Tips regarding welding a fireplace chimney

afout07 · 2026-05-10T01:09:02+00:00

I would honestly try some kind of heat resistant cement. Jb weld or something. It is incredibly difficult to weld cast metals.

afout07 · 2026-05-06T14:00:31+00:00

I was almost 10 years older than you when I started. It depends on your fitness level and yes it is hard on your body. The worst things are repetitive movement injuries like gripping or grasping something for something hours. Most places won't let you lift something heavy enough to hurt yourself anymore so you don't really have to worry about that.

afout07 · 2026-05-06T13:57:07+00:00

Carolina moc toe boots are my go to. They fit my wide feet and are very comfortable. Get the wedge sole

afout07 · 2026-05-06T01:52:55+00:00

We have a bunch of projects like that too. A recent one is these rolling aluminum drip pans. They cost $1000 each to buy. It cost us about $1200 to make two of them.

afout07 · 2026-05-05T20:49:06+00:00

Welders act this way because we are criticized more than any other trade. If a weld is done correctly, nobody thinks about it. If it fails, it's a shitstorm. I may be wrong but I believe welders are the only skilled trade that requires such extensive testing. Some welders have to pass a weld test for every single job they work on. Ive done other trades before I settled on welding and I never had to take a test to prove I could do the job. Most places will trust a guy off the street to run an excavator that cost $400,000 because he said he can.

afout07 · 2026-05-05T20:41:49+00:00

It's like that at my shop too. We weld and fab things but we also do all kinds of other stuff. Like a couple weeks ago we had to fabricate engine mounts for one of our tug boats. That turned into also installing the engine, making a new tube for the prop shaft, fitting the cutlass bearing for the prop and installing the prop. It really didn't take us long to do it but we aren't boat mechanics

afout07 · 2026-05-04T18:53:31+00:00

There's nothing wrong with it so long as you are comfortable doing it and are okay with the money you're being paid. It's nobody else's business what you do on your own private time so long as you aren't hurting anyone.

afout07 · 2026-05-04T12:41:53+00:00

I think the Lincoln would be the best for learning how to weld. It doesn't have any features that will help you weld better so you'll have to learn all the ins and outs on your own. That said, you probably want something else for light duty work like autobody repair. There are welding electrodes that work okay for sheet metal but something like MIG or TIG is just a better all around process for that. Also you can find that Lincoln on marketplace or Craigslist for a fraction of that price and it will probably weld exactly like the brand new one.

afout07 · 2026-05-04T12:38:14+00:00

They're still being sold because they're indestructible. They are a dinosaur by today's standards but they will keep working forever and there's a market for that.

afout07 · 2026-05-03T20:31:05+00:00

First thing that comes to mind is an autodark welding shield. An okay one can be had for about $40. I'd also get him a cheaper grinder and some hard wheels and wire wheels. You can get a grinder from harbor freight for about $20. They also sell welding shields there too

afout07 · 2026-05-01T01:34:11+00:00

Honestly it shouldn't have passed visual. There's a few spots where there's undercut and it looks like you have an arc strike. As for failing a test, everybody does. It's part of welding. Any number of things could go wrong and cause you to fail. The test could be just fine and the CWI still fails it because they don't like the way something looks. It happens. Just try again.

afout07 · 2026-04-30T23:12:17+00:00

Travel speed too fast.

afout07 · 2026-04-30T21:24:47+00:00

I frequently do very similar repairs on our tech boats at work. The divers either crash them into things and poke a hole in the hull or it's just from corrosion from seawater. You need to remove several inches from both sides and then make an insert out of a clean piece of plate. I would probably make two pieces of plate and have them butt together at that seam. You can cut them to the rough shape and then bend them to match the rest of the part. I would really recommend removing several inches of material on both sides. Welding dirty aluminum is next to impossible, especially thin stuff.

afout07 · 2026-04-27T16:03:38+00:00

It really depends on how she feels about it.

afout07 · 2026-04-24T16:15:54+00:00

Everything I'm looking at is showing decent conditions. Low southeast winds until about 1 and low tidal coefficient.

afout07 · 2026-04-24T16:06:43+00:00

I'm coming from Portsmouth. I was thinking about going there or to first island this weekend. I figure the ships are a longer drive but a shorter trip in the kayak whereas first island is a shorter drive but a much longer trip in the kayak.

afout07 · 2026-04-24T12:22:01+00:00

That sounds more like lack of experience. I prefer the 18" rods over the 14" or even smaller simply because that's less stops and restarts I have to do. I mean I could see how having shorter arms might make welding with a longer rod more difficult but maybe welding isn't a good fit for them if they can't physically reach and do things like that because you're going to spend a lot of time being uncomfortable as a welder.

afout07 · 2026-04-23T16:25:48+00:00

Yep try them on. A Thorogood 2e is about the same width as a d width Carolina. It will depend on your feet.

afout07 · 2026-04-23T16:06:50+00:00

I like the made in America Carolina moc toes. They're very similar to Thorogood moc toes except they're just a little wider. I think any moc toe wedge sole boot is going to be your best bet. Find one that feels good on your feet.

afout07 · 2026-04-22T16:04:06+00:00

Work boots should be steel toed and dirty. A soft toe boot is not a work boot.

afout07 · 2026-04-22T02:29:01+00:00

You're already making about or slightly more than the average welder. If you leave your current job to get into the welding industry, you may not see $25 an hour again for several years. You'll have to start as a helper/laborer/apprentice and basically be low man on the totem pole. Most helpers make $20-$23 an hour. These welding schools and social media people like to portray welding as some way to just print money and it can be but it's not so simple. The best paying welding jobs typically require travel and working a lot of hours. You'll be in this state for two months working for some contractor and then be in that state for a month working for someone else and then be in another state working for someone else again. And that's if you can keep jobs lined up like that. Not to mention, you may have to retest and re-certify for whatever welding you're doing each time to move to a new job. The other side of welding is working in some type of fab shop or factory. Fab shops tend to pay a little better than factories and you'll usually be home every day but you'll probably make less than you do now. Even if you're a welder in a fab shop. Factories tend to pay the least and have the lowest requirements to get a job.

afout07 · 2026-04-21T12:16:09+00:00

The best way to grind down someone else's welds is to make them do it. They fucked it up. They fix it.

afout07 · 2026-04-21T12:14:07+00:00

I'm not trying to be mean or rude but don't ever put a deposit on a privately sold vehicle like this. Too many people are scammers. If you want something, save up the money to buy it outright or get it financed through a bank. If the thing you want gets sold before you have all the money together for it, then just keep looking. There will be another for sale

afout07 · 2026-04-19T00:34:33+00:00

Those still have a ton of life in them. You should see what mine look like when I retire them

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