Vote for a Welding and Metal Fabrication Forum

[Dale M.]

There is enough welding forums on WWW....

https://www.google.com/search?source=ig ... Y7exXX2Jp4

Dale

[mountainkowboy]

Sharing ideas, technique, and "real world" fixes in one place on ACVW's!!!! I'm in.

[steve21]

Yes, i know this will help us a lot.

[raul arrese]

It wont hurt , i like the idea !!!!!

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Saw this article on the web today: http://money.msn.com/top-stocks/post--t ... of-welders

When they were building the hydrofoil at The Boeing Company, accreditated/certified welders for some of the materials that were being used were making some very good money.

Lee

[david58]

There is enough welding forums on http://WWW....

https://www.google.com/search?source=ig ... Y7exXX2Jp4

Dale

Show me one www welding site for Air Cooled VW's then.

[Dale M.]

There is enough welding forums on http://WWW....

https://www.google.com/search?source=ig ... Y7exXX2Jp4

Dale

Show me one www welding site for Air Cooled VW's then.

Had to go to the "wayback machine" to find this one didn't you ...

Welding metal is welding metal...... Why does it have to be AC-VW specific? ... Stick or MIG or TIG for steel.... TIG for aluminum or aluminum/magnesium alloys....

Go to any welding shop and ask for weldor that is AC-VW qualified to do your work !!!

Dale

[david58]

I'll do my own welding. Fabrication is the part of the forum topic that you just don't get. Volkswagen's are put together differently than any other car, and is specifically an area that is not in any forum I have found. Welding comes into play with fabrication, and replacing panels.

[Dale M.]

Why is this subject even being discussed...... I have been welding and fabrication since I was 15, now I am 70.... Only thing I have never done was TIG, but have done mostly gas and stick and have now gone to MIG, I know my limitations, and when it comes to TIG and aluminum alloys, I confess I have not done any as I do not have TIG and for the small amount of TIG welding I require I can't justify the cost and its cheaper to hire it out the small amount of alloy work that I need done......

Dale

[SCOTTRODS]

I don't get it either, Dale. To Me, It's a Car... Built differently than any other, but still... Simply put, there's nothing VW specific about any welding project you may do on one, as the Welding is it's own beast, and the car is it's own beast. Yeah... sometimes ya gotta weld some panels and stuff, but nothing all that taxing is coming up to put one back together. If you have an example of one, you should be able to see what kind of welding needs to be done and what kind of fabrication needs to be done.

I said before, there's welding sites... They have some PRETTY Good Weldors that are great to poke and pick at (If you can get them to add you to their members list), and the typical VW guy is a DIY guy that could use some heads up on some specific tasks at times... but mostly... Welding is a Subject of it's own, and I see no need for a VW specific welding forum. Some do. But I'll side with you, Dale... Learning to weld is a Vocation of it's own if you're gonna be serious about doing it. There's some pretty decent talent on here, as you'll find anywhere, but most of us are more interested in how do I do it myself... welding is one of those things I think you should either know and do as you work on your car, or Hire it out unless it's a completely NON-SAFETY item that can be glued together with a metal stick without somebody's life being risked after it's assembled. Body work is the only place I'd recommend for a Noob to start working it out... but even then a poorly welded piece of body work can be dangerous too... Welding is An Art. VW's Can be as well... I guess we should start a Air Cooled VW Specific Metal forming and Shaping forum as well?

I've spent the greater part of a year and a half Studying Metal forming online as well... There's a forum, Actually 2 of them, that are pretty much the WORLD's Greatest Shapers... I go to the weldors for Welding... Shapers for Metal Shaping, etc... There may be some great weldors on this forum as well, but I go to the Guys at Welding Web and another site for my welding info, for sure... No Offense, but You Learn from the Pros how to do the welding, The VW guys show you the tricks for making the welding useful within VW's...

[david58]

I totally disagree with you guys. Only looking at what many years of experience you have learned isn't the point. I constantly hear that there is no activity here on the site. This forum isn't just about us older people, that I feel that you are assuming they know what you know. The reason I started this thread was for the NEW guy or gal that just waltz in here after their Grandpa left them a weathered VW. Just think back when you were in your early teens. The internet wasn't even thought of. So I have to question where you got all your experience? I feel that we have a new crowd that can use the help that both of you, and I can offer to the forum that will enhance their first visit to the forum. Guy's that is what it is all about. The first impression when joining a forum is what makes or kills the forum. I think we can agree that for the forum to be a success we need to have more members who contribute more information. Not send them fishing.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

There are a lot of very helpful welding forums and videos out there and some Ooooo, Ahhh/ego welding forums out there too but I think there are times when what we do here as a hobby just might need some specialty answers. Things like welding thin metals to thicker materials (especially for beginner welders), patching compromised material with new material, plug welding thin materials like pan halves to the doubled thickness flange of the tunnel.

There has to be some tricks/techniques out there such as the technique that CWB uses to weld w/MIG to look like TIG and still have a strong welds or welding materials while at the same time forming them including hammer welding.

How to make specialty tools such as special shaped anvils that you can clamp in a vice or other places for specific metal forming problems, slap hammer work and posting specialty videos' for specific metal forming tasks such as stretching or shrinking metals, English wheel work, bead rolling, use Pneumatic Planishing Hammer to work metal and other techniques.

I also think, if it becomes a reality, it should be added as a sticky on several different forums as someone might come in and search in a specially forum and miss what they might want by not looking at a welding/forming forum to get additional answers.

Given this dances around the body and paint forum I still don't think it is a problem as you still have to weld in several of the other forums as well as form metal and work with other nasty materials.

Lee

[Dale M.]

My experience with 'stickies" is they are pretty much ignored and unless you specifically direct someone there.........

What people want on a forum is to post their own specific question under its own header, because anyone could not of possible had same problem and written something about it already and wants an immediate answer and does not want to be bothered to spend the time to invoke search...

Simple search of I-net, will provide one with 1000 welding forums and youtube has 10,000 videos.... At some point the overload is daunting and somebody will still think his question is the most important in the world and can't possible find answer in sticky or under a general forum header...

The problem with the i-net and forums is separating all the "clatter" for the useful information....

Take Facebook...... One question asked.... 50 answers, 25 are total BS (mostly from people that need to be seen), 20 are almost close to answer, and 5 MIGHT just get answer right for the question.. and It will all happen in 1 hour and then the whole thing is dead........ Till same question is asked by different person 12 hours later and it repeats all over again.... HATE FACEBOOK, but if you have decent BS filter built in (requires knowing more about subject than the 45 others) there can be information gleaned.....

Ran a Dune Buggy forum for 4 years and a blacksmithing forum for a year, what 1 individual wants is not always good for the total forum, I put in specific areas of interest to try pleae many only to have them not used even by person requesting it....... The is no one forum that is the magic place that will fit/fill everyone's needs..... Found that forums that deal with specific types of information more use full than forums that are so general and broad many areas of "interest" are totally ignored ...

I have fought with people on theSamba for a electrical forum, and I am told it is of no interest and people will only use it to ask "how to install a stereo", WTF?.... Yet there is at least 1-2 questions asked on that site a week (just in areas if my interest) about 'lectical stuff....And on STF the electrical forum is almost dead and I hardly never look in it......

Just do not see need for welding forum just because 1-2 people "want" it.....

Dale