> Right-- I think that was what I was trying to get at on the the second half
> of my suggestion. I'm assuming there's a circular hole someone cut for an
> extra button-- just cut a round "slug" from another piece of metal (slightly
> smaller than the hole diameter) drop it in the hole and just tack a few
> points along the edge. Then bondo the gaps. I don't trust myself to hold
> the bead that long to go all around the circle. ;-) If you needed to have
> it really strong though your suggestion to go all around the edge is much
> better...
Yes- what you're suggesting with filling it with a "plug" that is tacked in
would work great too....
> > plasma welder?? Do you mean TIG?
> >
> I think so? Just a bunch of current in an arc that heats through the metals
> and fuses them-- no wire or anything that I know of. Some car shops use
> them on tail pipes I think. I believe it's relatively non-contact-- more
> like a torch, but with very localized heating (not like a spot welder that
> pinches the metal and "pops" with a blast of current?).
TIG is usually used on Aluminum and Stainless- it forms an arc from the
torch from a tungsten electrode through a shielding gas (argon).
You then use filler metal rods just like gas welding...
Most muffler places use normal oxy-acetaline (sp?) gas welding....
If you're hanging around a high-performance shop that does stainless
exhaust, then they probably do use TIG (Porsches have SS exhaust pipes).
Just to complete the welding thread... Plasma cutting is a torch that uses
an ionized gas arc to melt the metal along with a jet of compressed air
to remove the molten metal. Plasma cutters are neat- they can cut anything
from sheet metal to 3/4" plate steel with a razor-sharp cut and almost
no heat distortion because of the speed of cutting.
--- Cris
--
Cristopher J. Rhea Mayo Foundation
Research Computing Facility Pavilion 2-25
Rochester, MN 55905
Fax: (507) 266-4486 (507) 284-0587
