing away the shielding gas, my arc control went out the window, and the welds were full of porosity. That’s when I realized I needed to…
Whether you’re a DIYer fixing up a trailer, a hobbyist crafting a custom gate, or a pro welder prepping galvanized steel for a client, you’ve likely faced the challenge of painting over that shiny zinc coating. How to clean galvanized…
Prices for shielding gas vary widely by region and supplier, so the smartest way to budget is to calculate your cost per cubic foot and multiply by the gas you’ll actually consume. This updated guide covers best-practice gas choices, current…