How do I tell if a weld is good?
How do I tell if a weld is good?
I hate to ask this question, but I bought some rough welded helm tops from someone and I was wondering how do I tell if it is a good weld. The second question is how do I remove the extra weld, to clean it up? I was thinking of taking pics and posting them, but I don't want to offend the seller, but it is my head. They are welded inside and out. It almost looks like the helm was welded once then ground down then re-welded. the welds look like a fat bead of caulk. I have no clue about welding...what to do. Should I post pics?
grind down the outside weld. use a disc grinder with a flexible wheel (don't use a solid wheel, they bite too deeply). it'll take a while, be patient. the more time you spend cleaning the better it'll look.
don't go beyond the first grit (say 80 or so) untill you check the weld.
when you get it down to the point where there's a nice peak, look all along the seam where it was welded. If all you see is steel, then there shouldn't be a problem. If you see a bunch of pits, it'll need to be rewelded.
If possible, find out what the guy used to weld it. If it was a stick welder (aka arc welder) it'll probably need more welding. get someone to weld it again with a small stick (one that's used for filling). arc welds are often strong and ugly.
if it was done with a mig/ tig there shouldn't be any cracks.
you're going to have a harder time making the rest of the helm, though....
HELMUT
------------------
Bridging the gap between his contemporaries, Helmut wore boxer- briefs.
don't go beyond the first grit (say 80 or so) untill you check the weld.
when you get it down to the point where there's a nice peak, look all along the seam where it was welded. If all you see is steel, then there shouldn't be a problem. If you see a bunch of pits, it'll need to be rewelded.
If possible, find out what the guy used to weld it. If it was a stick welder (aka arc welder) it'll probably need more welding. get someone to weld it again with a small stick (one that's used for filling). arc welds are often strong and ugly.
if it was done with a mig/ tig there shouldn't be any cracks.
you're going to have a harder time making the rest of the helm, though....
HELMUT
------------------
Bridging the gap between his contemporaries, Helmut wore boxer- briefs.
Well I posted some pics...the thumbnails look better then the actual pics, but other then that....
http://www.webcomics.net/Helm
http://www.webcomics.net/Helm