[Mike K]

Hi Darrin

I'm not one to give welding advice , but

For steel that thick , you would be best to use a 3 phase welder , or a big DC welder driven by a petrol/deisel generator , you need big amps , single phase welding is not powerful enough .

If you have a TAFE near you, you may be able to enroll in a course and use their welding gear, they usually have big WIA 3 phase welders .

Try to study the original welds on the hull .

Also, they developed a substitute hardener for the local armour plate as they could not use Tungsten or Nickel as it wasn't available in Australia at the time ?

At a guess, the Aust. armour plate would have been made by BHP ?

Mike