gerald

Slat....................

Sear, Sear, Sear

Most basic piece of advice: "Get to work." There is a certain amount of hand/eye coordination and muscle memory that goes into developing proper hammer control. This is a curt answer, and there are many other skills that you will develop as you learn, but, just as we found out when we learned to ride a bicycle, there simply is no substitute for "doing".

Apprenticeman, Thanks for the pics. Looks like a functional and simple design. Will you be posting these pics in the Gallery? Thanks.

Neat, Neat, Neat

Peat...........

Delt..........

Belt, Belt, Belt

A friend of mine who does a LOT of archtectural iron work uases particle board for his welding table tops. His reasoning is that they are easier to clean up. Spatter from the MIG welders doesn't stick to the particle board like it does to a steel table top. He cleans the table with a shot of air from the air hose and he's ready to set up the next project. The particle board lays on a sturdy base and is rimmed by angle iron on two sides that form square side to clamp to and also acts as a ground for the welders. Now, this would never work in my shop as i use mainly stick welders and I'd have to stop every so often to put out fires. This guy is a real pro and turns out a lot of work, so he knows what works best for him. A PARTICLE BOARD welding table ... who 'da thunk it??

Went, Went, Went

BTW, KevinD, thanks for the four-letter link on the previous page. Here's another helpful one Dictionary.com

So, ah, ???, OK, ah, RENT is your response?? From rent let's go to RANT

Cent, Cent, Cent

Bans, Bans, Bans

The majority of the stuff that I weld for the ranch (gates, hinges, etc) I weld with 6011. I use a lot of used oil field pipe that is pretty yucky and I get better penetration thru the rust with the 6011. As SKUNKRIV said, if I want a prettier weld, I'll use 6013. I occaisionally use 7018 if I am welding up tooling for the shop. I am not an authority, of course, but these rods work for me. Occaisionally, a weld breaks, but hey, I have a couple of welders on the place, so I just re-weld it :)

Tale, Tale, Tale

Mull, Mull, Mull

Kill, Kill, Kill

Wilt, Wilt, Wilt

I completed the survey, too. I've been an ABANA member for about 3 years and I enjoy both the mags. I do think I get more from the HB than the AR, but that doesn't detract from the fact that I enjoy looking at a lot of different styles of work. I think it's unfortunate that our national/multinational organization has fallen on hard times for whatever reason(s). I will remain a member, not because of what it can or can't do for me personally, but because it just seems the right thing to do. I hope we can get things fixed and go back to holding quality, affordable, conferences that are appropriate for the majority of the membership. Having said all this, whatever is done to "fix" ABANA, it will never be all things to all people, so there will always be detractors as well as supporters.

We tried 5 letters a while back and the thread died a pretty quick death. I guess we just don't have near as many 5-letter words as we have 4-letter ones. Anyway, we do repeat words, but there are also, it seems, a new set of posters from time to time, so the game seems new and fresh to them. Somebody start another 5-letter game and I'll play, but just be aware that it probably won't go as long as the current one. So ... here's my response for now LULL.

Toll, Toll, Toll

Thanks for the introduction, Mende. Welcome aboard.

I recently saw a Fredriech's Cross done from 3/4" square tubing. It was a different take on an old theme. The finished piece had a "channel iron" look.

Soil, Soil, Soil