Welding Learning Curve...

 .....It's been steep, you really have to love what you are doing to get anywhere with welding. Steel is much easier to weld than aluminium. I started learning with aluminium but I am definitely getting there now - Below are some recent practice samples as well as some break bend testing samples. There a couple welding processes worth learning, MIG and TIG - I'm just getting to know MIG, without boring you with the details on each process, MIG is good for production, fast, straight jobs. TIG is good for more accuracy, going around corners, tubes and produces a neater overall weld but it's generally slower than MIG so TIG is not practical for building an entire boat. TIG will be great for thinner sheets and areas that can't take the heat of the MIG process. TIG will also be good for the tubes, railings, canopy frames and the like as well as exposed welds that need a good appearance. After the boat build, I see some custom 'home-made' titanium bikes frames in my future, oh and pardon the messy work area, I'm usually too busy to clean up.

Parts all welded

Closer image of parts

Left and right welds joined at centre

Difficult to break double sided fillet - Weld always seems to 'beat' the metal

Double sided fillet

Break is clean through weld root - I think this is good as it shows all surfaces of weld bonded with parent metal

Butt weld break test

'Print' through of weld

Penetration of fillet weld

Single sided fillet went 'snap' about here

Carbide burred tip forms depression on left for next weld to join into

Pretty much broken here but still hanging on by a thread

Butt weld - Joins two sheets