I'd appreciate a detailed description of O/A butt welding, end to end of mild steel rod. I use 3/16" and 1/4" mild steeel welding rod. I have been using a HF ring roller to put arcs and curves in the rod. Now I'd like to join the curves on multiple planes. Emmo (from this NG) has mentioned it several times. Do you precision fit the ends, hold the rods together and add filler rod? Or do you puddle up the ends and then push together? Pushing them together at puddled temp seems like I might need an extra set of hands. Also,holding the work on the correct plane has proven to be a real challenge. Any advice on holding or clamping devices would also be appreciated. I will be using the joined rods to form a sculpture. I use a Meco Midget torch. Thanks!
-Mike