I'm one of the people who kind of prefers 10 - 15 minute videos, but I can just sit and watch your work for hours. To me this video seemed about 5 minutes long. The mark of true craftsmanship. Thank you for sharing all of this with us.
Thank you very much for your comments. I am working daily at improving my metalworking skills and welding processes. Tig is still my preferred method of welding. I know I have been saying this for a while. But I am trying to get a group from Utah to your classes.
@@BROOKLYNSPEED your welcome. Hopefully you try it and like it. I really appreciate people like Wray sharing his skill. I try to help as well. We are one big family.
I find it mesmerizing how your panel looks completely butchered after the hammering and then you wheel it even again, and across the iterations you're introducing ever more curvature. I work in sheet metal fabrication but the most deformation we ever do is straight bends and round rolling. I'm loving this video, thanks for sharing.
It's amazing that you can take something that looks all wadded up and smooth it to a high sheen and consistent surface finish. Metalwork is amazing. I am currently working on two roof panels and had a wiggly edge. I will be doing the 45 wheeling that you suggested. I am about 90 percent from being finished with the shape on both panels.
The 10 minute clan can go jump! The longer the video, the better! Put as much detail into your tutorials as you feel is required. I for one are trying to soak up as much of your knowledge as I can. 3 Ps, patients, perseverance, persistence. What I’ve learnt from you videos is invaluable to me. 2019 I was quoted $20k to make 2 custom one of panels for my car. What I’ve learnt from your channel + about $4k worth of equipment, has allowed me to begin making it myself. Thanks again mate.
@@proshaper Hi Wray. I am aware of the equipment you can supply and would love to have a bit of it. The problem is in the last few years the postage from the states to eastern Victoria Australia + the customs duty on imported goods is phenomenal. Perhaps in the future as my skills improve, I will have a need for more quality equipment such as yours. Thank you for taking the time to reply mate.
Definitely a game changer. Boone showed me that technique a couple of years ago, and it makes all the difference in the world. And to be able to explain the the process and have people immediately see the advantages in it speaks for it's practicality and effectiveness. Especially when it's someone like Wray, with his immense knowledge and skill. Of course, I prefer to TIG everything I can. But on areas where you're unable to access the backside to planish a weld seam, this is a great way to approach it. Another couple of advantages I think are worth noting: -Wray mentioned the fact that a lot of people quench or cool their MIG welds in an attempt to keep the panel from getting hot, but end up with just as much, or even more warpage/distortion. I believe that it also creates an even harder, more brittle, and more porous weld, and that it does cause more warpage than not quenching your welds. I feel that because although you may be keeping the overall panel cool, it introduces a localized extreme heat cycle each time, almost like creating a mini "tuck" with each cycle. Doing that 200 times in a row, in a straight line down a quarter panel will end up looking like something that had 200 small shrinks put into it in, all in line with each other. -As any fabricator/welder will tell you, sheet metal will shrink when you weld it, no matter the process. But the effectiveness of your heat control technique can minimize the amount of shrink and thus the amount of warpage. With Boone's process, it's a much more gradual "wave"of heat passing through the panel, rather than essentially creating and setting a "tuck" with each stitch. -I might be alone here, but I swear that when I hit a cold piece of steel with mig wire, it seems to run into the panel, then arc, then create enough heat enough to actually weld, and finally burns in the weld. While I know it's a fairly instantaneous process, I feel like I can watch the first part of a mig weld on cold sheet metal do one of 2 things: either ball up and lay on the surface, or blow through the seam. I believe that you can create a better, more consistent weld in a sequence of tacks (or dimes) placed (or stacked) before the previous "dime" cools. Then, by immediately grinding the weld, you keep the area hot, eliminating the hot/cold cycles throughout the weld process that cause much of the warpage by setting a tuck/shrink each time it cools. I think that if you can keep the heat input reasonably low, but more importantly, consistent, and moving gradually (and consistently) across the panel, this "wave" of heat does less to disrupt the shape of the panel than other methods. -Additionally, grinding the previous stack levels the surface height and greatly reduced the thickness of the weld bead. This way, you keep from sticking a weld on top of a previous one that's already several times thicker than the parent metal. On top of that, I believe that a weld that has cooled has also oxidied and formed a shell of impurities. (I don't know if it's technically slag, but in my opinion, a weld that has cooled and hasn't been ground, or at least buzzed over with a wire brush seems to take the next weld much like the first welds on a pice of plate steel that hasn't had the mill scale removed.) By eliminating this, you end up with much better, more consistent penetration, a more malleable/less brittle weld than a typical MIG, and less porosity. Each time you hit it with a new weld after grinding your 3/4" stitch, you're welding to a cleaned and level surface rather than piling it on top of a hard weld that's ~4x the thickness of the parent metal. -Finally, the welding part of a repair done this way seems to take a little longer because of the time spent grinding in between welds, but overall time is substantially less due to the fact that you have little to no grinding left to do afterwards, and there is far less warpage.
That is the other advantage of the system. It slows you down and forces you to pay attention to alignment. So you end up with nearly an invisible weld. It will never equal tig.
Can’t get enough of this stuff! Reading comments on other videos shows me how much I’ve learned from all this. The Jag nose series really opened it all up IMO. Too bad the short video people will likely never learn what perseverance it takes. I’m building a facilitator now(rented your video) and will start on the tucking machine next(like it or not! LOL). I’m fairly good at scaling from photos and video but I’m sure I’ll have some questions about the coating, etc. Please keep them coming!
There is a lot of skill here, when I saw the state of that panel after the shrinking and bashing, it looked ready for the skip. I do think that the wheel only method seemed more refined though. Saying that , I'm not a metalworker of any sort so I shall watch on. Thanks for sharing.
Love your work. I am a welder fourty years experience. Have you ever tried CMT MIG welders Lincoln has one Miller And my favorite Fronuse . Cold Metal Transfer MIG pulse or MIG pulse on pulse. They produce less distortion because of pulse. With MIG pulse on pulse actually lays abead just like tig.
I don't know if it ever do something that big but maybe something small. Either way this spool AWESOME I would have never Dreamed it would have worked out like that. I can't thank you enough for showing all of us this video.. Thank you for your time!! Really because I can tell that's some work!!!
i think the steep learning curve and more demanding technique are the main reasons tig is more daunting for people to take up. mig is basically point and shoot, and forgiving enough to hide a lot of mistakes and imperfections in technique. tig needs many hours behind the torch to hone skills. absolutely worth every second though.
I disagree that tig takes a long time to learn. Watch my video where I teach nine year old Steven to tig weld with a four minute lesson. His first weld ever, a butt weld of aluminum that was visually excellent and was strong as the parent metal. Watch also the video of Jac tig welding for the first time.
Great video, because I only do aircraft panels I prefer the aluminum videos. Wish you could do some videos with 2024-t3 but I understand most automotive related aluminum is 3003-h14....thanks for taking the time to do the videos.
Great tutorial as always Wray. I find the only problem with grinding the Mig welds down in stages is you can thin the unwelded section adjacent to the weld and then burn through and/or grind through when continuing with the welding process. The biggest draw back is the feed wire makes for a harder weld and you can't really planish it . But for many of us it's a case of "make do and mend " . Thanks Wray.
The wire in most cases is the same in TIG and MiG, the difference is the amount of heat put in to the material and it cools quickly hence the harder deposit.
@@notanymore9471 I have heard that said. But mig rod is wound on a spool. They use oil to help with that process. The one time I used mig wire to tig. Was the last time I used mig wire to tig. Very dirty.
@@boonelipsey5393 sorry dude but you are 100% wrong. ER-70 S6 is the standard mild steel mig wire. It works for TIG just fine. The only difference between that and ER 70 s2 is the levels of silicon and manganese and other elements that scour the weld pool for oxygen as MIG is often used to weld material that has a contaminated surface versus TIG which usually has more prep done. To your point the wire is cleaned of oil and contamination before the copper flash coating is applied so if the wire was dirty or didn’t weld well it was you and your lack of preparation or your skill level. As far as hardness goes it has everything to do with cooling rate and polarity. TIG runs on straight and MIG runs in reverse which controls where the heat is put into the weld, reverse melts the wire whereas straight puts heat into the work which affects cooling rate. A fast cooling rate makes the material more hard and brittle than a slow cooling rate from TIG which is why you can mechanically work a TIG weld with more success that a MIG weld. Trust me you are arguing with the wrong person.
@@boonelipsey5393 one more point, when wire is drawn down in diameter it is annealed as required to prevent cracking/breaking from work hardening and that hardness would not affect the final hardness of the weld anyways. The only factors that affect final hardness if the weld deposit are cooling rate and levels of carbon etc in the weld metal. In a mild steel wire carbon level is low which is why it is considered a mild or low alloy steel.
On the subject of Mig v Tig here is some thing else to consider. When you mig weld your gas contains carbon dioxide and carbon is what is added to steel to harden it.... when you tig you use pure argon. The wire is the same type of steel so it's not that and mild steel does not contain enough carbon to realistically harden. The other difference is that you have post flow of shielding gas on tig but on mig you don't so the weld will oxidise whilst at high temp that will harden the weld bead. Just like what happens to steel when plasma cut. You get a hard edge.
hmm. - argon is also used for both mig & tig, so that's not a constant that affects weld hardness. - c02 is only popular as a shielding gas because it's cheap. weld quality is actually worse than with argon or mixes. - filler wires are very different depending on what you choose, also not a constant. - the amount of carbon added to mild steel from co2 shielding is basically negligible. the biggest differences between the two techniques, and why mig is harder and more brittle: 1. tig heats the base metal and moves heat out to the filler. cools much slower compared to mig. 2. mig instantly fuses the filler into the base metal in a smaller area, and cools very rapidly. this makes a harder, more brittle weld. 3. the contrast between the slow, hot weld and the fast 'cold' weld is the main differentiating factor. re plasma cuts - the reason the edges are so hard is due to nitriding when using nitrogen in the gas.
@@daos3300 Pure argon is not generally used for mig welding steel. It is an argon co2 mix with some oxygen in too I believe. Perhaps I should test the mig tomorrow on pure argon with steel. If it is a softer weld then it is the gas that is causing the hardening not the process. I'll post the result when I'e done it.
I am intreged by the tig welder you used. It sounds like it would be a perfect starter tig. I own and have welded with an econotig for years. Currently using a everlast at work. Both are good entry level welders.
Hi Boone, that small blue Chinese tig welder is a CT 312. It is DC only but works perfectly for sheet steel. It is a least four years old now. I have one listed in my Amazon store that is only $197.00.
@@proshaper I have a co-worker who is interested in purchasing one for home. I will let him know that he can get one. I sat down with him for about a half an hour working with him on foot pedal heat control. He picked it up quickly and can already run a nice bead.
THANKS for giving so much useful information in your videos -- YOU are the Master of sheet metal! Your gathering tool is the cats pajamas! Looks really worthwhile to have. Do you have a video or plans showing things to consider and how to make it?
@@proshaper Great - I'm sure we all look forward to that.THANKS! This will save me from having to swing a dulled axe blade to make gathers on the heavier guage panels - Yipes! A LOT more controllable - and safe - yours will be.
Great work! Just with a hammer an english wheel! And not too much time - if you have wrays abilities :) The Eckhold Kraftformer is more comfortable, of course, but very expensive.
Everybody trys to speed up the process. The equation is Labor or Capital. Spend labor or spend capital. The speed goes up as you spend capital. Fastest to slowest. Most expensive to least expensive. 1: Stamping is the most expensive and the fastest. 2:Hammerforming method 3: power hammer/Ecklod method 4: English wheel 5: hammers /dollies/stump/mallet. All methods work, all require precise measurements. Your choice.
At my classes some of my students with zero experience before attending my class are able to put out outstanding panels in just a few days of classroom instruction. Watch my next video, should get it done Monday.
@@proshaper Wonderful! I appreciate the amount of work you're putting into the advancement and passing down of knowledge in the trade of metal shaping. Humans are creative and unique beings. The tin can cars corporations are turning out now all look a like. They have no soul anymore. All they can do is try to dazzle us with technology that usually breaks in a short time.
Wray, With regard to shrinking. If you use a paper pattern to get an idea of where to shrink, of course you get long pleats and short pleats in the paper. If a pleat is 6" long and you have no facility (i.e. tucking fork can only do 3"), can you get away with more 3" shrinks versus one 6" shrink? Or maybe, the long (in this example, 6") pleat doesn't strictly say the shrink needs to go 6" into the panel?
I don't use tucking forks because of the length limitation and it also leaves a strong scar caused by the end of the fork tines. I use my gathering tool which can shrink 10" into a panel, usually 6 or less is sufficient. The panel does not have to be totally shrink shaped it can be a percentage of shrink/stretch. Usually 50/50 works perfectly. I do all of my shrinking using the shrinking facilitator and the gathering tool. I have thumbnail dies in my Trumpf and big power hammer, I much prefer to shrink as I described using the shrinking facilitator and gathering tool. The shrink marks totally go away.
@@proshaper Thanks Wray, so it sounds like if the paper pattern tells you that you need a shrink longer than you are capable of, that you shrink as much as you can and replace the rest of the shrink with inboard stretch.
@@rustynail3991 One: you don't have to make all panels by shrinking only high crown panels. I don't use paper patterns, I use flexible shape patterns. If the flexible shape pattern shows 3" of rise in the panel, I then shrink, if it has less I stretch shape the panel.
Loving these videos Wray and would love to take one of your classes but a bit hard from Australia. Can you please explain why you have such a wide top wheel on the English wheel. I’ve been trying to work it out but can’t get past the fact that the contact area doesn’t change in the lower wheel. Cheers, John
Hi John, Thanks for the positive comments. I have had plenty of Australians take my class over the years. I have always found that people that travel long distances to my classes are much more serious about learning as much as they can while at my class. I made my first wide wheel in the early 90's. Why wide top wheels is a common question. First off the wide top wheel holds the panel horizontal so you don't have to make sure the panel is dead horizontal. This prevents top wheel edge bite. The wide top wheel also bridges low spots, The lower anvil wheel acts as a fulcrum and the top wheel the lever. Used with large lower anvils you can have wider contact areas, making them more efficient.
@@jonbon1904 if the distance is an obsticale. You got Peter tommasini in austalia. I dont want to be an a*****le and reccomend another guy on a serten guys page. But that is an option in your case :) i have another guy here in Sweden. Would Love to take wrays classes. But the distance is an issue. Renting somwhere to live and so on. Got a relative to stay at where the guy in Sweden is.
Is it necessary to wheel it between each shrink session? Or could you go from the shrinking facilitator to the gathering tool? I imagine it’s to clean up the shrink marks little by little for a more quality finish.
I have heard that another reason that mig welds are harder is that most people are using a mixed gas instead of straight argon for their mig welder. The CO2 in the mix is infusing carbon into the weld, making it harder. Any thoughts on this?
No I only will use the shrinking disc on a weld seam after it has been worked with slapper and dolly or planishing hammer. If it is high after working the seam then that is when you bring in the shrinking disc.
Wray. Your coment on Mig and the 3/4" , 1" weld and grind . Nothing was said what Mig wire size he uses and does he use stitch . Just a coment try setting up a stinger for 0.25 wire and stitch or pulse it's easy to controll with good penatration and fewer burn through holes . Go to a welding supply and have them set up a Stinger for 0.25 wire.🤓
@@boonelipsey5393 Boon . In theory yes in your comment. But have you used the method i menchiond and then compare the differences then you will see what works better all the way around 0.23 . 0.25 wire.
Yes I have. I experience far less heat effected zone with .030. Expecially if my gap is not as close as I like. It's all about what works best for the individual. Everyone welds differently. I prefer tig over mig in nearly every situation.
@@boonelipsey5393 Both welding methods are veary useful they have advantages over each other that's where experience go's to play . I find that in welding sheetmetal 0.23 wire has the advantages. Remember you have to properly setup a stinger for 0.23 , 0.25 wire . Hope this helps you be more successful. 🧐
@@curtisvonepp4335 I got turned onto .030 18 years ago. I will never go back. Expecially with my welding process. Ivhave been welding since I was 18 years old. I am 54 years old now. I have welded with .023 for the majority of the time. I prefer 030. Much better weld. But like I said. I prefer tig.
Mig weld is brittle and its prone to cracking so heat it with a torch and hammer it litely and use a shrinking wheel if ya get heat worping unless you have all this guys tools
Your explanations about the welds is probably OK , BUT there is ONLY ONE WAY to weld new made panels and not having any problems, either when re wheeling (if necessary) or planishing and the actual surface finish . And that is ...gas welding ! .... Guess what.... it's also a lot quicker .
Wray , please do not take this as a criticism , but I think you are shrinking the wrong side, (the wheel arch side will shrink it self once you start the blocking the middle crown .) The shrinking should be done on the oppised edge, this way the panel will go around the wire buck and immediately touch at the the top of the buck where your next panel is going to be welded, (and no shrinking at that weld point is necessary )..... The way you are doing it at the moment ,you are going to run out of metal on the wheel arch side + the guard crown will be too low . Again this is not a criticism simply a HUMBLE suggestion.
Hi Peter, there are many ways to make this panel as I stated, This is an educational demonstration. I will make the same panel again several more ways.
@@johnbuchanan6045 I had to think about it for a moment before I replied. Then I remembered a time that I actually heat shrunk an unruly panel using a heat gun on high.
@@boonelipsey5393 I’m going to give your method a try today as described by Wray. I think on another stretch I’ll also heat the metal to get it warm, not hot, so it won’t be such a temperature shock. Just an experiment, maybe create more work for myself. Cheers
@@johnbuchanan6045 I hope people can take my method and expand on it. Let us know what you think. If you run into a slag let me know. It's a little hard to explain it when you can show it. Read Reilly's explanation. It is very good. I am thinking about doing a video.
@@proshaper the problem is that if you are going to have that SAME rapid cooling problem with both TIG and MIG then there is no justification in using THAT as the reasoning as to why TIG is supposedly so preferable to MIG. Ultimately who really cares what welding method they use so long as it gets the job done. FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION. Does it work as intended? Yes or no? If not. Well, then it can be the most beautiful thing in the world but if it doesn't work then ultimately it's just junk or an art sculpture and not really a mechanism. A master using LOUSY tools can still produce a better work than a novice even though the novice has the best tools. Ne?
Thank you so much for making these videos. I am a novice metal worker, learning as I go. I built this vehicle, a morgan 3 wheeler replica using 18 ga. aluminum rolled and riveted to a steel frame, and I am working on a second one now. The second one has a bit of a "Mercedes silver spur" like front end, of which your explanation of metal shaping has been invaluable! Thanks again. ua-cam.com/video/r_-LRM9humE/v-deo.html
i understand why they use mig cause tigs are expensive and are a lot harder to master thats why home builders use them but a pro should never for sheetmetal and i dont know 1 that does. mig welds are hard and after u grind them and put all that heat in there if it hasnt warped it the weld will usually crack when u hammer on them. u should only tig or gas weld panels if u are doing this as a profession at a high level. plus mig takes forever! ok mig welders, let me have it.lol
Tig welder can be now purchased inexpensively, for as little as $300.00 for steel only. If you want to tig aluminum and steel you can find a tig welder for under $1000.00.
He seems nervous about saying anything wrong. I say fuck it up and if you ruin it .. fix it. If you don't ruin it .. don't fix it. Break it because it's more fun to fix something than it is to not understand anything. When in doubt. Weld it!
So by doing what he does, he isn't work harding the metal. Is that what your saying. Is tig welding a form of brazing. Another words is it like brazing but instead of using a flame your using electric. Ronnie.
I'm one of the people who kind of prefers 10 - 15 minute videos, but I can just sit and watch your work for hours. To me this video seemed about 5 minutes long. The mark of true craftsmanship. Thank you for sharing all of this with us.
Australia here, thank you so much for your generosity, in demonstrating your skills and encouraging me to have a go. Thank you so much. Dave
Thank you very much for your comments. I am working daily at improving my metalworking skills and welding processes. Tig is still my preferred method of welding. I know I have been saying this for a while. But I am trying to get a group from Utah to your classes.
thanks for tips
@@BROOKLYNSPEED your welcome. Hopefully you try it and like it. I really appreciate people like Wray sharing his skill. I try to help as well. We are one big family.
I find it mesmerizing how your panel looks completely butchered after the hammering and then you wheel it even again, and across the iterations you're introducing ever more curvature. I work in sheet metal fabrication but the most deformation we ever do is straight bends and round rolling. I'm loving this video, thanks for sharing.
Don't stop the steel, Wray. Make them as long as you want, I think the majority of us want them longer.
It's amazing that you can take something that looks all wadded up and smooth it to a high sheen and consistent surface finish. Metalwork is amazing. I am currently working on two roof panels and had a wiggly edge. I will be doing the 45 wheeling that you suggested. I am about 90 percent from being finished with the shape on both panels.
The 10 minute clan can go jump!
The longer the video, the better!
Put as much detail into your tutorials as you feel is required.
I for one are trying to soak up as much of your knowledge as I can.
3 Ps, patients, perseverance, persistence.
What I’ve learnt from you videos is invaluable to me.
2019 I was quoted $20k to make 2 custom one of panels for my car.
What I’ve learnt from your channel + about $4k worth of equipment, has allowed me to begin making it myself.
Thanks again mate.
Hi John , Thanks! Remember I design, make, and sell a lot of small and large tools. www.proshaper.com
@@proshaper
Hi Wray.
I am aware of the equipment you can supply and would love to have a bit of it.
The problem is in the last few years the postage from the states to eastern Victoria Australia + the customs duty on imported goods is phenomenal.
Perhaps in the future as my skills improve, I will have a need for more quality equipment such as yours.
Thank you for taking the time to reply mate.
Definitely a game changer. Boone showed me that technique a couple of years ago, and it makes all the difference in the world. And to be able to explain the the process and have people immediately see the advantages in it speaks for it's practicality and effectiveness. Especially when it's someone like Wray, with his immense knowledge and skill.
Of course, I prefer to TIG everything I can. But on areas where you're unable to access the backside to planish a weld seam, this is a great way to approach it.
Another couple of advantages I think are worth noting:
-Wray mentioned the fact that a lot of people quench or cool their MIG welds in an attempt to keep the panel from getting hot, but end up with just as much, or even more warpage/distortion. I believe that it also creates an even harder, more brittle, and more porous weld, and that it does cause more warpage than not quenching your welds. I feel that because although you may be keeping the overall panel cool, it introduces a localized extreme heat cycle each time, almost like creating a mini "tuck" with each cycle. Doing that 200 times in a row, in a straight line down a quarter panel will end up looking like something that had 200 small shrinks put into it in, all in line with each other.
-As any fabricator/welder will tell you, sheet metal will shrink when you weld it, no matter the process. But the effectiveness of your heat control technique can minimize the amount of shrink and thus the amount of warpage. With Boone's process, it's a much more gradual "wave"of heat passing through the panel, rather than essentially creating and setting a "tuck" with each stitch.
-I might be alone here, but I swear that when I hit a cold piece of steel with mig wire, it seems to run into the panel, then arc, then create enough heat enough to actually weld, and finally burns in the weld. While I know it's a fairly instantaneous process, I feel like I can watch the first part of a mig weld on cold sheet metal do one of 2 things: either ball up and lay on the surface, or blow through the seam. I believe that you can create a better, more consistent weld in a sequence of tacks (or dimes) placed (or stacked) before the previous "dime" cools. Then, by immediately grinding the weld, you keep the area hot, eliminating the hot/cold cycles throughout the weld process that cause much of the warpage by setting a tuck/shrink each time it cools. I think that if you can keep the heat input reasonably low, but more importantly, consistent, and moving gradually (and consistently) across the panel, this "wave" of heat does less to disrupt the shape of the panel than other methods.
-Additionally, grinding the previous stack levels the surface height and greatly reduced the thickness of the weld bead. This way, you keep from sticking a weld on top of a previous one that's already several times thicker than the parent metal. On top of that, I believe that a weld that has cooled has also oxidied and formed a shell of impurities. (I don't know if it's technically slag, but in my opinion, a weld that has cooled and hasn't been ground, or at least buzzed over with a wire brush seems to take the next weld much like the first welds on a pice of plate steel that hasn't had the mill scale removed.) By eliminating this, you end up with much better, more consistent penetration, a more malleable/less brittle weld than a typical MIG, and less porosity. Each time you hit it with a new weld after grinding your 3/4" stitch, you're welding to a cleaned and level surface rather than piling it on top of a hard weld that's ~4x the thickness of the parent metal.
-Finally, the welding part of a repair done this way seems to take a little longer because of the time spent grinding in between welds, but overall time is substantially less due to the fact that you have little to no grinding left to do afterwards, and there is far less warpage.
Hi from the uk i liked your comments , that approach is the way to go you cant rush it
That is the other advantage of the system. It slows you down and forces you to pay attention to alignment. So you end up with nearly an invisible weld. It will never equal tig.
ive been hunting for a youtube on metal shaping. you have struck an untapped demand my friend! gold mine!
Your tucking tool is fantastic. Something I will definitely be looking into.
Wray's very addictive viewing, love this series. thank-you.
Great tutorial I really learned a lot. In the past I have only made half panels and patches but a complete fender is an eye opener . Thanks.
Grinding it while its hot also helps because its swollen out instead of sunken in while your grinding
Great , this steel work set of videos has been really informative .
Can’t get enough of this stuff! Reading comments on other videos shows me how much I’ve learned from all this. The Jag nose series really opened it all up IMO. Too bad the short video people will likely never learn what perseverance it takes. I’m building a facilitator now(rented your video) and will start on the tucking machine next(like it or not! LOL). I’m fairly good at scaling from photos and video but I’m sure I’ll have some questions about the coating, etc. Please keep them coming!
You are amazing man! Tnx for share! Im For Argentina and here we havent sheet metal teachers like you.
Thank you for the lesson. Thank you for the MIG & TIG welding information.
Great demonstration Wray keep up this style of video and you will get the boost in viewers and subscribers.
I really appreciate your time and knowledge that you share with all of us .
I really like your English wheel you designed..
I will be getting the design and building one when I can !!
Thank you !!
There is a lot of skill here, when I saw the state of that panel after the shrinking and bashing, it looked ready for the skip. I do think that the wheel only method seemed more refined though. Saying that , I'm not a metalworker of any sort so I shall watch on. Thanks for sharing.
I heard MIG weld is also harder because the wire has more carbon to keep it stiff so it can pass from the spool to the handle without bending
Love your work. I am a welder fourty years experience. Have you ever tried CMT MIG welders Lincoln has one Miller And my favorite Fronuse . Cold Metal Transfer MIG pulse or MIG pulse on pulse. They produce less distortion because of pulse. With MIG pulse on pulse actually lays abead just like tig.
Thanks! I'll have heard the pulse mig welders work awesome. I'll have to try one.
More fantastic and hugely informative footage, really appreciate you taking the time to make these, I'm learning so much, thank you.
Great video, cant wait for the gathering tool plans you will be selling soon. Would be a great addition to the shop 👍
I don't know if it ever do something that big but maybe something small. Either way this spool AWESOME I would have never Dreamed it would have worked out like that.
I can't thank you enough for showing all of us this video.. Thank you for your time!! Really because I can tell that's some work!!!
Art,pure art
Excellent tutorial, thanks Wray
Very informative. I’m always learning more, thank you.
WOW! I can only wish that I had your skills & talent. Like metal and you have the same language.
Follow the rules of the sheet metal and it is easy.
I’ve always liked old cars, but now I want to make fenders! What happened to the scout series?
Very impressive wizardry
i think the steep learning curve and more demanding technique are the main reasons tig is more daunting for people to take up. mig is basically point and shoot, and forgiving enough to hide a lot of mistakes and imperfections in technique. tig needs many hours behind the torch to hone skills. absolutely worth every second though.
I disagree that tig takes a long time to learn. Watch my video where I teach nine year old Steven to tig weld with a four minute lesson. His first weld ever, a butt weld of aluminum that was visually excellent and was strong as the parent metal. Watch also the video of Jac tig welding for the first time.
thank you Mr. Schelin! once again very interesting!
Thanks Wray keep them coming!
Laser welding, as it gets cheaper, will make welding thin stuff easy peasy. Still about 20k on the low end though. They're so much fun.
Your videos are hypnotic,
I imagine some preheating of the panels would also help with the rapid cool situation and make the weld not cool as fast.
Great video, because I only do aircraft panels I prefer the aluminum videos. Wish you could do some videos with 2024-t3 but I understand most automotive related aluminum is 3003-h14....thanks for taking the time to do the videos.
Great tutorial as always Wray. I find the only problem with grinding the Mig welds down in stages is you can thin the unwelded section adjacent to the weld and then burn through and/or grind through when continuing with the welding process. The biggest draw back is the feed wire makes for a harder weld and you can't really planish it . But for many of us it's a case of "make do and mend " . Thanks Wray.
Grind with the weld not across it to insure against thinning the parent metal on the sides.
The wire in most cases is the same in TIG and MiG, the difference is the amount of heat put in to the material and it cools quickly hence the harder deposit.
@@notanymore9471 I have heard that said. But mig rod is wound on a spool. They use oil to help with that process. The one time I used mig wire to tig. Was the last time I used mig wire to tig. Very dirty.
@@boonelipsey5393 sorry dude but you are 100% wrong. ER-70 S6 is the standard mild steel mig wire. It works for TIG just fine. The only difference between that and ER 70 s2 is the levels of silicon and manganese and other elements that scour the weld pool for oxygen as MIG is often used to weld material that has a contaminated surface versus TIG which usually has more prep done. To your point the wire is cleaned of oil and contamination before the copper flash coating is applied so if the wire was dirty or didn’t weld well it was you and your lack of preparation or your skill level. As far as hardness goes it has everything to do with cooling rate and polarity. TIG runs on straight and MIG runs in reverse which controls where the heat is put into the weld, reverse melts the wire whereas straight puts heat into the work which affects cooling rate. A fast cooling rate makes the material more hard and brittle than a slow cooling rate from TIG which is why you can mechanically work a TIG weld with more success that a MIG weld. Trust me you are arguing with the wrong person.
@@boonelipsey5393 one more point, when wire is drawn down in diameter it is annealed as required to prevent cracking/breaking from work hardening and that hardness would not affect the final hardness of the weld anyways. The only factors that affect final hardness if the weld deposit are cooling rate and levels of carbon etc in the weld metal. In a mild steel wire carbon level is low which is why it is considered a mild or low alloy steel.
Great stuff as usual Wray!
On the subject of Mig v Tig here is some thing else to consider. When you mig weld your gas contains carbon dioxide and carbon is what is added to steel to harden it.... when you tig you use pure argon.
The wire is the same type of steel so it's not that and mild steel does not contain enough carbon to realistically harden.
The other difference is that you have post flow of shielding gas on tig but on mig you don't so the weld will oxidise whilst at high temp that will harden the weld bead. Just like what happens to steel when plasma cut. You get a hard edge.
hmm.
- argon is also used for both mig & tig, so that's not a constant that affects weld hardness.
- c02 is only popular as a shielding gas because it's cheap. weld quality is actually worse than with argon or mixes.
- filler wires are very different depending on what you choose, also not a constant.
- the amount of carbon added to mild steel from co2 shielding is basically negligible.
the biggest differences between the two techniques, and why mig is harder and more brittle:
1. tig heats the base metal and moves heat out to the filler. cools much slower compared to mig.
2. mig instantly fuses the filler into the base metal in a smaller area, and cools very rapidly. this makes a harder, more brittle weld.
3. the contrast between the slow, hot weld and the fast 'cold' weld is the main differentiating factor.
re plasma cuts - the reason the edges are so hard is due to nitriding when using nitrogen in the gas.
@@daos3300 Pure argon is not generally used for mig welding steel. It is an argon co2 mix with some oxygen in too I believe.
Perhaps I should test the mig tomorrow on pure argon with steel. If it is a softer weld then it is the gas that is causing the hardening not the process.
I'll post the result when I'e done it.
@@Byzmax did you try it??
I am intreged by the tig welder you used. It sounds like it would be a perfect starter tig. I own and have welded with an econotig for years. Currently using a everlast at work. Both are good entry level welders.
Hi Boone, that small blue Chinese tig welder is a CT 312. It is DC only but works perfectly for sheet steel. It is a least four years old now. I have one listed in my Amazon store that is only $197.00.
@@proshaper I have a co-worker who is interested in purchasing one for home. I will let him know that he can get one. I sat down with him for about a half an hour working with him on foot pedal heat control. He picked it up quickly and can already run a nice bead.
Wray, are you going to have plans available for your gathering tool and your shrinking facilitator? Very good video. Thank you. Tom
I hope to get some more plans done very soon. My next classes aren't until July 23rd so I have some time.
Hi, can you do a video how to make Boot floor panel (spare wheel well). i couldn't find anything like this. Thanks
THANKS for giving so much useful information in your videos -- YOU are the Master of sheet metal!
Your gathering tool is the cats pajamas! Looks really worthwhile to have. Do you have a video or plans showing things to consider and how to make it?
Hi Ariel, thanks, I do have plans to make plans for the gathering tool-very busy. Will try to get it done.
@@proshaper Great - I'm sure we all look forward to that.THANKS!
This will save me from having to swing a dulled axe blade to make gathers on the heavier guage panels - Yipes! A LOT more controllable - and safe - yours will be.
Great work! Just with a hammer an english wheel! And not too much time - if you have wrays abilities :)
The Eckhold Kraftformer is more comfortable, of course, but very expensive.
Everybody trys to speed up the process. The equation is Labor or Capital. Spend labor or spend capital. The speed goes up as you spend capital. Fastest to slowest. Most expensive to least expensive. 1: Stamping is the most expensive and the fastest. 2:Hammerforming method 3: power hammer/Ecklod method 4: English wheel 5: hammers /dollies/stump/mallet. All methods work, all require precise measurements. Your choice.
At my classes some of my students with zero experience before attending my class are able to put out outstanding panels in just a few days of classroom instruction. Watch my next video, should get it done Monday.
Any plans for the video on your shrinking machine and dies yet? I bought a kick press in anticipation of this video!
I have been trying to get to it as soon as possible.
@@proshaper Wonderful! I appreciate the amount of work you're putting into the advancement and passing down of knowledge in the trade of metal shaping. Humans are creative and unique beings. The tin can cars corporations are turning out now all look a like. They have no soul anymore. All they can do is try to dazzle us with technology that usually breaks in a short time.
@@jamessheets9205 Amen
Wray, With regard to shrinking. If you use a paper pattern to get an idea of where to shrink, of course you get long pleats and short pleats in the paper. If a pleat is 6" long and you have no facility (i.e. tucking fork can only do 3"), can you get away with more 3" shrinks versus one 6" shrink? Or maybe, the long (in this example, 6") pleat doesn't strictly say the shrink needs to go 6" into the panel?
I don't use tucking forks because of the length limitation and it also leaves a strong scar caused by the end of the fork tines. I use my gathering tool which can shrink 10" into a panel, usually 6 or less is sufficient. The panel does not have to be totally shrink shaped it can be a percentage of shrink/stretch. Usually 50/50 works perfectly.
I do all of my shrinking using the shrinking facilitator and the gathering tool. I have thumbnail dies in my Trumpf and big power hammer, I much prefer to shrink as I described using the shrinking facilitator and gathering tool. The shrink marks totally go away.
@@proshaper Thanks Wray, so it sounds like if the paper pattern tells you that you need a shrink longer than you are capable of, that you shrink as much as you can and replace the rest of the shrink with inboard stretch.
@@rustynail3991 One: you don't have to make all panels by shrinking only high crown panels. I don't use paper patterns, I use flexible shape patterns. If the flexible shape pattern shows 3" of rise in the panel, I then shrink, if it has less I stretch shape the panel.
Loving these videos Wray and would love to take one of your classes but a bit hard from Australia. Can you please explain why you have such a wide top wheel on the English wheel. I’ve been trying to work it out but can’t get past the fact that the contact area doesn’t change in the lower wheel. Cheers, John
Hi John, Thanks for the positive comments. I have had plenty of Australians take my class over the years. I have always found that people that travel long distances to my classes are much more serious about learning as much as they can while at my class. I made my first wide wheel in the early 90's. Why wide top wheels is a common question. First off the wide top wheel holds the panel horizontal so you don't have to make sure the panel is dead horizontal. This prevents top wheel edge bite. The wide top wheel also bridges low spots, The lower anvil wheel acts as a fulcrum and the top wheel the lever. Used with large lower anvils you can have wider contact areas, making them more efficient.
Uh huh that makes sense, thanks mate.
@@jonbon1904 if the distance is an obsticale. You got Peter tommasini in austalia. I dont want to be an a*****le and reccomend another guy on a serten guys page. But that is an option in your case :) i have another guy here in Sweden. Would Love to take wrays classes. But the distance is an issue. Renting somwhere to live and so on. Got a relative to stay at where the guy in Sweden is.
Wray, It seems like you'd need multiple sizes of facilitators to service all eventualities?
Yes, and no. I teach classes so I have a bunch. The best shape is a concave clam shell shape
Would like to see how to build one of your tuck shrinkers, I like how easy it is to from the tuck, do you have any build plans for this ?
Yes, Plan to get them done this month.
Saludos de venezuela gracias...
Absolutely amazing.
With mig: what if you do a certain amount of preheat which is standard practice for construction welding?
Is it necessary to wheel it between each shrink session? Or could you go from the shrinking facilitator to the gathering tool? I imagine it’s to clean up the shrink marks little by little for a more quality finish.
Hi Alex, I generally do two rounds of shrinks then clean them up.
I have heard that another reason that mig welds are harder is that most people are using a mixed gas instead of straight argon for their mig welder. The CO2 in the mix is infusing carbon into the weld, making it harder. Any thoughts on this?
I personally don't mig weld sheet metal panels so I have no opinion on it. A lot of people still mig weld with good results.
What steel use? Name rspecific the steel or number¡? Thank you from ARGENTINA
when your grinding it down have your shrinking disc on hand helps to level the weld
No I only will use the shrinking disc on a weld seam after it has been worked with slapper and dolly or planishing hammer. If it is high after working the seam then that is when you bring in the shrinking disc.
You are correct forgot to mention that part I have them all at hand. Thank you for your dedication and passing on this knowledge
Great content
Good video thanks for the info
Thank you!!
Wray. Your coment on Mig and the 3/4" , 1" weld and grind . Nothing was said what Mig wire size he uses and does he use stitch . Just a coment try setting up a stinger for 0.25 wire and stitch or pulse it's easy to controll with good penatration and fewer burn through holes . Go to a welding supply and have them set up a Stinger for 0.25 wire.🤓
I use .030 s6 easy grind and a stitch weld process. If you look at your welding setup. .023 and .030 uses nearly the same heat and wire speed.
@@boonelipsey5393 Boon . In theory yes in your comment. But have you used the method i menchiond and then compare the differences then you will see what works better all the way around 0.23 . 0.25 wire.
Yes I have. I experience far less heat effected zone with .030. Expecially if my gap is not as close as I like. It's all about what works best for the individual. Everyone welds differently. I prefer tig over mig in nearly every situation.
@@boonelipsey5393 Both welding methods are veary useful they have advantages over each other that's where experience go's to play . I find that in welding sheetmetal 0.23 wire has the advantages. Remember you have to properly setup a stinger for 0.23 , 0.25 wire . Hope this helps you be more successful. 🧐
@@curtisvonepp4335 I got turned onto .030 18 years ago. I will never go back. Expecially with my welding process. Ivhave been welding since I was 18 years old. I am 54 years old now. I have welded with .023 for the majority of the time. I prefer
030. Much better weld. But like I said. I prefer tig.
Excellent content- as usual !! Thanks, Wray.
Mig weld is brittle and its prone to cracking so heat it with a torch and hammer it litely and use a shrinking wheel if ya get heat worping unless you have all this guys tools
Can anyone post a link on the Tig welder WITH the thumb on/off Arc he is using, I can't seem to find, I get add on's and amp button
Could you give me some idea of the dimensions of your shrinking buck? i.e the curve.
You can also shrink using a torch and cold water on one side.
Yeah, I learned that fifty years ago while working at my grandfather's restoration shop.
You never put the gathering plastic thingies on your website like you said you were on the video that you made a while ago. Are you gonna sell these?
I have been super busy, this month the plans and tooling will be there. Thanks for being patient
It seems like the term “gathering”. Of the metal is more descriptive than shrinking of the metal.
i vote for long videos.
The English wheel stretching only method is quieter but it certainly looks like adding the mallet is going to be much faster.
Inspirational!
Your explanations about the welds is probably OK , BUT there is ONLY ONE WAY to weld new made panels and not having any problems, either when re wheeling (if necessary) or planishing and the actual surface finish . And that is ...gas welding ! .... Guess what.... it's also a lot quicker .
Hi Peter, I guess you prefer gas welding. Agreed it works awesome but there are other methods.
What's it cost to have that panel made? Must be hours and hours of labor. 1500.00? More?
Wray , please do not take this as a criticism , but I think you are shrinking the wrong side, (the wheel arch side will shrink it self once you start the blocking the middle crown .) The shrinking should be done on the oppised edge, this way the panel will go around the wire buck and immediately touch at the the top of the buck where your next panel is going to be welded, (and no shrinking at that weld point is necessary )..... The way you are doing it at the moment ,you are going to run out of metal on the wheel arch side + the guard crown will be too low . Again this is not a criticism simply a HUMBLE suggestion.
Hi Peter, there are many ways to make this panel as I stated, This is an educational demonstration. I will make the same panel again several more ways.
Love it!!
Cool. Man
37 Studebaker Coupe Express? What about using a heat gun to warm sheet metal around the area to be mig welded to lessen the temperature shock?
I really don't think it would be advantageous. You may shrink the panel more than expected.
@@boonelipsey5393 Just a thought, thanks. I think you’re right though!
@@johnbuchanan6045 I had to think about it for a moment before I replied. Then I remembered a time that I actually heat shrunk an unruly panel using a heat gun on high.
@@boonelipsey5393 I’m going to give your method a try today as described by Wray. I think on another stretch I’ll also heat the metal to get it warm, not hot, so it won’t be such a temperature shock. Just an experiment, maybe create more work for myself. Cheers
@@johnbuchanan6045 I hope people can take my method and expand on it. Let us know what you think. If you run into a slag let me know. It's a little hard to explain it when you can show it. Read Reilly's explanation. It is very good. I am thinking about doing a video.
I learned that you grind the welds every 3 tacks because you want less thickness of the weld to keep the heat..
Your tucks kept flattening or popping back open because you didn't lock them in place.
This is a 10 parter demo, when you shrink the edge, then stretch the edge, you don't get very far
O'ye of little faith. Big progress on the way.
@@proshaper Yes Wray, but most of it "off camera"
What he fails to mention is that TIG is going to cool off just about as rapidly as MIG.
And the problem is?
@@proshaper the problem is that if you are going to have that SAME rapid cooling problem with both TIG and MIG then there is no justification in using THAT as the reasoning as to why TIG is supposedly so preferable to MIG.
Ultimately who really cares what welding method they use so long as it gets the job done. FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION. Does it work as intended? Yes or no? If not. Well, then it can be the most beautiful thing in the world but if it doesn't work then ultimately it's just junk or an art sculpture and not really a mechanism.
A master using LOUSY tools can still produce a better work than a novice even though the novice has the best tools.
Ne?
Im gonna oxy acetylene weld that piece.😅ohhh my its 2021 and still were using oxy here... not even mig...🙄😏😒😣
They must be steel toed socks lol
I have neuropathy in my feet from diabetes. Regular shoes cause blisters.
Thank you so much for making these videos. I am a novice metal worker, learning as I go. I built this vehicle, a morgan 3 wheeler replica using 18 ga. aluminum rolled and riveted to a steel frame, and I am working on a second one now. The second one has a bit of a "Mercedes silver spur" like front end, of which your explanation of metal shaping has been invaluable! Thanks again.
ua-cam.com/video/r_-LRM9humE/v-deo.html
👍👍😎👍👍
i understand why they use mig cause tigs are expensive and are a lot harder to master thats why home builders use them but a pro should never for sheetmetal and i dont know 1 that does. mig welds are hard and after u grind them and put all that heat in there if it hasnt warped it the weld will usually crack when u hammer on them. u should only tig or gas weld panels if u are doing this as a profession at a high level. plus mig takes forever! ok mig welders, let me have it.lol
Tig welder can be now purchased inexpensively, for as little as $300.00 for steel only. If you want to tig aluminum and steel you can find a tig welder for under $1000.00.
He seems nervous about saying anything wrong. I say fuck it up and if you ruin it .. fix it. If you don't ruin it .. don't fix it. Break it because it's more fun to fix something than it is to not understand anything. When in doubt. Weld it!
So by doing what he does, he isn't work harding the metal. Is that what your saying. Is tig welding a form of brazing. Another words is it like brazing but instead of using a flame your using electric. Ronnie.
A lot like torch welding. With more control. And far less heat distortion.
@@boonelipsey5393 Thanks, I guess I should have bought a tig instead of a mig. Ronnie.
@@brdnsky6417 in a lot of cases. You need both. Best to start with mig. Then upgrade to tig. Just make sure to get a big enough mig for structural.
@@boonelipsey5393 Thanks, I've got a mig. Ronnie.