Preparation
Select material, cut accurately, remove contamination, bevel when required, and create consistent fit-up.
FG / 12 / Field guide
Metal Fabrication
Build fabrication capability deliberately before accumulating large, expensive tools.
Pulse
Current briefing
What is moving now.
01
Get your bearings
Fabrication is a sequence of safe preparation, fit-up, heat or mechanical joining, distortion control, cleanup, and inspection. A strong weld cannot rescue a poor design, contaminated joint, bad fit, or unsupported load path.
02
Start here / Three moves
- 01
Build the safety envelope
Set ventilation, eye and skin protection, fire control, cylinder handling, electrical capacity, and a clean hot-work area before choosing a project.
- 02
Practice fit-up on coupons
Cut, clean, tack, weld, inspect, and break simple samples until machine settings and joint preparation make sense.
- 03
Make one useful fixture
Build a small cart, bracket, rack, or jig whose squareness and load path can be checked without hiding mistakes under finish.
03
Build capability
Joining
Control process, polarity, consumable, heat, travel, angle, tacks, sequence, and inspection for the joint at hand.
Distortion and finish
Use restraint and sequence intelligently, then grind, deburr, protect, and verify without weakening the work.
04
Choose gear / Decision rule
Choose a welding process and machine by material, thickness, duty cycle, electrical service, ventilation, portability, consumables, repair support, and the first several projects—not hypothetical maximum capacity.
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Field Notes
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