beauty and the beast

[david]

here is my second attempt at welding my own 3" downpipe,the first was not pretty and gave alot of people alot of laugh.even though i was game for laugh,i was determine to get this right.i had few member's who encourage meto try again, so i wen't back to the drawing board.
bought some 304 stainless steel electrodes for ARC welding.
this was quite easier than TIg welding,even though TIg welding will look better to look at.i believe with ss electrode's probably stronger than Tig.i weld the inside of the tube first,then out.
i used 2" pipe for the wastegate instead of 1.75".

[Error404]

TIG will give you the strongest weld - no question.

Second attempt looks laods better but still very little penetration by the looks of it - keep it up mate

[david]

i can asure you that this is stronger than what you think.
i tried to remove the wastegate with a hammer,i gave up after an hour

[Error404]

try hanging 30kg of it then heating it up to 900deg a few times

Porosity will be a major problem too unfortunatly -

you'll get there - practice pracitce practice!

[QuattroFever]

might be ok, you need to be confident on how you welded it tho. With arc welding you are managing the slag (the black crust that forms on top, obviously not calling you a pimp ) and if you're not experienced at welding then chances are its inside the weld.

TIG or MIG is a much better process. As long as theres gas both sides of the weld and you hold the tip close you're ok to crack on.

not rubbishing what you've done though. It's not too bad to look at, can you trust it?

[david]

might be ok, you need to be confident on how you welded it tho. With arc welding you are managing the slag (the black crust that forms on top, obviously not calling you a pimp ) and if you're not experienced at welding then chances are its inside the weld.

TIG or MIG is a much better process. As long as theres gas both sides of the weld and you hold the tip close you're ok to crack on.

not rubbishing what you've done though. It's not too bad to look at, can you trust it?

i always clean the black crust that forms on top with a small hammer and wire brush,and then restart welding
i used 304 ss electrode's,so trust it 100%
trust me this weld is strong

[GT500]

Got to say thats cheered me up no end!

[david]

[AndyP]

Did you ever fit this?

[david]

Did you ever fit this?

yep!:thumb been on my Rs2 for the past 3 month's and will be completing the rest of the 3" exhaust hopefully 2morrow

[s2driveruk]

function over form good luck getting it finished

[david]

function over form good luck getting it finished

cheers mate i well be on hands helping the welder finish the job

[GazzaG60]

props to the tryers.

better to have tried and failed than never tried at all. and you havn't failed.

brace it up well and i fee lthe welds will hold. ive seen worse hold up.

[Jamo]

Getting better! still don't know if I'd trust it long term but hey only one way to find out if it's up too the job

[S2central.net]

welding is on the same list as golf for me - just one of those things I cannot turn my hand to - I just don't have the patience for it. Credit to anyone that can weld anything in my book !

My mate's dad from years ago was a master welder and I was mostly flummoxed by how easy he made it all look - even on complex pieces - then you try something basic and make a horlicks of it. Its a great skill to have but I think some genetic ability is required to make you pursue perfect results from it as I know a lot of hands-on practise is required with that skill to truly master it.