[TheForge] RE: Stick rod vs mig (Larry Brown)

[Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer]

If everything is just right, electrical welds can be almost as 
slick as ground welds.
It requires the right rod, amperage and voltage, the right angles 
and shielding, the right rate of travel, proper prep and so on.
Once you begin to forge them everything changes.
Mig wire especially is full of bonus stuff to make it go down all 
nice-nice...
They don't seem to have the same things in mind as we do when 
they formulate that fill material...pf
Andrew Vida wrote:
> 
> 
> tbrforge wrote:
>>    Larry,
>>     I  have  noticed  that  Mig  welded then hammered left an undercut or
>>    inclusive  like  zone  around  the  outside  HAZ (heat affected zone).
>>    However,  I  regularly  TIG  joints,  especially on small joints and a
>>    little  hammer  work  blends  the weld almost invisibly. It rivals the
>>    cosmetics of a good forge weld. That is my opinion.
> 
>     That is the only real complaint I have about electrical welds in 
> decorative ironwork.  Short of CNC TIG, the beads are just so unsightly 
> and add greatly to the CF (Cheese Factor) of a piece.  Sometimes this 
> doesn't matter, but sometimes it REALLY matters.  All my MIG'd joints 
> got the file or angle grinder treatment on anything that wasn't either 
> completely hidden or on "cheap" work.  The only TIG joints I've seen 
> that I like as-welded are on the titanium bike frames by Merlin.  Those 
> beads are works of art in themselves.  If you ever run into a Merlin, 
> take a moment to observe the work and you will know what I mean.  They 
> are truly beautiful.
> 
>     _Andy
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