Recent content by BryceW

I'll be the tenth person to recommend Benchmark abrasives. Are they the best/longest lasting? No. They are however quite good and the best I've been able to find at a reasonable price. As far as grit I use 40 for dressing welds and rough blending and 120 if I need to put a finer finish on...

This! Buy multiple replacement lenses whenever you buy your hood. I also keep a small bottle of Novus #2 plastic polish in my welding cart. You can buff the lense with a microfiber cloth quite a few times before you need to replace it. It's especially helpful if you do a lot of stick or flux...

I'll echo what pretty much everybody has said. This is the one place not to skimp. The difference a good hood makes is impossible to fully convey to someone until they've actually used one. Your ability to read the puddle and understand what it's doing starts with being able to see the...

https://www.amazon.com/Bauer-Emergency-Helmet-Repair-Kit/dp/B0048W5OQ6/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=hockey+helmet+hardware&qid=1554855295&s=gateway&sr=8-5 This should get you pretty close.

Buying the tools to pick it, or paying a locksmith to pick it will both cost much more than a new lock, and then you still won't have a key. I have the tools to pick it and I've still drilled them out on occasion because it wasn't worth my time. These things are super soft. Just hit it with...

If you want to stamp, bead roll, dimple, or otherwise form anything you'll have to take your tooling into consideration. If all you're doing is flat panels then the heavier gauge steel will have a better resistance to warping when you are cutting/welding and just generally make life easier. The...

I've always used the kits from these guys too. Good price for nice clean bends and you've usually got plenty of pipe to cover a mistake or two. I hate crush bends so I wind up doing all my own exhaust work.

Like stated above, I wouldn't do it with either. Now if I HAD to do it I would use flux core and run short stitch welds to minimize the heat and give yourself a chance of not blowing through. Exhaust tubing is thin and soft so you're working within a somewhat narrow window as far as heat goes...

If you have a picture of what you're trying to make I might have some ideas.

All of my first hand tools were Craftsman but I haven't bought any new craftsman in years. Once the hand tool production went overseas ratchet quality took a serious dive. The tool chests that Lowes is carrying now are awful. Thin metal, bad stamping, poor fitup, unfinished edges, sloppy...

You can use brake cleaner as long as you use chlorine free break cleaner. Because I weld and do automotive work I need it for both and only keep chlorine free in the shop to avoid any nasty surprises. It is however an expensive way to prep metal. I use it for things that are odd shaped and...

This. Keep some vicegrips or pliers nearby if you need to manipulate metal while its still hot. I have Lincoln, Miller, Tillman, Caiman, and probably some others and I wear each of them for different things. A lot of the times I wear a different glove on each hand. You'll find that you...

Thanks. The wight wasn't just overkill (although I'm all for overkill). I wanted to be able to mount a tubing bender, tubing roller, vice, or other equipment that requires rock solid anchoring to torque against. This way instead of filling up my undersized garage floor with lag bolts I can...

Just finished this 1200+ lb monstrosity. Scrap H beams, 3/4" scrap top, 2 junkyard scissor jacks and 4 casters from my HF toolbox bench build. Future plans are to rent a mag drill and drill a grid of 5/8" holes on 6" centers. This will also allow me to use bolts/shims to attach the top and...

You don't want to try and deposit a predetermined amount of rod. Instead you want to keep your eyes on the puddle and let it tell you how fast to feed. It feels awkward at first and you'll find yourself constantly long arcing but after a few (hundred) rods it becomes second nature.