body work for a newbie

[cantankrs]

Hi Michael,

Anybody wants to learn about forming and welding coachwork I recommend Ron Fournier's series of sheetmetal handbooks.

I highly recommend the Metalshapers Association website. Heaps of pictures and advice to learn from.

I bought a MIG and then had to learn how to use it which for some reason was hard for me and after that knowledge, it improved my oxy and stick welding - go figure.

You can't weld rust despite what some jokers will tell you. Some steel rusts such that the whole thickness is a hard rust that looks like its solid - it kinda is and it's hard to sand and grind but it's brittle and touch the mig to it and it just melts and falls out. All that has to be replaced if you encounter it.

You need good replacement steel same thickness as the old. I've used zinc anneal sheet with success. I'd be interested to know what anyone else thinks about that.

I use 0.6mm MIG wire on body panels.

Don't hold a bit of 16 gauge on the edge of a lump of channel and tip the edge with a hammer - clamp it down or use some sort of weighted bag (sand bag or lead shot filled leather bag) and rest your hand on the bag to support it - my wrists didn't take to the shocks from holding it down.

The most important tools are the eye, ear, face, nose and throat protection. You only get one pair of eyes, you want to protect your good looks (face), and you want to be able to breathe without rasping when you're old.

The most often used tool tools for me are a 4" angle grinder (can get 1mm cutting discs here now), a Black and Decker PowerFile. One hammer - I'd pick one with a round, slightly convex face and maybe with a pick on the other end but not needed. You want some clamps - G clamps, vice grips, whatever you can scrounge. You want something solid to clamp things to that has a straight edge and can handle being hammered - a bit of I-beam might do the trick and the grinder with grinding disk can dress it up how you want.
A magic marker and a pencil and a ruler and some scissors and cardboard to make templates and mark out. Also some snips are handy - I prefer Wiss left and right cut pair of aviation tin snips.

Try and make your patches an exact replacement shape.

The powerfile is quick and easy to clean the edges around the hole you intend to patch. Can't mig weld paint, grease, or sealant. (use scraper and or degreaser on grease).

You aim to shape and fit your replacement steel patches with no more than about a 1mm gap all around. You turn the mig up a bit and tack the piece FLUSH all around and with a minimum number of spot tacks i.e. 4. Stop and check the position and flushness with the surrounding metal. Cut the spots and make corrections until its perfect. Then tack half way between using same small hot tacks. Don't let the metal get too hot. Once you have nice low build tacks with 100% penetration every one inch, then I tend to do 1cm (just under half inch) welds at opposite areas and keep the panel cool. I use a wet rag from a bucket to cool the panel if I think it needs it.

I'll think about what I've forgotten to mention

Regards

Alex