Looks good enough to me. Well done.

I sent an email notice to the vendor alerting them to the situation and I contacted my cc company and alerted them. I'd just like somebody to say; hey, the customer didn't cause this, we need to make it right for him. Instead it's; hey you bought it, it's yours now. I learned a long time ago, you c...

Maybe the pics are bad or maybe my old eyes are bad. But I don't see a lot of tearing or missing chunks. It just looks to me like either a stress crack or the the step was overloaded. It would be interesting to know the back story.

linkline, how is it those were broken? What happened?

I think a 10K pot is pretty standard, but honestly you won't damage anything if you are slightly off on the sizing. As for wiring, there are usually 5 wires 2 for the contactor micro switch, and 3 for the variable resister. 1 for each end of the resister and 1 for the wiper. Now which of the 5 wires...

I don't use magnetic clamps, but I always size my work clamps to match or exceed my machine's max output. Bigger can't hurt you, except maybe in the pocket ($$$).

I have zero experience with the CK machine, but it looks to have decent specs. I would like to see what they list as the lowest starting amps. The 25% duty cycle at 200A is on the low side for a lot of what I do, but everybody has different uses. According to Jody's online store, weldmonger.com, it...

I already replied to your other post on this topic, but a question occurs to me: what is the bucket itself made of? What kind of steel? Are you welding HSLA to HSLA or are you welding HSLA to mild steel? or something else? If you are welding HSLA to HSLA (or any other alloy other than mild steel) th...

How much weight do those brackets have to hold? If it is anything significant I probably wouldn't weld those. The weld material is never as strong as the base metal you are welding unless you do some kind of post weld heat treat or hardening process. I think for the amount of time you will put into ...

Those cracks may go farther than you suspect or farther than you can detect visually. Go to the weldingtipsandtricks youtube channel and search around. Jody posted a video a while back on how to detect where the ends of the cracks are (I believe he used some sort of dye penetrant). Drilling the ends...

You have got take extra steps to weld HSLA wire. HSLA can be prone to cracking and other weld defects. I don't think a standard ER70s-6 or E71T-1 wire is going to be the right choice when HSLA is involved. See this https://www.hobartbrothers.com/news/246/523/Tips-for-Achieving-Success-When-Welding-H...

I would use a straight in angle on the gun and pause more on the sides. Spend much less time in the middle.

Jody, the guy who owns this site and makes all the videos ditched everlast and now pretty much only uses the CK machine. He even sells them on the weld monger store. For me that is a significant endorsement for the CK MT machine.

I would say neither. A good metal core wire will put down more weld metal faster, and is plenty hot for penetration. As to the bevel are you winging this or is there a WPS you are following? Something like a Lincoln Metalshield 110 works on low alloy steel, has a low level of hydrogen diffusion simi...

I have always heard of metal core wire being used for high deposition applications like rebuilding excavation equipment. I have never seen it used on gauge thickness material. Can you post a link to the article?

Oh, and CO2 tanks can be had for $100 or less.

Not what you asked, but I would also consider a 20 lb CO2 tank. It's about the same size as an 80 cu ft tank but the aluminum CO2 tanks are much lighter. A 20 lb CO2 tank holds 178 cubic feet of gas, and is anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 the price of a C25 refill. If you are doing mobile work, the weld qu...

You can use aluminum or copper as a run-on and run off tab. Start the arc off the steel, and start dabbing as you move from the copper to steel. Then terminate the arc after you run off the steel to the copper at the end. Also watch (or rewatch) Jody's video on the thee things that go wrong when you...

I have a feeling that machine just doesn't have the necessary voltage to actually run 71M properly. I tried to look up your owners manual to look for a volt amp curve, and one isn't provided in that manual I found on line. But it does say that at 130 amps, you are only producing 20 volts (which is r...

Maybe I'm a bit off base here, but I'm not liking this shown. I'd prefer to bevel the left member some and not have that seam left 100% untouched. In a situation where you can't get to the other side of the joint, I'd want that to penetrate all the way. YMMV. I am not an engineer, but I believe if ...

Oscar wrote:Looks fused in pretty good to me.

+1...nice penetration without any lack of fusion. Do measure the throat size to make sure it is adequate. if not, add another pass.

I have the Lincoln Viking 3350 and I wear a 3M 7500 respirator with the pancake filters (2297 I think??). It fits fine for me under the helmet. Plus with the 7500 at least, the down draft exhalation keeps my lens from fogging up.

Can't say for sure. Could be some kind of wire feed process or maybe even stick welding. But I can't see if he is holding a MIG gun or a rod holder. The fact that you see sparks (TIG does not often spark unless you make a mistake) and the fact that I don't see his other hand making rod feeding movem...

Your responses get more and more amusing. And you are using bigger words to try and insult me. I love it. I have posted plenty of pictures of my work on this board and others. My level of experience and skill is far from perfect, I am actually an accountant by trade who welds as a hobby, but evidenc...

I sure would love to see some pics off those welds made with 3/32 rod that passed race specs. Yiu might spend a bit time of watching this, and checking out some of Tim’s videos. You might be exposed to some things you had not previously heard, learned, or considered. https://youtu.be/sh20QmIs-OE Ti...