One of the biggest wake-up calls I had in the shop came when a soldered stainless joint failed because I’d grabbed the wrong flux. At first glance, the bead looked fine, but it turned brittle fast—and that’s when it hit…
I tried to run a bead on a thick steel plate using an old stick welder in the shop — the arc kept sputtering, the rod stuck, and the weld looked nothing like the smooth joints I wanted. That’s when…
In my early welding days out here in California, striking a clean arc without burning straight through the plate felt like an uphill battle. Like many beginners, I wasn’t sure if I should start with stick welding for heavy structural…
First time I tried welding in my garage and realized just how loud the sparks, grinders, and hammering could be—not just for me, but for the whole neighborhood. Soundproofing a garage workshop might not sound as exciting as mastering TIG…
Flux core welding often sparks one of the most common questions in the shop: does flux core welding require gas? For many welders—especially those transitioning from MIG vs TIG or tackling stainless, mild steel, or different metal thicknesses—this can be…
I had to calculate fillet weld strength for a project — staring at a t-joint with uneven metal thickness, wondering if my MIG welds would actually hold under load. Fillet welds might look simple, but getting their strength right is…
A stick welder not arcing can stop a project in its tracks, and I’ve faced that headache more than once in the shop. Everything looks ready—metal cleaned, rods lined up, machine buzzing—but instead of a smooth strike, the electrode just…
One of the biggest frustrations I’ve faced in the shop is pulling out a piece of steel, excited to start welding, only to find it covered in stubborn rust. Anyone who’s worked with filler rods, compared MIG vs TIG, or…
When you first look at an acetylene tank, it’s easy to assume it’s just a solid cylinder of compressed gas like an argon or CO₂ bottle. But any welder who’s spent time cutting steel plate, prepping joints for MIG vs…
One of the first challenges I ran into as a new welder was figuring out the maximum fillet weld size for plate thickness. I once laid down a heavy bead on 1/4″ plate, thinking more filler metal meant a stronger…