Welding trim holes in bed

[ItWillBeSlow]

I may be buying a bed that requires some trim holes to be welded up in the bed.

I am comfortable with a welder and prefer to use a small magnetic copper backer to fill open holes. I can’t tell if there is adequate space to get anything in between the bed skins to put the copper backer on the backside of the hole?

Has anyone done this? If not, what method should I use? Weld a nail head in?

[ItWillBeSlow]

This is the backer I use

[sick472]

I just watched the linked video that you may find interesting. This guy has some great vids and this one shows how to make a cheap hole punch tool to make filler hole blanks to place into fill holes your welding up...

Filling Holes in Sheet Metal EASY with This Simple Tool YOU Can Make!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z70JUwvjMd4

[Myself]

I filled all those holes once. Didn't weld at all. Hit all the holes with 60 grit. I stuck my picking hammer in the hole and popped it with another hammer making a small dinple. Filled with Marglass, then smoothed with lightweight filler and blocked. Never had any issues.

[Joyridin]

I am in the same boat as you are on the side of the bed. Somebody used snaps all the way down the length of the bed about 2" from the top to hold a tonneau cover in place. Bed is beautiful except for those stupid snaps. I usually take a ball peen hammer and dent the hole in a bit, then weld the hole shut. A little sanding to get the weld below the surface and fill it. I have a copper backer that I was going to try, but I used it twice and the magnets are worthless now since they got hot and lot their magnetism.

[BigBird05]

What is the name of the backer that you bought from Amazon?

[hugger6933]

You can get something in there but if your comfortable with the welder you dont need that stuff. It is nice to have but I have found it isnt a problem to weld them up with out anything behind it at all. Jim

[HO455]

I have learned to avoid magnetic things when welding. But I will say rare earth magnets can be fun if I'm not the one doing the welding.

[ItWillBeSlow]

Originally Posted by BigBird05

What is the name of the backer that you bought from Amazon?

This is the one I use. It has been very helpful on my project.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07ZG...b_b_asin_title

[ItWillBeSlow]

Originally Posted by HO455

I have learned to avoid magnetic things when welding. But I will say rare earth magnets can be fun if I'm not the one doing the welding.

What is the issue/risk with magnets and welding?

[ItWillBeSlow]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

You can get something in there but if your comfortable with the welder you dont need that stuff. It is nice to have but I have found it isnt a problem to weld them up with out anything behind it at all. Jim

Thanks. I do think I could get it done without it but I like a little insurance to absorb a little heat and help it stay flat on the backside

[HO455]

Originally Posted by ItWillBeSlow

What is the issue/risk with magnets and welding?

By its nature the electrical arc is an electromagnetic force. External magnetic fields affect the arc by pushing it or pulling it. Thus the arc doesn't do what you want it to. The molten metal in the puddle almost always takes a polarity and will flow towards or away from the external magnetic field depending on the polarities.

Say you are butt welding 2 pieces of steel together along the long sides. One piece has become magnetized so it will have a north and south pole.

And for this discussion we will say the arc and the puddle are negatively charged. We all know that magnetic opposites attract.

So we will start on the south end of the steel piece with our weld. The arc will be pushed away from the magnetic piece of steel into the non-magnetic piece. Naturally you will start to bias the arc to the magnetic side in order to get that piece to turn molten. Once the puddle is established the molten material will be pushed away from the magnetic piece like the arc did. The resulting weld is likely to be poor weld. The non-magnetic side will have spotty arc pentration and the molten material will be pushed over cold spots and not fuse. As your bead travels from the south end to the north end the affect will move towards the magnetic piece and away from the non-magnetic piece.

Now this being said your piece of steel has to be pretty well magnetized to cause real problems. This is most likely to happen when using used steel. Especially pipe that has had heavy products flowing through it for long periods. Years ago at work we had a new 20 foot stick of 3/8" x 4" flat bar that was so magnetized that it ended up being unusable for the project it was originally purchased for.

It is also common when building small boxes that require welding on both the outside and the inside. Where the pieces meet in the inside corners can become a magnetic mess that will blow the puddle away making it very difficult to weld without degausing the project. Sometimes a couple good smacks with a hammer may reduce the magnetism enough to allow proper welding. (By the same token hammering iron can also make it magnetic.) Starting the assembly at the inside corners can help reduce the problem.

So if you feel the need to mess with someone when they're welding just put a rare earth magnet on the back side near the weld joint. Just make sure they have a sense of humor and are smaller or at least slower than you are.

Hope this explains my comments.

[ItWillBeSlow]

Originally Posted by HO455

By its nature the electrical arc is an electromagnetic force. External magnetic fields affect the arc by pushing it or pulling it. Thus the arc doesn't do what you want it to. The molten metal in the puddle almost always takes a polarity and will flow towards or away from the external magnetic field depending on the polarities.

Say you are butt welding 2 pieces of steel together along the long sides. One piece has become magnetized so it will have a north and south pole.

And for this discussion we will say the arc and the puddle are negatively charged. We all know that magnetic opposites attract.

So we will start on the south end of the steel piece with our weld. The arc will be pushed away from the magnetic piece of steel into the non-magnetic piece. Naturally you will start to bias the arc to the magnetic side in order to get that piece to turn molten. Once the puddle is established the molten material will be pushed away from the magnetic piece like the arc did. The resulting weld is likely to be poor weld. The non-magnetic side will have spotty arc pentration and the molten material will be pushed over cold spots and not fuse. As your bead travels from the south end to the north end the affect will move towards the magnetic piece and away from the non-magnetic piece.

Now this being said your piece of steel has to be pretty well magnetized to cause real problems. This is most likely to happen when using used steel. Especially pipe that has had heavy products flowing through it for long periods. Years ago at work we had a new 20 foot stick of 3/8" x 4" flat bar that was so magnetized that it ended up being unusable for the project it was originally purchased for.

It is also common when building small boxes that require welding on both the outside and the inside. Where the pieces meet in the inside corners can become a magnetic mess that will blow the puddle away making it very difficult to weld without degausing the project. Sometimes a couple good smacks with a hammer may reduce the magnetism enough to allow proper welding. (By the same token hammering iron can also make it magnetic.) Starting the assembly at the inside corners can help reduce the problem.

So if you feel the need to mess with someone when they're welding just put a rare earth magnet on the back side near the weld joint. Just make sure they have a sense of humor and are smaller or at least slower than you are.

Hope this explains my comments.

Very interesting, thanks for the info.