Welding this Sheet Metal

[Charley Davidson]

I'm gonna finish weld this part of the project Monday, I tacked it up with .030 cause that was all I had but will get a roll of .023 to finish with. I want to make sure I don't oil can it, so should I just keep spot welding in between the welds until I have it all covered or can I run short 1/2" to 1" welds and be ok?

Also how smooth can I grind the welds before worrying about weakness? The finish on this project is gonna be bare metal with a swirl pattern then clear coated. Will the grinding of the welds cause enough heat to oil can?

Material is 18 gauge
4974

[John Kelly]

Hi Charlie,

It looks like you are welding on the corners? Very difficult to properly stretch a welded corner but I suppose you could do it. Making a flange on a part so the weld is next to the corner instead might be a better solution for your next similar project. The corner weld will shrink and pull on the surrounding metal making a curve that you did not intend and will most probably warp flat areas far from the weld.

You could do one short and hot tack weld and move on to another area, but you might also be able to do short welds very quickly down-hand... maybe an inch at a time. Grind, stretch, then see what kind of warpage you develop.

John www.ghiaspecialties.com