[sgaylord]

No problem, I always try to help where I can.

As for grinding what I do is a three step process.

First. I have 1/8" grinding wheels for my angle grinder that I use at a 90 deg angle to the welds to precisely grind them down to the point where they are almost level with the surface. Unfortunately this is also where you find that you didn't weld in all gaps. If that's the case you have an opportunity to fill in the missing welds as long as you have not ground down too far and made the surrounding metal too thin. Be careful not to get the metal too hot. If it starts to "blue" stop and let it cool down.

Second. I use a 36 grit roloc on an angle grinder to blend in the remaining weld with the surrounding metal, again being careful not to take off too much metal and make the surrounding area too thin. Be more careful of the heat at this point because the metal gets hot quickly and can warp in no time.

Finally. I use a 120 grit flap disk on a 4 1/2" electric grinder to smooth out the entire area surrounding the weld. If you have done things right you should not be able to tell if there was a weld. Also be even more careful at this point than the previous two to not get the metal too hot.

Patience is key here. If you get too aggressive, "scars" will show through. Nothing a skim coat of mud cant handle, but in my never ending goal to learn from everything I do, I want to make the "next" time I do a task better than the last.

Let me again say my techniques may not be the best. There are others out there that do this much better than I. I'm just saying these are my observations and appear to work for me.

Good luck and if I can help in any way send me a PM.

Steve