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Used to hate pre-heating my filler rod, now I do it every time after seeing a crack form on a job in Gary last winter
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patricia_lee2mo ago
OH man, I gotta respectfully disagree with you on this one. I've been doing this work for a long time and I honestly never bother pre-heating my filler rod. In my experience, as long as you keep your base metal clean and your puddle under control, a crack is way more likely from cold drafts or sudden cooling than from a room temp rod. I've seen guys swear by pre-heating and I just don't see it making that big of a difference for most jobs. To each their own though, if it works for you then keep doing it.
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davis.emma2mo ago
Jumping in here because I totally get where you're coming from. It's like one of those things you learn the hard way and then it sticks with you forever. A lot of life is like that though, right? You buy a cheap tool once, it breaks, and you never cheap out again. Or you skip wearing gloves one time on a job and get a nasty cut, now you're the person reminding everyone else. Pre-heating is just another one of those small habits you pick up after getting burned, literally or figuratively. It's funny how a little extra effort upfront saves you from a big headache later, but we all have to learn it on our own time.
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