I finally got a 3/8-inch weld to hold on a high-pressure steam line in Detroit after it blew out twice on me.

The third time, I preheated the entire section to 250 degrees with my rosebud torch, used a 7018 rod instead of 6010, and it's been holding at 150 psi for six months now, so what's your go-to fix for a stubborn, thin-wall steam joint?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry1012mo ago

Yeah, that's how it goes sometimes... you gotta change up the whole method, not just try the same thing harder. It's like when my old truck wouldn't start, and I kept cleaning the battery posts. Finally had to just replace the whole cable end. The problem wasn't where I was looking. Your preheat and rod switch was the same deal, finding the real fix.

grant8382mo ago

Sounds like that third try was the Charm. Heat and the right rod makes all the difference.

jessicaw111mo ago

Oh man, you got that right! I've been there with cast iron where I kept adding more heat but the rod just wouldn't flow right until I switched to a 7018 and bumped the preheat up by 50 degrees. That little adjustment is always the thing that makes or breaks a weld on tricky metal.