Here's where things stand. This is the backside of the weld.
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And here is a close up of what I'm dealing with. It looks to me like I didn't quite get complete penetration on the weld, possibly combined with shrinkage around the filler, causing the metal to sink a little.
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I've read that the way to handle the shrinkage is to hammer the weld on dolly to planish and stretch the metal. I've tried the best I could, but this is a tough area to reach around. More, I'm thinking I need to turn up the heat on the welder a little for future welds but would appreciate thoughts. So now the questions:
- The deepest parts are 1/32" deep, at best. Is it worth trying to work this to perfection, or would I be ahead by calling it good for a skiff of FG filler? I'm a bit paranoid of overworking the metal and making it brittle.
- If I keep working, how best to proceed? My inclination is to hit the low spot on the seam with some very quick tacks to add material. Then grind to close to the parent thickness before hammering on dolly. Then sand flush. But will I do more harm than good, and is it worth it?
And here is a pic of the other side - the front of the weld.
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Just a few shallow low spots that I think would come out with some additional 80 grit sanding. But I'm thinking maybe it is better to call it good?
I've done a lot of searching and reading on welding forums but it seems that people like to post pics of their perfect, invisible welds that need no filler, or pics after filler. I haven't found examples of what good welds that need a touch of filler look like. I'm not going for "no filler perfection" but I do want to maintain a high quality standard. Not that a no filler perfect patch wouldn't make me happy, but I would like to actually drive this car some day.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.