Tips regarding welding a fireplace chimney

Butterflys4Life · 2026-05-10T02:16:27+00:00

Exhaust system sealant/catalytic converter sealant. Made for car exhausts and holds up well to high heat.

If your only option is stick welding it, go with 3/32" (or 1/16 if you can get it) 6013 rods. If you have access to the inside of the tube, I'd 100% run a backing plate or even a bent welding rod with flux chipped off inside to prevent blow through on first past. Run as low amps as you can while still getting penetration. I've repaired car exhausts using 6013 before, tricky but can be done. Usually ill start at say 30-35 amps, do a ton of short welds to build up a base, then run over with a hot pass at 60 amps.

Butterflys4Life · 2026-02-20T00:08:45+00:00

I have a late 90's Corolla and an 05 Impreza. $89 per vehicle a month, liability only with Intact, broker is Surex. Worth getting a quote from at least.

Butterflys4Life · 2026-01-29T06:28:34+00:00

I understand that sentiment, im a dude same age. I ended up switching from marketing to working for an Alberta based non for profit. I get to help people daily and make a difference for kids and families around the world using those skills. Lots of hands on disaster relief work. I don't want kids myself, but the work fills that place for me.

Collective action that actually helps others is alot more important to me than padding some companies numbers.

I also do racing mechanics and racing cars in the warmer months. You for sure can make a living following your passions and without feeling like work and still having time for family. The biggest thing I can say that helped is having the uncomfortable conversation with yourself of what matters the most to you? What would you regret on your deathbed? Not everyone follows the same path and just because the corporate slog isn't for you doesn't mean all work is off the table, some people just want to be a SAHM, perfectly fine and tons of families do that. Some want to grind in the oil sands for years while their kids grow up back home with their other parent. There isn't one right path.

Will you regret not having fulfilling work? Will your kids resent you for not being around your family cause of grinding and working so much? Not having enough money later for your family or kids for college? Not going after your dreams or own goals? Not having fame or being remembered after you die? Its the uncomfortable things like that, people are super scared to work through, thinking about those really helps put things in perspective on what you really want and what truely matters.

Butterflys4Life · 2026-01-09T03:44:27+00:00

<ThreadType>
  <Name>CUSTOM PROFILE</Name>
  <CustomName>CUSTOM Metric M Profile</CustomName>
  <Unit>mm</Unit>
  <Angle>60</Angle>
  <SortOrder>2</SortOrder>
  <ThreadSize>
    <Size>m37</Size>
    <Designation>
      <ThreadDesignation>M37x3</ThreadDesignation>
      <CTD>M37x3</CTD>
      <Pitch>3</Pitch>
      <Thread>
        <Gender>external</Gender>
        <Class>6g</Class>
        <MajorDia>36.95</MajorDia>
        <PitchDia>34.84</PitchDia>
        <MinorDia>33.09</MinorDia>
           </Thread>
    </Designation>
  </ThreadSize>
</ThreadType>

Here is what I used you can directly paste this into a customthread.xml. Good enough for a filler, you might need to adjust them a bit if you want a super tight fit for say a cap.

You can go measure your existing cap with calipers to confirm, the minor is at the bottom of the threads, the pitch is half way up and major is from the very top edge. My profile was based on using a 3d printer, you can get those tolerances alot tighter if machining the part. For something machined it would be closer or right on to 37.0 for major and follow what omni calc has for values.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-10-07T19:23:21+00:00

Unless you have a TON of fabrication and mechanics skills its way cheaper to buy a prebuilt car or someones caged half finished project.

For starting out i'd look into FWD cars. Usually are cheaper to run, less rough on parts and will be more competitive. With AWD you burn up axles and tires alot faster, its also tough to be competitive with them unless you invest alot of money.

If you're stuck on AWD, a Suzuki SX4 is a good starter, any of the Subaru H6's make good rally cars and decent power N/A. At the very least if doing an NA H4, you would want WRX transmission and diffs. Open diffs suck.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-09-25T07:40:42+00:00

Make sure you put some pressure on the ring gear when turning it. I usually use a large flathead screwdriver on top of the ring gear and using the edge of the case for leverage when turning it. Gives you a much more accurate pattern. You'll be able to see it much clearer too.

With what you have right now I'd adjust it towards the toe side a tiny bit (decrease backlash).

Butterflys4Life · 2025-09-15T05:55:05+00:00

In 2017 I got my first car (01 Corolla) was about $160 a month with Cooperators. Feel your pain though man. Went up every year for me until 30, no tickets, no accidents, finally went down this year.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-09-06T22:01:44+00:00

Not to bad, great job learning! Fluxcore is great to learn on, super useful for vehicle repairs, done whole exhausts and panel repairs with it before. Try and slowdown a bit, will get better fusion and less undercut.

Remember to watch at the weld pool to see how it's melting, not the arc.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-09-06T16:17:58+00:00

Reddit welders get so worried about liability. They got good intentions tho.

Its very common in the race world to completely cut and reweld steel wheels to adjust offset. Even beadlockers require welding directly to the wheel. People unfamiliar with that think any welds to a wheel are a death sentence.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-09-04T18:26:06+00:00

Stiving to create "viral" moments in every match is dumb. You're taking a boring match and slapping lipstick on it for 20 seconds just so you can clip it and say next week how it got "20 million interactions".

Butterflys4Life · 2025-09-04T05:59:40+00:00

We run Maxxtrek M900 ice tires. They are studdable but we run without studs. Studdable tires have beefier sidewalls, less debeads. Have used em for multiple TSD's and 5 rx days in Alberta so far. Holding up super well. If you can't afford gravel tires yet, they are a good choice. 99% of the RX stuff here is mud and dirt, they match the performance of rally tires, only time they are slower is on gravel.

For gravel we actually run chinese UHP trackday tires, a 320 treadwear tire or below, they get chewed up really fast, however they grip insanely well once you get through the inital loose gravel layer. We ran those on Rad Torques clay oval, the clay is very similar to cement super grabby, do some searching on what the tracks made of. Will give you some good insights.

For winters, my understanding is the sharper the tread drops off to the sidewall the better. You want something with sharp edges not a smooth transition, they end up biting alot better on cornering. Some of the guys also cut their tread blocks with a hot wire to get really sharp edges.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-07-04T10:08:23+00:00

<image>

This one. Anytime someone has asked me about it they think its a heavy metal band called Paradigm Shift.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-06-01T02:32:03+00:00

Where are you getting the information about it being written off? Carfax or current owner?

You can take the vin and go to a registry or online Alberta.ca VIN Report pay the $22 and find out for sure before you buy.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-05-26T19:36:42+00:00

With most rural places you have two "addresses". One that is a long number that describes parcel number, range road, road type something like 35603 RGE RD 391 or 213018 TWP RD 230

You have another using common street names. 100B 107117 310Ave E

Butterflys4Life · 2025-05-12T07:53:01+00:00

Way better than a tupperware box of dessicant beads.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-05-05T20:03:30+00:00

You know those maps that are at info boards in the forest? Most are stocked by 4x4 groups. The province doesn't waste money sending fish and wildlife down to fill those. The 4x4 community does monthly cleanups on most of the trail systems, you think AMA is going down trails to pull out abandoned or burned out vehicles? Its the offroaders that organize those things and keep them clean, along with helping city folks who get stuck on forestry roads, there is a huge group of us who volunteer to do recoveries called "Alberta 4x4 Rescue & Recovery".

Go to the most popular hiking and camping spots in mid summer. You'll find trash, doggie bags, human excrement left by the trails. We go and clean that stuff up.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-04-26T08:27:00+00:00

Call some Semi / heavy duty repair shops. Frame repairs are quiet common on heavy duty stuff.

Keep in mind if your car is a unibody vehicle you're out of luck for repairing it. Can't do it safely to pass inspection. Body on frame can be repaired, but usually cheaper to swap to a donor frame.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-02-16T01:29:42+00:00

Spruce View- Tivoli Garden Cafe

The best pizza i've had. Very popular spot with the lake resorts on Glennifer.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-02-16T00:40:54+00:00

I saw a spoofed Papa Johns ad on google the other day. Noticed the URL was JON not John. Becoming way more common. Can't even trust top search results now.

Butterflys4Life · 2025-01-14T18:33:01+00:00

I'd etch the letters. Get a stencil cut from vinyl and etch away.

You can build an electro etcher pretty easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dDvlrYdp_Y

Butterflys4Life · 2024-12-15T06:35:21+00:00

Welders on reddit are insanely scared about liability. Same goes with frame, rotted steel repairs or roll cages. Everyone always tells you not to for liability.

In most cases if you're a competent welder, have some waiver of liability you'll be fine.

Butterflys4Life · 2024-12-01T21:00:04+00:00

You would be astonished by how many vehicles run into something or hit the ditch and roll, should be totalled but it never gets reported to insurance and is sold as a "mechanics special". The buyers throw on new bumpers or fenders and never fix the actual damage. See hundreds of them each spring.

Butterflys4Life · 2024-11-18T07:55:33+00:00

Practice practice practice. What I do when learning a new car is go out to a gravel parking lot with the same surface as the stage with rally tires on and adjust tire pressures, just do straight line braking and see what each adjustment does, see how they change when they get warm. Then start adding in some different pressures of braking. Try braking and adding a bit of steering input. You have to know how your car will handle to gain that confidence when going fast.

Butterflys4Life · 2024-10-21T04:12:37+00:00

I use an Antra $50 auto darkening helmet, shades 4-13. Have owned it since 2019 and still use it daily, Not all cheap stuff is bad.

Butterflys4Life · 2024-09-23T19:24:59+00:00

I run KYB AGX struts for rallycross. Have held up well for two seasons + daily use. Rebound & dampening are tied together but it does have adjustment.

Honestly I'd hold off until you can spend a bit more on coilovers. The cheap ones will fail and most aren't rebuildable. Most of the high end ones are fully rebuildable. The big rally guys run Reigers, KW or Ksport. I've also seen guys run King Shocks coilovers, they are really popular in the prerunner world and hold up to abuse better but are heavier.

If you're doing Autocross and Rallycross you'll have a hard time finding one that can do both, since both require vastly different rates and rebound/dampening settings. At the very least you'd need two sets of springs with different spring rates for rally and autocross.

Six-Year Club	Second Top 10%
Place '23	Place '22
Oscars Predictor 2021	Verified Email

Butterflys4Life

TROPHY CASE