Just one other "thought" because lots of people read these kinds of threads...
Many of our panels are compound curves or curved in some manor... and they take a bit of hammer and dolly work as you weld in patches etc... these clamps are good for flat and STRAIGHT cuts etc. Many times the patches I'm making are not straight... they're shapes with curves and around other stuff and on and on.
I've always just used a variety of clamps (you can never own enough of them) - and or magnets - or I've welded on temporary "hand holds" etc. Once you put a tack or two on the piece -- then it's "there" and there is much other consideration - like trying to control warpage -- and shrinkage -- and all manor of other nuances to these types of "jobs".
yeah I never really thought of them as being used to hold in the whole patch panel but more as a "local" device to help in place of having a 3rd hand and a good way to get it held tightly flush. So the gap was my main concern. I have a set and after experimenting with them in the past I never used them but I wanted to see if anyone else had success with them.
Ron Covell grinds away a little bit of the metal where the center pull goes thru to the other side. That allows the clamp to be used - and you can flush up the panels and tack them. Then pull the clamp and weld the small slot.
Or you can use cleco fasteners and straps on the back side to tack up the panel. Then you can weld the little cleco holes no problem.
Maybe a dumb question but I have to ask. When you talked about warpage, etc. Are MIG welds used at all or is everything sheet metal wise TIG welded? I just purchased a TIG but am still learning how to use it. Whereas the MIG I am pretty decent at. Also, anyone used an item called Muggy Weld? It supposedly prevents warping.
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