Tricks to make you welds stronger

[Arc weld]

Peening is used when welding cast iron and too much has the opposite effect. On mild steel practice till you can get a decent bead. Who wants their welds to look like they've been beat to chit? A standard chipping hammer and a hand wire brush is all you need. Even then, I've seen a lot welds look like someone wanted them to look like the surface of the moon all full of craters. Rods like 7014 the slag should almost self peel and require very little clean up.

 

[muddstopper]

I always use a needle scaler when I am stick welding, if I am making multiple passes. On cast, I like to use my large propane weed burner to preheat, weld an inch, use needle scaler, check temp and weld another inch. I usually use mig, 75/25argon for cast. I have tried stainless rods and nickel 99 with pretty good luck

 

[SPYDERLK]

Peening is used when welding cast iron and too much has the opposite effect. On mild steel practice till you can get a decent bead. Who wants their welds to look like they've been beat to chit? A standard chipping hammer and a hand wire brush is all you need. Even then, I've seen a lot welds look like someone wanted them to look like the surface of the moon all full of craters. Rods like 7014 the slag should almost self peel and require very little clean up.

Its strain relief youre getting with peening. Regardless of material this makes it less likely to crack. Force on a needle scaler is adjustable - not to mention much more suitable than a hammer because it conforms and takes little effort to get the whole surface.

 

[Sodo]

It was explained to me that peening puts the surface of the material in compression, holding tiny surface cracks closed, thus less likely to grow a crack. Like tempered glass is in surface compression. If thats the effect you want then it a scaler makes sense, thus treating every sq. mm of the focus area. Agreed it would be more suitable than a hammer. A high-speed wire brush can peen too, but certainly shallower than a scaler.

 

[SPYDERLK]

It was explained to me that peening puts the surface of the material in compression, holding tiny surface cracks closed, thus less likely to grow a crack. Like tempered glass is in surface compression. If thats the effect you want then it a scaler makes sense, thus treating every sq. mm of the focus area. Agreed it would be more suitable than a hammer. A high-speed wire brush can peen too, but certainly shallower than a scaler.

Yes. I have stated that in previous threads. Thank you for doing it here. I get tired of the need to repeat, but would have probably had to if you hadnt explained it.
larry

 

[dragoneggs]

In the aircraft world, it is known as cold working. Usually done on holes by an expanding mandrel to put the material in compression locally to improve fatigue life. A crack starts with cyclic loading (vibration) and every time it goes in tension, the crack propagates. If the area is in already in compression with zero load on it, then the tension stress for each cycle will be lower, causing the crack to grow slower.

 

[SPYDERLK]

In the aircraft world, it is known as cold working. Usually done on holes by an expanding mandrel to put the material in compression locally to improve fatigue life. A crack starts with cyclic loading (vibration) and every time it goes in tension, the crack propagates. If the area is in already in compression with zero load on it, then the tension stress for each cycle will be lower, causing the crack to grow slower.

Sounds like roller burnishing.

 

[Arc weld]

Spend some time on joint preparation and good fit up is the first thing you should do.

 

[FTG-05]

One of the first things I do to my welders is replace the ground cable with something heavier and slightly longer and then replace the (usually crappy) OEM ground clamp with a new 500 amp clamp.

 

[BHD]

Practice and learn how to weld,