[rotorwrench]

Most frame parts are relatively thick metal. I've welded 1/8" without filler with my Smiths WH100 but anything thicker than that would likely need some filler rod. The only thing that's funky with my Smiths is that it uses o-rings so I keep a bag of them around to fit all the tips. Victor was tapered fit at one time but I'm not sure now days. Some have a rubber seal for the tip holder but the tips can all be screwed into the one tip holder fitting. I welded up a cracked front bolster on a Ford 850 tractor but it was thick enough that I had to weld it from both sides. I could have V'd the pieces but I would've had to used a lot more filler rod for the 1/4 inch thickness. I could have stick welded it but my gas welds look a lot better than my stick welds.

Another thing that can be funky about gas welding is if you have significantly different thicknesses your trying to weld together. You have to hold the torch just right to keep from melting the thin side. I have to weld a bit & stop. To keep it from getting too hot, I have to move around with the weld beads until the whole weld is completed. A person has to do the same with a TIG at times, especially in the thin stuff but the expanding gas from a gas torch is more forceful than TIG for sure. The expanding gas is a good shield but it can blow a hole in the metal real quick.

This is nothing new for an old hand at welding but it may help folks that are new to gas welding.