TIG welding skill?

[klamath101]

Good morning everybody, looking into building a Legal Eagle XL. Have not purchased anything as of yet and looking for some guidance.
I have good fabrication skills and a well equipped shop at the ranch but its mostly farm equipment repairs. Welding the fuselage concerns me. 
how do you test the strength of finished product and welds? 

Have been around airplanes my whole life and watched the type of care given to them, private pilot SEL, Just worried about my own quality control.

Kurt Yancey

[scottiniowa]

 . Welding the fuselage concerns me.
how do you test the strength of finished product and welds?

 
Kurt Yancey

Hello Kurt, there are a few places (internet search)  that show/tell of what your concerned about, but generally a cluster is so strong after welding that you don't have to be concerned.  You had TIG in your question, so if you have good fill, no porosity, and no undercutting along the fill edge, you will be good.   The last one, almost always goes with holes in the tubes from to much heat, so they kind of go hand in hand.  Just remember to tack all over and many side before final welding 

And of course you can always weld a few joints together, and hold one in the vice and try to make the weld area break by twisting/tearing or hammering the two pieces... Done right, it should not... simple as that.

the "Zen of welding" that is in the download area is always a good read... short and to the point. Budd is a friend of mine, and he nailed it, with this article many years ago, and not much has changed, and when I teach it, (welding) I always refer students to it.

cheers and best of success
Scott