Welding With DW: Over My Figurative Shoulder

Part 1: Introduction

The idea to shoot some informative welding videos has been brewing for a long time, and when Pikesan asked if I’d be interested in doing something with MyRideisMe.com, that was the final straw!  Although it’s taken almost a pair of years to finally have something to show, I think you’ll enjoy and hopefully benefit from the series.

After I started the Welder Series parts assembly videos on YouTube, people began emailing to ask why I weld the way I do, and to please offer some tips.  I was flattered that people were even watching the videos, let alone asking me for welding tips!  From the beginning, they were never intended to be welding tutorials – I was just putting parts together!

Basically, in these videos, I’ll be bringing you into the Welder Series shop and blabbing away about welding.  The videos  will be loosely broken down into categories based on whatever aspect of welding I feel like talking about at the time.  I might even slip in some general shop tips once in a while…

What I won’t do is tell you what type of gas to use for which grade of steel, recommend what tungsten to use, what heat setting to run for different material thickness, etc.  I’m not a welding supplies salesman… I’m sure he’d be happy to answer those questions for you.

In this video, I focus on different ways to hold a tig torch.  Notice I didn’t say “the best way”… the best way will be the most comfortable for you.

Thanks for watching!  If you have any suggestions on aspects of welding that you’d like to see me blab about, please send me an email: dw@welderseries.com.

DW Horton
Welder Series Inc.

What type of welder should I use?

Either stick, MIG or TIG can be used to assemble and install Welder Series parts. The machine has to have the capacity to weld the material thickness (most Welder Series brackets are 3/16” mild steel).

Stick welders don’t need a tank of shielding gas because the electrode is coated. This coating burns and keeps the air from the weld during the fusion process. Stick welders are more forgiving than TIG if the material being welded is dirty. A good weld made with a stick welder is… a good weld.

MIG welders are convenient because the wire feeds as long as the trigger is pulled (until the spool is emptied). It is easier to get the gun in position to weld because the arc will only be created when the trigger is pulled. MIG offers greater control than stick because the arc is closer to your hand, the arc is always the same distance from your hand (a new stick electrode starts out 12” to 14” long and burns down to the holder), and it’s easy to use two hands to steady the gun. MIG welders are more forgiving than TIG if the material being welded is dirty.

TIG welding gives the greatest power control of the three types being discussed. Often a foot pedal or thumb control is used to adjust the intensity of the arc while welding. TIG requires co-ordination between both hands and, with a foot control, one foot. TIG is not tolerant of dirty material. Rust or carbon scale will “jump” from the material to the tungsten electrode and change the arc pattern. Often it’s necessary to stop welding and replace or sharpen the tungsten when this happens. TIG does produce the dainty, “etched” pattern often seen in street rod and race car products. These are made by highly skilled welders.

A Welder Series tig weld.

Welder Series Mustang II upper towers, showing a mig bead (foreground) and tig bead (around the shock cone).

Dear Welder Series… four link, sway bar, tig welder

Fabrication, Welding and how-to’s for your home built hot rod from WelderSeries.com

Dear Welder Series…

I have a 1956 Chev truck and want to put a 4 link in the back .was thinking of a triangulated one. would that work? the frame is 34 inches wide.or should i use a parallel 4 bar and a panhard bar and which kit # do you recommend ? thank you Dave

Dave, this is a good question… There are several considerations when choosing a rear suspension system.
An important one is frame width.
A typical triangulated rear 4-link has the upper bars mounting off of the frame boxing plates and angling back to each side of the differential housing. The narrower the frame, the less triangulation is possible unless the upper bars get shorter. Shorter upper bars cause greater pinion angle change. The upper bars could be angled from wide apart on the axle tubes to close together off of a crossmember to get more triangulation.

A parallel 4-link and Panhard bar is not as sensitive to frame width. The bars should be mounted as wide apart as practical to stabilize the rear end.

The triangulated system requires more precise installation. It costs less because there is no Panhard kit

The parallel 4-link/Panhard system allows adjustment in any direction with a minimal effect on other settings.

Both systems can cause problems with exhaust routing.

I recommend the parallel kit because it’s easier to install and easier to set up.

Thanks for writing. I hope we can help with your project.

Paul Horton

Dear Welder Series…

Do you make your universay sway bar in 0500 inch diameter. The 48 Plymouth Conv I’m working on never had a rear sway bar and I may not be able to use anything greater than .750 on the front.

Bob, all of our sway bars are .75″ diameter. The outer tube, which serves as a bearing (urethane bushing) holder and a place for the mounting tabs, is 1-3/8″ O.D.

Dear Welder Series…

Specifically I’m looking to get into a tig setup for the first time. Would a Miller Maxstar 150 be powerful enough to do the nice (and quick, I might add!) tig welding I see being done on your videos?

Thanks, Scott

Thanks for asking me about this welder, Peter. I’m not familiar with it, but it seems light. Here is a forum thread that I’ve been following that might be helpful: http://canadianrodder.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3206

I know Mike (Oldman) and respect his knowledge. (He’s a heck of a good guy, too.)

I hope this helps.

Paul Horton.